Many women who are used to the use of hair dyes or tints in their beauty routine on a regular basis wonder to what extent there is a risk of using them while breastfeeding.
The fact is that there are not enough studies and studies on the effects of hair coloring during breastfeeding to generally assume that it is safe.
However, there are indications that with careful selection of the hair coloring product and the correct handling, possible side effects and effects on the child's well-being can be reduced, so that coloring the hair while breastfeeding is quite possible and justifiable.
Natural coloring products in particular can be a gentle and harmless alternative to artificial, industrially manufactured hair coloring agents.
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It is extremely important that the mother leads a healthy lifestyle while breastfeeding. This includes a healthy and balanced diet and the avoidance of potentially harmful substances, as any influence on the maternal body can potentially pass into breast milk.
Hair dyes and tints on the German market are subject to strict controls, which means that the amount of harmful substances must be kept so low that there is generally no risk to health.
Nonetheless, when coloring the hair via the scalp and when applying it via the hands, the mother ingests small amounts of the substances contained in the hair coloring product. These can then pass into breast milk via the mother's bloodstream.
It is therefore advisable to pay attention to the quality when choosing the product, to avoid unchecked foreign goods if possible and to seek advice from an experienced hairdresser.
In addition, tints have a reputation for being more tolerable and less aggressive than permanent colorations, as the color particles in tints are larger and more difficult to absorb through the scalp than the smaller color particles in permanent hair coloring products.
In addition, some experts recommend that you refrain from bleaching your hair while breastfeeding. Far more aggressive substances are used to lighten the hair, such as hydrogen peroxide and ammonium hydroxide. Dark colorations are therefore reputed to be more compatible.
Even if there are many indications that hair coloring is harmless to health with a suitable product choice for the period of breastfeeding, there is still too little data to confirm this assumption.
If there are any doubts, it can make sense to refrain from coloring your hair while breastfeeding.
Find out more about the topic here: Behavior during breastfeeding.
Ammonia, mostly in the form of ammonium hydroxide, is used just like hydrogen peroxide, especially for lightening colorations. Aromatic amines also make bleaching a much more aggressive coloring process, as the hair is first chemically attacked and changed. This is intended to achieve a successful hair color change.
In view of this more aggressive mode of action, due to the lack of research results on the possible effects of ammonia on breast milk during breastfeeding, ammonia-containing colorations should be avoided.
The influence of hair coloring substances on breast milk and subsequently on the child has not yet been sufficiently clarified.
Hair dye has a persistent negative reputation for bringing health risks beyond the length of breastfeeding. However, the products available on the German market are usually subject to strict controls, which is why negative health consequences are reduced.
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$config[ads_text3] not foundThe extent to which the ingredients of the colorations pass into breast milk when used properly and what effects they have on the child must be investigated more thoroughly.
Accidental ingestion of the product by the mother is believed to be far greater risk for the infant than short-term maternal skin contact during dyeing.
Frequently occurring side effects of hair coloring, which can also affect the child, are allergic reactions.These can occur in particular if the mother unintentionally brings the child into contact with substances that dye the hair. For example, if she has not washed her hands thoroughly enough after dyeing and comes into contact with the child.
In addition, many hair dye products have a pungent, pungent odor. With insufficient ventilation and exposure of the child in rooms where the hair was previously colored, these aerosols can enter the organism via the lungs. In addition, irritation and increased coughing can occur.
It is therefore advisable to ventilate thoroughly and to take the child into the affected room with a delay.
Read more about the topic here: Problems in breastfeeding in the child.
There are no general medical recommendations regarding the frequency of hair coloration while breastfeeding. Since the possible effects of hair coloring on breast milk and the child have not been adequately clarified, it is advisable to keep the number of colorations to a minimum while breastfeeding.
More important than the quantity of dyeing is the quality of the products used. Domestic hair dye products should be preferred or agents from other countries should be used, whose safety and quality controls for ingredients are subject to similar standards.
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The type of application can also increase the compatibility of the products and reduce undesirable side effects. In order to reduce the possible transfer of the substances contained in the hair dye product into breast milk, it is advisable to shorten the exposure time of the dye and then to rinse out thoroughly. This keeps the exposure and absorption time through the scalp short.
In addition, gloves should always be used when applying the paint to avoid unnecessary skin contact. In this way, possible health risks can be prevented.
The influence of hair dyes on breast milk has not yet been adequately investigated. Therefore, no general statement can be made about how long the mother's contact time with the dye product must last in order to be absorbed in relevant quantities. In addition, it is not possible to say how long this amount takes to pass into breast milk.
For the reasons mentioned above, expressing milk prior to the dyeing process cannot be regarded as generally protective, since breast milk may be permeated with ingredients of the dye product for a currently unknown period.
However, nothing to the contrary has been proven so far, which means that pumping can be carried out at the mother's request in order to bridge the period directly after dyeing.
Find out more about the topic here: Breastfeeding - All You Need To Know.
Tinting the hair only causes a temporary change in hair color and is therefore not considered a permanent coloration. Therefore, more gentle modes of action are usually used, which change the hair color.
In addition, hair tints are often composed of larger molecules which, in contrast to the smaller components of permanent coloring, can be absorbed less through the scalp and wrap around the hair shaft like a coat.
It is therefore assumed that hair tints are more tolerable and less risky during breastfeeding. This should be the case in particular with dark color nuances, since aggressive bleaching reactions during coloring can be dispensed with.
Hair coloring with henna during breastfeeding is a sensible and gentle alternative to industrially manufactured products, along with other natural coloring agents. However, the quality of the product should always be observed and the package insert carefully studied to see whether it is purely herbal and harmless Product is.
Artificially produced henna is now also available in stores, but not much can be said about its mode of action during breastfeeding. It is therefore advisable to prefer the plant-based variant in the form of natural products and in good quality.
In addition to henna, natural dyes, which are obtained from walnuts, chamomile or chestnuts, are other herbal hair coloring options.
Despite the gentler action of natural dyes, the body can still have an allergic reaction. In this case, the triggering product should be avoided and alternatives should be sought.
