Back to results

Hair Colour and Pregnancy 101

It is true to say that very high doses of chemicals that are found in hair dyes may cause harm, but these doses are huge compared to the very small amounts that an individual is exposed to when colouring their hair.

Many women, and we would recommend this too, choose to wait until after their first 12 weeks of pregnancy before colouring their hair – yes we know, we know; three months of no hair colour! But, waiting out this period will reduce any risk of chemical substances harming the baby.

With the latest advancements in colour technology, it is absolutely fine – and safer than ever - for women to colour their hair whilst pregnant. If you are worried though, you could swap your all over tint for highlights or semi-permanent colours. Highlights will minimise the contact of dye on the scalp, and an ammonia free semi-permanent colour will be much gentler than their permanent cousins.

Another great reason to go ammonia free is that amongst all the other pregnancy woes, your sense of smell can be heightened making your stomach churn at the first whiff of a freshly mixed dye. Ammonia free colour generally has a softer and more pleasant smell, helping to make your salon visit a more comfortable experience. An even softer approach is to go for a vegetable-based colour, sometimes called a ‘gloss’ on the salon menu, to gently blend away greys.

As your hormones fluctuate during pregnancy to help build your sample sized human, these changes can cause extra skin sensitivity. Although it is safe to colour your hair whilst pregnant, it is vital to protect yourself by carrying out a skin allergy test with your salon prior to your appointment. Those pesky hormones can also affect the outcome too, so it might be wise to test the colour first on a few strands to eliminate the element of surprise should your usual colour turn out a different shade!

Once your bundle of joy has arrived, it is generally considered safe to dye your hair whilst breastfeeding. Very little chemicals found in hair dye enter your blood stream, so it is highly unlikely these will make their way into your breast milk. Again, once your baby is born, remember that huge hormonal shifts are taking place within your body, so keep your self-safe by carrying out a skin test with your salon prior to any colour service!

In a nutshell…

  1. Consider waiting until after your first trimester of pregnancy before going for a colour
  2. Make sure you skin and strand test – very important!
  3. For those who are still unsure, change up your colour to highlights, balayage or ammonia free