How old should a baby be before a mother can dye or perm her hair?
Dec 06, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Ma Yan
Introduction
In general, mothers can get perms or hair coloring treatments after their baby is six months old. Meanwhile, if dyeing or perming hair during breastfeeding, it's important to choose reputable,正规 hair dyes. After the treatment, thorough washing and airing out the hair are necessary to remove odors, avoiding olfactory stimulation to the baby during breastfeeding, which might affect the baby's development.
Generally, mothers can get perms or dye their hair after the baby is six months old.
After the baby reaches six months of age, dyeing or perming hair does not affect the quality of breast milk or the baby's normal growth and development. By this time, around six months postpartum, the mother’s body has relatively stabilized in terms of recovery. Hair dyes do not enter the bloodstream and therefore do not affect breast milk. Additionally, the baby has usually started solid foods and requires less breast milk. Thus, it is generally safe for mothers to perm or dye their hair at this stage. However, it is important to choose healthy, additive-free, and purely plant-based hair dyes. Since mothers are breastfeeding, using low-quality hair dyes could pose a risk—if the baby puts the mother's hair into their mouth during feeding, they might ingest the dye chemicals, which could negatively affect the baby's health and lead to adverse consequences.
Moreover, if dyeing or perming hair during breastfeeding, mothers should use reputable, approved hair products. After perming or dyeing, thoroughly wash the hair and allow any odor to dissipate to avoid exposing the baby to strong smells that could cause sensory irritation during breastfeeding.
