Is working in a hair salon safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about working in a hair salon during pregnancy?

1. Under normal conditions only a small amount of hair dye is absorbed through healthy scalp skin, and performing or receiving these salon services is not expected to significantly increase the chance of birth defects when products are used correctly. 1
2. Studies of hairdressers have found a small increase in the time it took to get pregnant, and some studies have suggested cosmetology work might raise the chance of preterm delivery, though workplace factors are difficult to separate. 1
3. Findings across the occupational literature are genuinely split: some studies found higher rates of subfertility and menstrual disorders among hairdressers, while others found hairdressers and the general population had similar infertility rates and no statistically significant link between the occupation and miscarriage. 2
4. In a large US birth defects study covering 1997 to 2011, 196 mothers worked as hairdressers, and the strongest signals were cleft lip with cleft palate (odds ratio 2.0) and anotia or microtia (odds ratio 2.1, confidence interval crossing 1), with the authors cautioning that small samples produced wide intervals. 3
5. Working in a well-ventilated area, wearing protective gloves, taking frequent breaks, handling and storing products safely, and not eating or drinking in the workplace are the factors identified as lowering chemical exposure on the job. 1

Is working in a hair salon safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Smell sensitivity and nausea make a salon a hard place to spend eight hours right now. Ask to swap smoothing and bleach services off your book for a few weeks if the schedule allows, and work nearest the extraction fan.
• Second trimester. Nausea usually settles, so this is the stretch to fix the working setup rather than the service list: gloves for every color application, a properly running ventilation system, and eating in a break room rather than at the station.
• Third trimester. Standing for a full shift is now the bigger daily strain. A cushioned mat, a cutting stool and sitting during processing time take more off you than anything you can change about the products.