Top Beauty Trends to Avoid During Pregnancy

Let’s face it: pregnancy on it’s own is a monumental experience. Your body is going through so many physical and hormonal changes to make room for the growing life inside you…which often comes with many symptoms. You’re fighting exhaustion, morning sickness and trying to follow a healthy prenatal plan.

The last thing you want to see is another long list of things to avoid when pregnant.

I get it. It’s overwhelming.

But the first trimester is a really major phase of pregnancy. It’s when your body and the new life forming inside you needs the most attention and care. That’s why anything you choose to do during the first three months should be done cautiously…that’s especially true when it comes to any type of beauty routine you follow.

Read more: Pregnancy-Safe Beauty Products the Expectant Mom Needs

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From hair treatments to skincare routine, harmful chemicals are everywhere. Tread cautiously on the beauty treatments below especially during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Hair Treatments

So your roots are growing in. And you can’t stand the way it looks…especially combined with the way you’ve been feeling lately.

I’ve been there.

Getting your hair colored to look and feel your best is something every woman should treat themselves to. But listen to your doctor here and wait until you get the clearance. My doctor gave me the okay after 16 weeks — she said it was completely fine (I had asked her at about 20 weeks when my dark roots were about 4 inches long!). Boy did I feel relieved to know I could actually care of my appearance too!

Look, you may disagree here and say “a friend dyed her hair at 4 weeks”…whoops! And it’s not to say that doing so then is going to cause some serious issues to baby, but if you’re looking to be on the safe side it’s best to wait a little longer. Every body and reaction is different, so everyone’s experience will also be different.

It’s just important to know that many other hair treatments like chemical straightening procedures are even more serious…especially ones like Keratin or Brazilian which can contain various amounts of the carcinogen, formaldehyde. Those should definitely be avoided!!

Skincare Procedures

You may have heard of them before: retinoids, salycylic acids, parabens etc. Chemicals that are found in many everyday cleansers and lotions to help fight wrinkles, acne or other skin flaws.

The truth is, most of these chemicals can be very toxic to your developing baby because pretty much everything that you apply to your skin is absorbed into the body.  If you do enough research you’ll find that the experts recommend using these in low doses topically or steering clear of them all together (especially oral retinol medications)…because many of these can cause serious birth defects.

If you are looking for alternatives, just make sure you opt for cleansers and skin products with organic ingredients. Some of my favorites include Neutrogena Naturals, Mustela or Burt’s Bees, to name a few.

Read More: Neutrogena Naturals Cleanser Review

Teeth Whitening Treatments

While keeping your teeth fresh and clean is obviously something you want to do daily (pregnant or not) going in for special whitening treatments or bleaching should be off-limits when expecting. So many chemicals have shown “inconclusive” results when it comes to effects on pregnant women. Meaning there’s not enough evidence to show they are dangerous, nor that they are safe. So most doctors recommend sticking with your normal brushing routine — you may even want to hold off on that over-the-counter whitening toothpaste as well!

Nail Procedures

While treating yourself to a mani-pedi is something you’ll most likely opt for at some point during your pregnancy, steer clear of the more time-consuming nail trends like acrylic and gels that often come with toxic fumes. These fumes not only can make you nauseous, but can cause serious issues to baby with frequent exposure.

If you’re getting fancy nail treatments, make sure the room is well-ventilated and that you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Of course to be on the safe-side, you may just stick to the normal mani-pedi!

Massage & Spa Procedures

Okay, let me backtrack for second. Massages during pregnancy can be VERY helpful. In fact, you’ll probably need several after the many physical changes and pressure your growing baby will put on your hips and back. Just make sure you’re going in for a prenatal massage with a therapist who is certified. Many will tell you that they steer clear of deep tissue massages and specific pressure points as to not release toxins into the body. To keep you and baby safer.

And if you are visiting the spa, stay away from saunas, hot tubs and tanning beds — because heat treatments and activities that increase your internal body temperature when you’re expecting, can be very harmful to you and baby!

While you shouldn’t feel like you can’t take care of yourself physically or treat yourself to your favorite beauty trend during pregnancy, it is simply best to err on the side of caution early on when it comes to the more serious hair, skin and body treatments for the healthiest outcome.

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