Hair Straightening and Pregnancy

Mother with long hair and her child
Photo: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock
Q: My daughter had a baby 3 weeks ago. She wants to get a straightening perm but her hairdresser thinks she may have to wait a few more weeks. She said there was something about the hormones of pregnancy not allowing the perm to work as well. How valid is this?
 
A: It’s a pretty well established fact that a woman’s body undergoes some pretty dramatic changes during pregnancy and as a result of the hormone levels involved, otherwise routine things may not respond as expected. Chiefs among these are hair coloring and perming processes.
 
There is legitimate concern that these services won’t work in a normal fashion when an individual is pregnant. The hair of a pregnant woman may become more resistant or more porous, resulting in underprocessing or overprocessing without reasonable warning. And given that the hair changes can be isolated to areas of the scalp (or may be allover) the simple strand testing may not be sufficient to predict results.
 
The other more serious concern is that the hormonal changes in pregnant women can alter the way a woman’s body reacts to the chemicals used in these services. During pregnancy a woman can become more sensitive to chemicals and could have serious reactions if due caution is not employed. Even such matters as sensitivity to smell can become problematic if a woman finds, unexpectedly, that the odor of the chemical formula being used causes her extreme nausea.
 
I’m sure if you look, you will find a hairdresser who is willing to take your money and do whatever service you request. I would rather hope that you will consider that your daughter’s hairdresser is thinking primarily of your daughter’s welfare and that a few weeks more isn’t too much of a wait for the sake of safety.
 
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See also:
 
Hair and pregnancy
 
Can I dye or bleach my hair during pregnancy?
 
Will thermal restructuring work when you are pregnant?
 
Is it safe to use flat irons for your hair during pregnancy?