Dyeing your hair while breastfeeding: is it possible or not?

Pregnancy and the birth of a little toddler is a special period in the life of every woman and her family. The whole process begins with preparing for pregnancy, consulting with doctors, taking tests, etc. Here it is - the wonderful moment when the pregnancy test shows 2 stripes. Our happiness has no limits. Then comes the not-so-easy time, the time to accept and understand your new role, constant mood swings due to hormonal surges and a fairly common symptom of the first trimester - toxicosis. But in fact, pregnancy passes quickly and everything ends with the birth of a wonderful baby, or, more precisely, a new stage begins. Now, along with our responsibilities and current affairs, a woman begins to worry about the question “how to lose weight after childbirth?” or the no less relevant “how to remove a sagging belly?” Of course, despite our new responsibilities, we want to be beautiful for our children, husbands and ourselves. In pursuit of this beauty, many women decide to change their image and cut their hair or dye their hair.

Let's talk today about the possibility of dyeing while breastfeeding: is it possible to do this and what products are safe for you during this period of life.

Is it possible to dye your hair while breastfeeding?

To date, there are no studies that prove that coloring is harmful to the health of the mother or baby. But at the same time, there are no other studies that suggest that coloring during breastfeeding is not harmful to health. As for the opinions of experts, modern designers and stylists say that modern paint cannot have any effect on breast milk, since it does not contain toxic substances and does not penetrate the skin. As for doctors, opinions are divided: some say that the damage to the mother’s health is colossal when using paints, even leading to the development of cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. Others believe that infrequent coloring will in no way affect the life of the mother and her baby. Well, it’s worth examining this aspect in more detail, and independently, after weighing all the pros and cons, make a decision for yourself.

Is it possible for a nursing mother to dye her hair during breastfeeding: care rules

Publication date: 07/01/2018 |

The first thing that catches your eye when you see any woman is her hairstyle and the condition of her hair. And if this is a mother walking with a one-year-old child, then the attention to her from those around her doubles.

Hair hastily tied into a ponytail with long-grown undyed roots is unlikely to evoke emotion in anyone, but rather pity or condemnation. But do a young mother need them? After all, at home his beloved husband still does not lose hope of finding his former beautiful wife again. And in the city every day there are a lot of acquaintances who closely examine the new mother in search of flaws that appeared after childbirth.

If you still have not lost interest in the above, then the topic of tidy hair after childbirth is relevant to you. And that means there is a point and a need to talk about how to restore your hair to its former beauty. Is it acceptable to use chemical dyes during breastfeeding? And are any of them harmless to children's health?

Is hair coloring harmful when breastfeeding?

When talking about the dangers of paint, it is worth understanding what kind of product we are talking about. Today the market is simply overflowing with a huge number of these funds. The advertisement talks about the softness of the composition, flawless gray coverage and longevity. However, we all understand perfectly well that miracles do not happen.

So, first, let's look at what options the modern market offers us :

• Permanent paints. They contain hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. They are very easy to use and are most often used by women for coloring at home. The potent components contained in the composition penetrate into the hair and replace the person’s own pigment with paint. The advantages of this type of coloring are low cost, ease of use, good gray coverage and color fastness.
• Tinting products - shampoos and balms . This type of coloring is very gentle on the hair due to its soft composition. However, they cannot significantly change the color, since they do not penetrate the hair structure, but are fixed with a thin film on the surface. They only shade or complement your natural color. In addition, such products are not permanent.
• Natural dyes . These include henna and basma. Such funds have a fairly large list of advantages. For example, they provide good dyeing, long-lasting color and guarantee long-lasting wear. However, they have a limited color palette, only black, chestnut and red shades. In addition, depending on the individual pigment of a person, such paint can give different shades, for example blue.
• Of course, there are also a number of natural dyes that were often used by our grandmothers and mothers in childhood. These include: chamomile, turmeric, cinnamon, hops, coffee, onion peel and honey.

As you yourself understand, persistent dye during breastfeeding has the most detrimental effect both through the scalp and through the respiratory tract. The last factor is more dangerous, since inhaled ammonia vapor enters the bloodstream and quickly ends up in breast milk. However, the modern beauty industry has come up with many different “things” with which every woman can feel beautiful at any time in her life.

The dangers of hair coloring during breastfeeding: chemical reagents

The risk of harming a child by dyeing hair, although low, does exist: from the development of allergies and decreased immunity to severe intoxication, problems with the respiratory and nervous systems. It all depends on the choice and correct use of coloring agents.

Research results: risk assessment

Some studies have provided evidence of an association between infant leukemia and exposure to other chemicals such as dipyrone, estrogens, pesticides and organic solvents [1] [2]. These studies suggested that leukemogenesis may be related to the fact that the developing fetus is more vulnerable to DNA damage early in pregnancy, leading to genetic rearrangements.

Findings from the latest study from the National School of Public Health add some evidence to this hypothesis with increased estimates of the risk of ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) in the offspring of mothers who were exposed to HDSC (hair dyes and hair straightening cosmetics) during the first trimester of pregnancy (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.13-2.81). This study found some evidence of an association between maternal HDSC use during pregnancy and the development of ALL and AML (acute myeloid leukemia) before age 2 years. The general population, and especially women, should be advised to wisely avoid the use of HDSCs during pregnancy and lactation. [3]

At the same time, the NHS (the UK's largest health website, funded by the DHSC) claims that [4]:

“Although information on hair care while breastfeeding is limited, it is believed that it is possible to color your hair while breastfeeding. Very few of the chemicals used in hair coloring enter your bloodstream, so it is unlikely that significant amounts will be passed through breast milk. "In the past, many women have used hair treatments while breastfeeding without any known negative results."

Why is keratin hair straightening dangerous (for babies)?

The hair straightening procedure is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers.

Vapors of formaldehyde, which is part of keratin, are actively absorbed by the body when inhaled and easily pass into breast milk.

The consequences can be extremely dire for the baby. This component acts at the cellular level on nerve tissue, the brain and the retina. It is also capable of causing mutations in the body. Disturbances of the nervous system and visual function, as well as skin rashes and bronchitis are not a complete list of diseases that can result from the use of this hair straightening method by a nursing mother.

Alternatively, other, safe techniques can be used for this purpose. Among them are Japanese and American hair straightening technology, bio-straightening or folk remedies using gelatin and apple cider vinegar. You can ask your hairdresser about them.

Bleaching

It is extremely difficult to achieve high-quality hair lightening with ammonia-free dyes by blurring the hair pigment. Since this component is unsafe for children's health and easily passes into breast milk, it is better for a nursing mother to give up the desire to be blonde.

If your hair is naturally light in color, you can bleach it by 1-2 tones using folk remedies: this will be safe for babies.

Safe alternative: highlighting or coloring without risk to the baby

Dyeing individual strands in different colors (coloring) or lightening them by several tones (highlighting) is very popular among women. Their advantage for nursing mothers is that the entire hair is not susceptible to the chemical effects of the dye, but only part of it.

The lightener is applied to the hair away from the roots. This protects the skin from direct contact with the chemical.

The disadvantage of these methods of hair coloring is that the lightening dyes contain hydrogen peroxide and ammonia - they are toxic to the body of a small child. To reduce the risk of toxins getting into the blood and breast milk, you should follow these basic tips:

When highlighting and coloring, the dye should be applied to the hair at a distance of 5 mm from the roots. To prevent unpainted roots from being noticeable, the paint is applied at a certain angle, which can only be done by professionals.

It should be noted that doctors are categorically against any chemical manipulation of hair during lactation. Therefore, if hair coloring is an absolute necessity for you, use gentle methods to renew the color. These include professional highlighting and coloring.

What is the effect of dye on the scalp and hair?

If you regularly use formulations with aggressive ingredients to color your hair, this can lead to a number of problems:

• Firstly, their condition worsens. Each time it penetrates the hair, the composition weakens it and makes it thinner. Thus, the hair becomes dry and porous, and the ends begin to split.
• Secondly, constant contact of paint on the scalp can lead to dermatitis, itching and dandruff.
• Thirdly, an allergic reaction to one of the components of the paint is likely, even if there was no allergy before pregnancy. That is why manufacturers strongly recommend carrying out a control test on the crook of your arm before starting coloring. You should be careful, as an allergic reaction can occur not only in the mother, but also in the baby. Especially if your baby is prone to allergies, then think about whether you should do this now. When harmful components enter a child’s bloodstream, they can cause allergic dermatitis.
• Finally, fourthly, the harmful fumes that the mother inhales during the dyeing process can really harm the body of the mother and child.

Trending hair coloring techniques

Fashionable hair coloring includes not just giving the desired shade using high-quality dye, but also using special techniques to obtain the desired color solutions. Such techniques are quite complex, and not every master knows how to use them correctly.

Stylists of the salon “WOOW!” – real artists who create stylish works of art from your hair with their skillful hands. High skill, creativity, and specially developed proprietary techniques allow us to perform the most complex coloring on long, medium and short hair. For every hairstyle, we have the ideal solution for fashionable coloring using different techniques.

You can be convinced of our professionalism by looking at photos of completed work on dyeing hair of different lengths using the most fashionable techniques.

• Balayage. It has not lost popularity for several seasons. Strands dyed in different tones are suitable for hair of any color and length.
• Ombre. Allows you to highlight the beauty of your hair without radically changing the natural color. Hair that is dark at the roots smoothly transitions into lighter shades from top to bottom, creating a contrast with the light ends.
• Shatush. A complex coloring technique that creates the effect of maximum naturalness. The iridescent strands appear naturally sun-bleached.
• Bronding. Fashionable combination of different shades. The apparent lightness and airiness of such coloring is created only by real masters who know how to tastefully combine different colors and perform complex techniques.

These and other modern fashionable hair coloring techniques are successfully performed by the stylists of the “WOOW!” salon, located in Kyiv on the Left Bank. By signing up for our salon, you will get what every woman dreams of - her own fashionable, unique and stylish look.

The smell of paint and its effect on the condition of mother and child

It is precisely inhalation of harmful fumes that is most dangerous for both mother and baby. When these odors are inhaled, toxic substances are very quickly transferred into the milk, and then to the baby. As a result, allergic reactions, itching or dermatitis may occur. If it is impossible to avoid staining, then you should use more natural products that do not contain ammonia and other toxic substances.

Arguments against dyeing

The most unsafe for mother and her baby are dyes with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. These aggressive chemicals can cause negative reactions even under normal conditions, and during lactation the risk of personal intolerance to the compounds increases several times due to hormonal imbalance.

Harmful substances enter the body in two ways:

• through the air;
• through the skin.

Authoritative pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky claims that the first path is much more dangerous than the second. Through the lungs, ammonia vapors are very quickly absorbed into the blood and mixed with breast milk, after which they enter the baby’s body during feeding.

But ammonia physically cannot penetrate the skin in quantities dangerous to life or health. This means that the acrid smell of paint is more dangerous than its contact with the dermis.

The effect of paint on a baby

Negative reactions in a baby are possible only if you dye your hair in a poorly ventilated area or come into contact with it while the composition is on the hair. Inhaling ammonia can cause the following:

• severe allergic reactions;
• intoxication of the body;
• suffocation;
• swelling of the larynx and internal organs;
• irritation of mucous membranes.

Such reactions can be deadly for infants, so the possibility of their occurrence must be excluded. To do this, you should carry out the procedure in a well-ventilated area and walk in the fresh air for two hours after painting so that the harmful fumes are completely eliminated. Taking precautions will help keep your baby safe.

Risks for mom

A woman can also be harmed by using persistent products. In addition to inhaling ammonia fumes, she is exposed to other risks. Coloring can cause negative skin reactions, so each product should be checked for personal tolerance, even if there were no problems with its use before pregnancy.

Other undesirable consequences are also possible:

• uneven color development;
• hue distortion;
• quick rinse.

These phenomena are associated with hormonal changes in the young mother. Due to the lack and excess of certain substances in the body, hair can change its structure. Hairdressers note that after childbirth they become 2-3 shades darker, and pores appear in the cuticular layer. This causes the unpredictable appearance of color.

To avoid disappointment, it is best to contact an experienced stylist who can choose the right dye for you.

How to choose paint and how to use it correctly when breastfeeding

When choosing such a product, you should be careful and take into account all factors. Now you are a nursing mother. Therefore, you should choose them with the most natural composition; you should not use paint that contains hydrogen peroxide or ammonia, as it emits an unpleasant, pungent odor and can be toxic to both your body and the baby’s body. One compromise could be highlighting. This coloring option is very gentle on your hair. Moreover, the paint does not get onto the roots and, accordingly, into the blood. Therefore, it cannot cause allergies or other negative reactions. Another good option when breastfeeding is coloring with natural dyes. Women who can boast of fiery curls should use henna, brown-haired women should dye their hair with tea leaves or onion peels, brunettes with basma, and blondes with chamomile decoction or lemon juice.

The mechanism of action of hair dye during hepatitis B

Of course, a nursing mother is allowed to dye her hair. The main thing is to follow safety precautions and choose paints carefully.

It is also important to remember that dyeing your hair becomes more difficult when breastfeeding, since you can never be sure of the end result. Due to hormonal fluctuations, the color may be uneven and the shade may not be as expected.

In addition, during lactation, a woman’s body becomes extremely sensitive to chemicals and potential allergens. Therefore, even familiar and familiar paints that were constantly used before can now cause allergies. To avoid this, a mandatory test must be carried out for the paint.

Precautionary measures

In pursuit of beauty, it is worth remembering some simple rules that will help prevent unexpected and unpleasant reactions to this procedure during breastfeeding:

1. It is worth remembering that your body is now in a state of hormonal changes. Accordingly, no one knows for sure what hair color you will get after the procedure. The only recommendation would be: choose a shade several tones lighter than you used previously.
2. At this time, you should not save on the procedure. Choose professional products with high-quality ingredients. Do not buy products that contain hydrogen peroxide or ammonia.
3. You need to paint in a well-ventilated room, and after the procedure, take a long enough walk in the fresh air to saturate the body with oxygen.
4. Entrust the procedure to a specialist or, in extreme cases, a friend. They will be able to apply the paint more carefully, minimizing the areas of skin on which the composition will come into contact. In addition, the specialist will be able to accurately mix all the components in the correct proportion, accordingly, the risk of allergies and unexpected results after the procedure is reduced.
5. Feed your baby before the procedure and stock up on another portion of milk. This way you can provide him with food if he wants to snack during or immediately after dyeing. The next portion of milk that you get within 4 hours after dyeing should be expressed and poured out.
6. Under no circumstances should you approach the child until the hair dye is washed off.

Knowing these simple subtleties and rules, you can take time for yourself, bring beauty and not affect the baby’s health in any way.

Recommendations for safe hair coloring during breastfeeding

The decision to paint is primarily made by the mother herself, only she alone knows what will bring her more positive emotions - a new hairstyle or peace of mind for the baby’s health. If you make a positive decision, you should choose tinted shampoos and balms, tonic, ammonia-free dyes, henna dyeing, and also follow a number of simple recommendations for safely changing hair color. This:

• It is better to entrust coloring to a professional stylist than to carry out the procedure at home;
• It’s much safer to do highlighting; dyes do not penetrate the scalp;
• hair dye must contain natural dyes; these products are usually more expensive than ammonia dyeing, but much more effective;
• as an alternative, use natural dyes - lemon juice, like chamomile, will whiten hair, henna and basma are suitable for brunettes;
• after the procedure, try not to contact the baby for about an hour or two;
• For less impact on the child’s body, it is worth expressing the milk before coloring and feeding it after. You should not breastfeed your baby right away.

The difficulty for young mothers is that they have no one to consult with to make a decision. Some people still don’t dare to dye their hair during breastfeeding, some mothers don’t inform their hairdresser about feeding, and for the hairdressers themselves, this is primarily a job. But you always need to remember about the possible negative consequences and risks for the baby and make the only right decision for yourself personally.

Is it possible to dye your hair with tonic or tinted shampoo while breastfeeding?

This coloring option is very gentle on your hair. But you must understand that the effect will not be long-lasting or lasting. If you want to give a light shade to your hair, then this option will be the most correct. It does not contain toxic or aggressive components and is not harmful to your health or the health of your baby.

Is it possible to wear henna while breastfeeding?

This option for hair coloring while breastfeeding is the best. After all, such paint is based only on natural ingredients and does not cause any harm to health. In addition, in the first months after childbirth, many women note that their hair begins to fall out with great frequency; for many, this process causes real panic. It is worth noting that this is an absolutely normal phenomenon and you should not be afraid of it. The fact is that during pregnancy a woman blossoms, this also affects her hair. They grow thicker, shinier and practically do not fall out. But after the baby is born, under the influence of hormones, all those hairs that should have fallen out a long time ago begin to do so now. So, coloring your hair with natural remedies, such as henna, basma or chamomile decoction will help strengthen your hair during this period and lift your mother’s mood.

Changes in the body and hair during lactation

An acute problem with a mother’s appearance after childbirth is severe hair loss and poor condition. Some people associate this with feeding and a lack of vitamins, but in practice, women whose babies are bottle-fed also experience difficulties. That is why mothers are increasingly turning to doctors in an attempt to find out the cause and begin to act. It turns out that after childbirth, the female body undergoes significant hormonal changes. The well-known hormone estrogen is produced in large quantities during pregnancy, it slows down hair development, both positive (growth) and negative (loss). Accordingly, when after the birth of the baby the hormone level gradually returns to normal, hair begins to fall out at a noticeable speed, also returning to its normal rhythm. In about the first 6 months, the hair follicles are renewed, the body comes to its senses, hair loss stops and the active growth of beautiful curls continues. In normal conditions, the norm for women’s hair is considered to be 70 hairs per day; after childbirth, this figure can reach up to 300.

It would also be wrong to attribute hair loss problems only to postpartum recovery, since breastfeeding does not reduce the load on a woman’s body. Moreover, it is worth looking for other reasons if after several months the situation does not improve. During hepatitis B, the condition of the hair may worsen due to:

• lack of useful microelements, mainly iron and vitamin D, which often occurs in vegetarians and nursing mothers who adhere to this type of diet;
• problems with the endocrine system and related diseases (diabetes, thyroid disease);
• taking medications (especially antibiotics or anesthesia during childbirth);
• general malaise due to constant stress, lack of healthy sleep and fatigue;
• Insufficient care for the scalp, sometimes a mother simply does not find free time for herself and does not properly care for her hair.

In any case, changes in a woman’s body and in her hair are interconnected, and correctly identifying the cause of poor hair condition will help quickly bring it back to normal.

Video

I suggest you watch a short video in which a trichologist explains what products you can use to dye your hair while breastfeeding. In addition, in this video you will learn the reason why natural paint can give an unexpected shade.

Every woman wants to look beautiful. Some people need this to show off in front of their man, while others just want to see a beautiful reflection in the mirror. Be that as it may, when you resort to modern methods of correcting your appearance, the world ends up with one more happy woman. The period of pregnancy and breastfeeding is not a reason to give up on yourself, however, you should approach everything wisely so as not to harm your health or the health of your baby.

Now share with us in the comments on the site what hair coloring products you use. What color did it turn out to be: the same as planned?

When can you dye your hair after giving birth?

After childbirth, you can change the color and tidy up your hair with the help of coloring agents no earlier than the lochia - physiological postpartum discharge consisting of blood and dying tissue from the place where the fetal membrane and the placenta are connected to the uterus - stops. This should not be done before - if the paint “sets”, the final color may be very far from the desired one.

You should choose natural paints - basma or henna, or products based on natural ingredients. Such cosmetics are represented by well-known companies: L'Oreal, Estelle, Matrix, Shi, Schwarzkopf. It should be taken into account that ammonia-free products also have a pungent odor, since the durability is secured with the help of hydrogen peroxide, which means that you should paint in a ventilated area.

It is advisable not to completely dye the strands, but to limit yourself to tinting or coloring - in this case, the paint does not come into contact with the skin, it is applied to the strands selectively, at a certain angle. Only professionals can handle the application technique.

It is advisable to invite a hairdresser home - otherwise there is a risk of inhaling toxic ammonia fumes in the hairdresser while performing the procedure behind a nearby mirror. If the choice fell on “major” paint with ammonia, you need to adhere to the rules already described above.