>From:    "Mary Kay Smith, IBCLC" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Coloring hair while pregnant

I'm sorry if I missed the original post on this subject but I must respond.
 Hair is dead! Putting hair color on or perming while pregnant or
breastfeeding does no harm to the baby.  How would the chemicals get from the
top of your head in to the blood stream which is essentially what milk
composition is based on?  My niece went to beauty school for the last two
years and she laughed so hard when I told this "myth" I thought I was going
to have to do CPR! One more myth shot full of holes!


I hate to disagree, but the skin on one's scalp, like the skin anywhere
else, is a living substance, and absorbs chemicals easily.  That's why you
can have topical patches like "Nicoderm" -- because skin absorbs chemicals
and transfers them to the bloodstream.  This doesn't mean that coloring
one's hair is dangerous, but just points out that the chemicals touch the
skin of one's scalp, so can certainly enter the woman's blood stream and get
into the milk.

Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology and Nutrition
Texas A&M University
Co-editor of "Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives"