Many women are afraid to dye their hair during pregnancy and are looking forward to giving birth to finally get their hair in order afterwards. But breastfeeding, which imposes many prohibitions and restrictions on habitual actions, nutrition, a woman's regime, raises a new question - is it possible to combine it with hair dyeing. It's not as simple as it seems.
Impact
When asked whether it is possible to dye the hair of a nursing mother, most hairdressers answer that it is quite possible to do this, no special problems will arise. But doctors are not so optimistic. Few of the fair sex usually think about the composition of coloring agents, how few people imagine exactly how the substances in the composition of paints act on the female body, and whether they can penetrate into breast milk after childbirth.
Any hair dye is a product of the chemical industry. The effect of it is based, in fact, on one of two principles: the tool either destroys its own coloring pigment in the hair structure, or changes the pigment to another due to the presence of certain powerful coloring agents. To consolidate the result, stabilizers, preservatives, fixatives are introduced into the composition of paints.
Hair dye is the presence of a coloring pigment and an oxidizing agent that will make the pigment aggressive. Permanent hair dyes usually contain ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and oxidizing pigments. Ammonia loosens the hair structure so that the dye can get into the deepest layers of the hair. It has a pungent characteristic odor and, when inhaled, quickly penetrates the body. It is highly allergenic and dangerous for the mucous membranes of the respiratory system. Parabens are almost always present in pigments. Phenylenediamine or PPD is found in 80% of all existing paints (look at the packaging and see for yourself).
The substance increases the likelihood of developing cancer, is toxic to the immune system and the nervous system, liver and kidneys. He is considered the "culprit" in the development of long-term asthma. Resorcinol in the composition of paints violates the hormonal background, promotes the formation of sexual dysfunctions, the formation of excess weight.
Hydrogen peroxide is also far from being as harmless as it might seem - it is a potent allergen, and its toxic effects on the lungs and digestive organs have also been confirmed in clinical trials.
Lead acetate in the composition of paints is toxic to the brain, it quickly penetrates into the composition of breast milk, once it enters the woman's body. Both formaldehyde and ethanolamine are dangerous.
The question arises - can these dangerous substances get into a woman's body. They can, but in small doses. The famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky says that it is not so scary to get paint through the transdermal method when the dye comes into contact with the scalp and hands, how much dangerous is inhalation of the above hazardous substances. With inhalation penetration, chemicals are more active, they immediately enter the bloodstream and quickly end up in breast milk. Equally dangerous from this point of view during breastfeeding are not only dyes for hair, but also nail polishes, and, in general, paints and varnishes, whatever they are intended for.
The risks are not so great, according to Komarovsky, if a woman does not paint at home, but in the salon, and then has the opportunity to take a walk in the fresh air, cleanse her lungs, if the paint is chosen not for reasons of economy, but for reasons of quality and the most gentle composition (completely safe paints, by the way, do not exist). But even in this case, according to Komarovsky, there is a risk of toxins entering the milk.
If the problem of hair coloring is not too acute, it is better to wait until the period when breastfeeding ends. If this is a matter of life and death, and the husband has already begun to glance at the well-groomed employees and more and more often looks away from his wife, whose hair roots have grown almost half the length of the hair, then Evgeny Komarovsky recommends dyeing your hair, but taking all precautions.
Can staining harm a child?
Painting with persistent paints that contain the maximum amount of harmful chemicals may well harm a child, especially if a woman during lactation neglects the rules for the safe use of paint - it is painted in a cramped and closed room that is not ventilated, for example, in a bathroom. In this case, she can inhale a fairly large amount of chemicals that are dangerous with HB not only for her, but also for the baby.
Ammonia passes into breast milk faster than others. It acts on mom both locally, irritating the mucous membranes of the respiratory system, and systemically. On a child, ammonia has only a systemic effect, similar to poisoning. The dose of ammonia in breast milk, of course, is low, and therefore most often the symptoms relate to a slight disruption of the nervous system. The kid may become more capricious, whiny, he may have more frequent regurgitation, sleep disturbances.
A large dose of ammonia in breast milk (if a woman breathed a poisonous substance for several hours) can adversely affect the condition of the child's heart, liver and kidney function.
Exposure to formaldehydes and parabens is no less dangerous. These substances disrupt the work of internal organs, which, in a small dose present in breast milk, can cause intoxication of internal organs, laryngeal edema, kidney failure, endocrine disorders.
As already mentioned, doctors do not support the idea of hair dyeing while breastfeeding. It is clear that all toxic substances enter breast milk in small quantities, and this can be said to be a plus. But the minus is that there are a lot of these substances, and in combination they can negatively affect the health and well-being of an infant.
Which paint to choose?
If staining still needs to be carried out, you should carefully approach the question of choosing the safest means for this. The best option during breastfeeding is natural dyes, such as henna or basma. And also a woman can correct the color of her hair with folk remedies, such as:
- decoction of chamomile - for fair-haired women, it gives a light golden hue to naturally light hair;
- lemon juice - for blondes and light blond, has a slight lightening effect and removes greasy hair;
- decoction of oak bark - gives brown-haired hair a brown-gold tint;
- decoction of onion peel - copper-chestnut shade for brown-haired women, brunettes and redheads;
- basma - for dark-haired;
- natural henna - for redheads.
It will not work to lighten with folk remedies, since all the means that eliminate its own natural coloring pigment in the hair structure are chemical and dangerous.
A woman during lactation can take advantage of the possibilities of the so-called organic coloring. The paints that are used with it are 90% natural ingredients. These are ammonia-free paints. However, you should be aware that the ammonia-free coloring agent is not at all devoid of a number of other harmful substances, for example, parabens. In addition, the absence of ammonia as such does not make the paint resistant, the color will quickly "wash out", fade, and come off the hair. These paints are expensive. Given the fragility of the effect obtained from them, additional staining may be required very soon.
A woman who is breastfeeding can use tinted shampoos, gels, balms - the effect of such cosmetics is also difficult to call persistent, but it is as harmless as possible.
Here is a list of paints most suitable for nursing mothers:
- Garnier Color Shine;
- Schwarzkopf Perfect Mousse;
- Estel Professional Deluxe Sense;
- Schwarzkopf Essential Color;
- Wella Color Touch;
- Matrix;
- SanoTint;
- L'Oreal CASTING Creme Gloss.
They should also be used in compliance with all the precautions recommended by the manufacturer and only when urgently needed. If a woman did not dye her hair before giving birth and decided to do it now just in order to change her image, to bring something new to her appearance, it is better to wait until the end of breastfeeding with repainting.
How to reduce harm?
Special attention, as follows from the above, need to be given to safe staining measures.
- It is best to wait for the first 3 months and start dyeing your hair, when the baby gets a little stronger, and lactation is fully established.
- Do not dye too often, changing the color of your hair every half month - a month. One procedure every 4 months is quite enough.
- Don't skimp on the cost of a cosmetic - cheap paints rarely meet international safety standards.
- Choose paints that are free of ammonia, aminophenol, formaldehyde and parabens.
- When contacting a beauty salon, be sure to warn the master that you are a nursing mother. In this case, the specialist will be more attentive to the choice of coloring agent or will immediately offer you an organic painting procedure.
- Self-coloring at home with HS is undesirable, but if it is unavoidable, then try to carry out the procedure in a place that is well ventilated so that neither you nor the child can inhale possible chemicals from the paint composition. A balcony or loggia can become such a room. Remember, if the paint does not smell like ammonia, this does not mean that it is completely safe.
Carefully read the instructions attached to the product, do not neglect gloves, try not to overexpose the dye on your hair.
If it is possible to do partial staining, in which the scalp is in minimal contact with the composition of the product (for example, highlighting or ombre), do it.
Do not ignore the producers' good wishes to do an allergy test. Even if before pregnancy such paint did not cause negative allergic reactions, this does not mean that in conditions of weakened postpartum immunity and a new hormonal background for a woman, allergies will not arise. Apply a little of the product to the back of your hand and observe for about 40 minutes. With redness, blisters, itching, staining with this agent should be discarded.
Use a respirator, gauze bandage with a cotton pad - this minimizes the amount of harmful substances that can enter the respiratory tract and bloodstream. Do not keep the dye on your hair longer than the instructions require.
All about dyeing hair while breastfeeding, see the next video.
