Hair Relaxers and Pregnancy
Pregnant women have to make many sacrifices with regards to what they eat, wear, do, use, etc. so that their unborn baby does not get affected in any way. After all, a woman is responsible for her and her child's health and safety during pregnancy.
Hair relaxers, which come in the form of lotion, cream or serum are beauty products which are used by women who have curly, unmanageable hair. These hair care products relax the curls of the hair, making it easier for the woman to comb, manage and style her hair. Hair relaxers, just like other cosmetics, are made up of chemicals. Let's find out if a woman can use them while she is pregnant.
Things to Consider
Chemical-laced
Most of the hair relaxers that are available in the market have an alkaline base. Some contain chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and ammonium thioglycolate. Hair relaxers, when applied on curly or frizzy hair, change the structure of the hair, making it flat and straight. The chemical changes that it causes in the hair is proof enough of how strong and chemical laced these hair relaxers are.
Risks to the Fetus
Certain people believe that using hair relaxers during pregnancy is very harmful for the unborn child and hence should be completely avoided. It is believed that when a pregnant woman applies hair relaxers, there is a possibility that the chemicals in it might enter the blood stream from the scalp. From the blood these chemicals can even enter the fetus, thus posing a risk to the fetus. However, there is no concrete evidence or research conducted to support these claims.
The chemicals found in them are not so much capable of entering the skin. Still, they can be harmful, if they are inhaled by the pregnant woman when she is treating her hair with them. So, health experts suggest that hair relaxing treatment should be avoided especially during the first three months of pregnancy to ensure that the pregnancy is absolutely risk free.
Harmful for the Mother
It's not just the unborn child who might get affected by the chemicals in hair relaxers, sometimes it's the woman herself who might have to bear their brunt. During pregnancy, the blood flow in a woman's body undergoes a sea change. This makes the woman sensitive towards certain kind of chemicals. It may happen that the woman gets a headache or a feeling of nausea after coming in contact with chemicals in hair relaxers. To avoid these things, it is better that a woman does not use them during pregnancy.
Natural Hair Relaxers
When it comes to hair relaxers, even when it is advertised that the chemicals used in it are safe, it might happen that the manufacturer changes its formula after some time. The new chemicals used might be harmful for a pregnant woman. Keeping this in mind, it is better to avoid them when one is pregnant. Instead, natural ones such as olive oil, cocoa butter, lemon and coconut cream should be used by the woman as they are considered safe.
As far as hair relaxer's safety during pregnancy is concerned, nothing is conclusive. If a pregnant woman at all decides to use them, she should wear gloves as well as masks, so that the chemicals neither come in direct contact with her skin nor are they inhaled. The best thing however would be if she uses natural hair relaxers. Thus, in the end, it can be said that by following these precautions or by using natural hair relaxers, a pregnant woman can ensure that she and her baby are safe.
