To dye or not to dye

When Britney Spears became pregnant, one of the most important things I remember about this was that she dyed her hair brown – Ok, and that she had a gorgeous little boy, but more importantly THE HAIR PEOPLE! Most known for her blonde locks, Britney decided (I assume) to follow one of the old ‘pregnant rules’ about dyeing your hair blonde during pregnancy and went for a sleek, dark look. Being a blonde myself, I was wary of this rule for my own selfish reasons – I like my blonde hair!

So I asked my GP at 7 weeks about this, and she said it was an old wives tale, and that it’s fine. Things like this, I like to file under ‘Myths and Legends’ because I’m sure there are still people out there who strongly believe in this rule, however with a little research I thought I would present all sides for your benefit. The reasoning behind not dyeing your hair blonde, is the high levels of ammonia and coal tar ingredients in the dye. These were absorbed through the skin in very small amounts, and rats that were tested with these chemicals were most likely to develop cancer than those not*.

HOWEVER, these (abhorrent) tests were done with 100 times the amount that you would normally use, and have shown absolutely no fetal abnormalities. Most GP’s will now tell you not to worry about this ‘rule’, but for those who are still concerned there are a growing number of salons who use ammonia free products, and therefore can help ease your mind, while still getting locks better than Blake Lively**

A few salons around the Geelong, Surfcoast and Bellerine who do use these products include:

Salon Berdi. 109-113 Pakington Street, Geelong West.
Temple Hair and Beauty. 257 Moorabool Street Geelong AND Shop 2/7 Bell Street Torquay

Salon Eve 1/127 Shannon Ave Manifold, Heights
Salon Sojourn. 3/99 Presidents Ave Ocean Grove AND 2/329 Pakington Street Newtown

As always, do whatever makes you feel comfortable – just take solace in the fact that if you want to have your blonde hair throughout, then there is no proof to show that this harms you or your baby. *According to a 1978 study by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. **Not proven.