During pregnancy, every single move of the mother becomes crucial. From what you eat and drink to the type of treatments you undergo, everything impacts your baby. Hair treatment is an important aspect of female grooming. It makes a woman feel confident, smart, and stylish. Often pregnant women are seen to worry about whether their hair treatment will cause any side effects on the fetus.
Hair and facial treatment of any kind, if consists of chemicals, then it will surely impact your baby. The level of impact is dependent on the intensity of the chemicals and the level to which your body is exposed to these chemicals. It is advised for a woman to play safe and not to take any risk during her pregnancy. This article gives you clarity on the impact and safety of different types of hair treatment during pregnancy.
What makes hair treatments unsafe for pregnant women?
When a woman is going through her pregnancy, the level of blood in her body increases. This makes her more sensitive to chemicals. Most of the kinds of hair treatments include products that have chemicals in them. Due to the porosity of the skin on the scalp, a little quantity of chemicals can penetrate gets absorbed into it. This can cause the chemicals to mix into the bloodstream and pass to different parts of the body, including the fetus too.
Precautions for performing Hair coloring
Hair coloring is a type of treatment that includes the application of semi-permanent, temporary, and permanent dyes. You need to take a few precautions to ensure it doesn’t harm you and your fetus.
- Perform the treatment after your second trimester as by that time most of the growth of the baby has taken place. So, it will have less impact on its growth.
- If possible, get your doctor to recommend you of hair color that is safe or less toxic to be used during pregnancy.
- Women with scars, itchy scalp and burns should stay avoid them at all costs. In such cases, you can opt for natural hair coloring treatments like the application of henna, vegetable dyes, etc.
- During pregnancy, a woman develops a high smelling power. So, strong fragrances can make you feel nauseous. Getting short-duration treatments in a well-ventilated area avoids the chances of long-term side effects. Prefer sitting in an area that is devoid of strong fragrances and smell and has a good supply of fresh and clean air.
- It is best to avoid performing those hair treatments that have excessive quantities of chemicals. Go for safer and good-quality products and techniques that minimize the use of chemicals. Checking the ingredients especially ammonia is important before you buy hair color.
- In place of coloring all your hair, you can minimize exposure to chemicals by opting for highlights to color only smaller sections of hair.
Hair Re-bonding During Pregnancy
Putting simply, hair re-bonding is a type of hair treatment that modifies the natural structure of the hair of a pregnant woman and restructures it. To perform this treatment, chemical-based relaxants and heat are used to disintegrate amino acids bonds in your hair. This is followed by straightening of hair and application of a neutralizer that has an altered structure.
These chemicals can get absorbed by the scalp and reach into your body. Though the amount absorbed by the scalp is very less, one should avoid or reduce exposure to these chemicals to ensure the best health of your fetus. Here are a few precautions that will help you get the treatment without causing any side effects to you and your baby.
- Your scalp should stay untouched. It should not come in contact with the product.
- Ensure that you wear gloves at the time of performing the treatment. Good quality gloves and brushes will prevent chemicals from coming in touch with your bare hands.
- Don’t let the chemicals stay on your hair for a longer duration as indicated in the manual.
- Thoroughly rinse your scalp after treatment.
- Before you apply any product, it is advised to perform a patch test to find whether you exhibit any allergy towards its use.
- Don’t bleach or dye your eyelashes or eyebrows as it can lead to swelling or infection in your eyes.
Also read: Pedicure And Manicure During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?
Conclusion
Frequent hair treatments in pregnancy can prove to be harmful, but their intermittent use with proper precautions is quite safe. Consulting your doctor beforehand is a wise move. Ensure you diligently follow all the above safety measures once you plan to treat your hair during pregnancy. Your carefulness will keep you and your baby safe throughout pregnancy.