Is highlights and balayage safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about highlights and balayage during pregnancy?

1. Highlights, lowlights, frosting, and streaking apply color directly to sections of hair rather than to the scalp, and when used as directed, the amount of dye absorbed through unbroken, healthy scalp skin is small either way. 1
2. A summary of findings across 19 studies on hairdressers and cosmetologists found a small increase in the time it took workers to get pregnant, though the fact sheet notes it's difficult to isolate hair coloring work as the specific cause given how much workplace conditions vary. 1
3. MotherToBaby's technical references for hair coloring services cite multiple published studies linking hairdressing work to reproductive outcomes, including elevated rates of spontaneous abortion and adverse birth outcomes among licensed cosmetologists, which underscores that all-day occupational exposure is a different situation than an occasional personal salon visit. 2
4. A scoping review of hairdresser chemical exposure found that bleaching services, the process behind highlights and balayage, release ammonia and persulfate compounds into salon air, and noted that hairdressers are predominantly women of childbearing age who are exposed to a wide mix of these chemicals, often at the same time. 3
5. Ammonium persulfate, the bleaching agent used in most lightening and highlighting formulas, can trigger contact dermatitis, asthma, or rhinitis in hairdressers with repeated occupational exposure, and one study found hairdressers who reacted to it released histamine at concentrations as low as 0.063 percent. 4

Is highlights and balayage safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Some providers prefer waiting until after the first trimester for any hair coloring as an extra-cautious approach, though highlights and balayage are already a lower-exposure option if you'd rather not wait, since foils and painting techniques keep color off the scalp.
• Second trimester. Generally considered a fine choice in this window. A well-ventilated salon and a stylist who keeps foils or balayage painting off your scalp are the practical steps worth asking for.
• Third trimester. Same guidance holds. A full head of highlights can mean a long salon appointment, so plan for breaks, water, and a comfortable chair if you're further along.