Jury Still Out on Haircoloring in Pregnancy

Pregnancy and The Safety of Hair Color

Anyone who colors or highlights their hair will probably have this question because it's hard to go a full nine months without doing it. 
See also: www.getpregnantover40.com for more on the environment and fertility 
 There have been many articles written about whether or not color is safe during pregnancy or if you are trying to conceive.  According to this article, highlighting is probably the safest since it doesn't usually come in contact with the scalp, but you should always check with a doctor first. Read more:

has long been an issue for mothers-to-be, who fear that anything they do to their bodies inside or outside can harm their baby. To a certain extent this can be true and where hair coloring is concerned, there is one main reason why the jury is still out on deciding how safe or unsafe it is: which pregnant lady is going to put her hand up to be a part of a clinical trial of hair coloring agents?

Highlighting is the best way of giving your personal color scheme a bit of a lift. Because the chemicals don’t go onto the roots of your hair, nothing is absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore, there is minimal chance of your baby coming to any harm. Also, the fumes are enclosed in the foil that is wrapped around the processing hair.

Before you get too precious about the word ‘chemicals’, remember that some natural products can also be toxic. Consider the case of aromatherapy and how some essential oils, such as rosemary, should not be used in pregnancy.

Basically, if you follow the simple rule of checking with your pharmacist or physician before using anything about which you have doubts, you should have no reason to be concerned. There are a gazillion things to avoid when you’re carrying a little bundle in your belly, from drinking tap water to enjoying a spell in a Jacuzzi. Erring on the side of caution is always best during pregnancy, and also, asking around about other people’s experiences is wise.

One important consideration is to avoid anything even remotely risky during the first trimester when your baby’s development is at its most crucial stage.

As for highlighting your hair, go ahead and check with your doctor … a quick call may be all that’s required and then you can take off to the hairdressing salon and make that makeover happen.
from:
www.thelaboroflove.com

HAIR DYE: SAFE IN PREGNANCY?

Healthy Pregnancy Over 40 - Hair Dye Questions

Many of us older moms had been coloring our hair long before we got pregnant.
For mor on environmental factors as well as chemicals related to infertility, visit: www.getpregnantover40.com
 I've often wondered about the safety of using these chemicals.  This article explains some of the risks and other healthier alternatives:

From the article:

In 2008, the World Health Organisation said there is some evidence that hair dyes increase the risk of bladder cancer for hairdressers who use them all the time. The American Pregnancy Association however, said it was unlikely that hair dye could harm an unborn baby- too little of the chemicals would reach it- although it did say that pregnant women should avoid strong chemical fumes from ammonia in dye and might want to wait to get their hair dyed until the second trimester.
Solution: There isn't strong evidence of a link between hair dye and cancer, however unhealthy it feels to keep applying smelly chemicals to your hair. However, there is, as shown by the studies, some association. If you are sure you don't want to go grey, you might want to try plant-based hair colour such as henna, make sure you don't leave dye on too long, rinse it off thoroughly and do it less often. Or you could go blonde – it seems lighter dyes have less risk.
from: www.guardian.co.uk