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Medical Video: Pregnancy Myth Buster
In general, chemical treatments are fairly safe, only a few products will seep into the scalp.
To ensure safety, it is better to only do one treatment during pregnancy, or avoid it altogether.
However, if you want to straighten your hair, keep in mind that some of the treatments below are practically safe while you are pregnant. A study shows that the use of hair straightener products will not increase the risk of premature birth or low weight babies. However, this study did not examine birth defects.
Standard chemical straightening treatments include:
- Lye: contains sodium hydroxide
- No-lye: contains calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate
- Thio: contains thioglycolic acid salts
Brazilian Hair Care
Hair straightening treatments with chemicals from Brazil are not as safe as standard straightening for use during pregnancy.
Hair treatment with Keratin (Brazilian Keratin Treatment, BKT or Brazilian Blowout) generally contains chemical formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can seep into the body through the skin or by breathing. This ingredient is found in many bath products and cleansers, but long-term exposure can increase the risk of cancer.
For this reason, some countries have limited the amount of formaldehyde that can be used on a product. The general limit is 2%. But in some keratin products, there is a content of 10%. The United Kingdom has attracted several keratin treatment products, but many are still found online or in salons.
There are a number of formaldehyde-free keratin treatments, but be careful. When tested, some products still contain formaldehyde. Some formaldehyde-free treatments contain chemicals called methylene glycol, which when heated with a hair clipper, can turn into formaldehyde.
For this reason, you can avoid chemical treatments for hair straightening during pregnancy. If you want to do treatment, avoid treatments labeled "keratin" or "Brazilian hair treatment". If you do hair care at the salon, tell anyone who takes care of you not to use these products.
Good feeling and good appearance are important when you are pregnant. If you need a safe idea about how to look and feel good, see the Beauty section for prospective mothers.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
