Is it safe to colour your hair when pregnant?

[mrsm22]

This might sound silly, but I am 21 weeks pregnant with my second baby and as yet have not coloured my hair. I did have highlights in foil in my first pregnancy but am getting very bored with my hair and fancy doing something. Please can anyone confirm if it is safe and no risk to baby and also have/do many of you colour your hair? Many thanks

Hi my sister is a hairdresser so I've been fortunate with advise otherwise I would be in the same boat! Many hairdressers say different things about what's okay and what's not but my sister said that's mainly down to them wanting to keep clients and not loose appointments! She said to me anything going directly onto the scalp e.g. all over colour or root touch up should be no ammonia. If you are blond and want to stay that way, keep the roots at bay with highlights as these never go directly to the scalp and therefore prevent any ammonia getting into your bloodstream.
Hope this helps!!

think I waited until 3 months and then coloured every 3 months iyswim

I'm 25 weeks and have been having my roots done every 4-5 weeks all the way through. Unfortunately I have very grey roots and my hair grows quickly so I would look truly awful without being able to have them done (obviously worth it if there was any evidence of an issue). I believe the NHS guidance and other sources (e.g. Emily Oster's book) say there is no evidence of any harm, but to patch test etc because your scalp can become more sensitive and hair might take the colour differently - this hasn't been an issue for me so far either.

I have highlights every 8-12 weeks and its fine as the dye doesnt touch my scalp

I've just had mine bleached at 36 weeks.
My daughter is an hairdresser and does plenty of hair colours for people In Later pregnancy.
I was advised not to have it done in the first trimester.
In all fairness I'm having a c section in 4 days and the prescription body scrub I have to use for 5 days before( and I've to use it on my scalp also) has lots more chemicals in it than hair dye.

I'm 30wks and had foil highlights done a couple of weeks ago. As long as bleach isn't touching your scalp its fine I think. The other thing to bear in mind is that colour can take differently when you're pregnant. Ask hairdresser for advice :)

reaching back into the depths of my brain.. your scalp may be more sensitive during pregnancy.

make sure you do the patch test properly.

i dyed my hair myself all the way through my pregnancys as usual.

Mumsnet and the NHS say yes, but check for skin allergies beforehand as it can cause scalp discomfort:
www.mumsnet.com/pregnancy/dos-and-donts

iv carried on having my hair chemically straightened and coloured throughout both pregnancies. if theres anything wrong with this baby il blame it on the drug and alcohol addictions lol.

its one of those things where theres no evidence of harm but no definitive proof that it doesnt cause harm; up to you to use your own judgement.

Megan you are so lucky that your sister is a doctor and a hairdresser!

Just follow the nhs advice op. It's generally accepted that highlights are fine but while pregnant you might want to avoid during first trimester and be extra vigilant about patch tests and how the colour might take rather than any concerns about harm to your baby

My hairdresser told me it's fine to dye hair after the first 12 weeks. As long as it's not a dark dye, black/dark brown.

The dark brown black thing is about the colour taking differently. You just have to be careful! My hair is very dark brown and I've just chosen slightly lighter and ended up the same. I'm 30 weeks and have dyed it twice or 3 times I think since being pregnant.