Can You Dye Your Hair While Breastfeeding?
With pregnancy, you may have lost some time to take care of your physique. If you want to improve your appearance and have thought about dyeing your hair while breastfeeding, you should know that this could be harmful to your health and to the baby.
Whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is important that you pay attention to the quality of the products applied to your skin and scalp.
Therefore, we want to explain the precautions that you must take into account; In addition, we will reveal some alternatives to dye the hair during breastfeeding without affecting the little one.
Is it safe to dye your hair while breastfeeding?
It is obvious that hair dyes contain toxic chemicals for health. Most are based on ammonia, which is a dangerous chemical. Inhalation or direct contact with these toxins can cause serious health problems.
For this reason, many women assume that chemicals circulating in the blood cause problems for both mother and baby. This is the reason why some refrain from coloring their hair while breastfeeding.
However, it should be noted that the amount of chemicals that enter the mother’s bloodstream through the scalp is not great enough to pose a threat to the baby; there is no possibility that your baby can acquire these chemicals through breast milk.
Precautions for coloring hair while breastfeeding
Although it is possible to dye your hair while breastfeeding, taking certain precautions can ensure maximum safety for you and your baby.
As mentioned above, the chemicals that reach the bloodstream through the scalp are not enough to cause harm to you or your little one. However, scratches or sores on the leather increase the chances of getting more chemicals in the blood.
Therefore, it is important that you make sure that your scalp is healthy before coloring your hair.
The biggest problem with coloring hair while breastfeeding is that the baby will be affected by the smell of chemicals in the hair. If you are trying to color hair at home, make sure the room is spacious and well ventilated; thus, the gases will not remain inside and will not be inhaled by the baby.
What are the alternatives?
One of the solutions that you should consider if you are evaluating dyeing your hair while breastfeeding is to do a gentle sweep or simply wicks the same color as your hair to hide the gray without going through a complete coloring.
If you’re still concerned that hair dye might harm your baby, there are other alternatives. Keep in mind that some of the so-called ‘natural’ colorants act like vegetables but are formulated with harmful synthetics.
These remain hidden behind healthier ingredients, such as oils, fruits, or herbs; however, toxic elements are still present.
So, you have to be careful about the composition of the colors; Only value those natural colors that are 100% vegetable. We present some alternatives:
1. Brown for a brown or chestnut
Coffee works well for shades like brown or light brown. This product also protects the keratin of the hair, which promotes growth and minimizes hair loss.
2. Covers gray hair
Sage is a perfect remedy to cover gray hair because it has many astringent and revitalizing properties. It also helps the melanin flow to reactivate and returns the hair to its natural tone.
3. Cocoa for natural chocolate reflections
Cocoa can also help you cover gray hair. However, the effects will only be seen in the long term; the recipe should consist of cocoa powder and honey, which should be applied to dry hair.
4. Black tea for a dark tone
It is the plant that, par excellence, allows you to obtain a darker hair tone. Prepare a tea in the form of an infusion and leave it for about 24 hours. This solution can be applied after shampooing your hair.
5. Chamomile for golden reflections
The powder obtained from the dried flowers allows you to give golden and blonde reflections to your hair. However, it should be taken into account that it is a more advisable method for light hair and not so much for darker ones.
If possible, we recommend that you wait until your baby is nutritionally independent to apply chemicals to your hair.
Anyway, if you think that a new hair tone can improve your appearance, you can do it. After all, you have the right to be happy after doing the greatest job in the world – being a mother!
