People liked the article on “Are These Things Safe While Pregnant?“.

So here are some additions of things you interact with on a daily basis that could hurt the health of your baby during pregnancy.

Dyeing Someone Else’s Hair

If you’re thinking about a home dye job, if your doctor o.k.’s it, follow the directions on the box and be absolutely sure to wear gloves!  If you feel it’s not good enough, try going eco-friendly with your dyes.  Like dyes that are vegetables and mineral based pigments.

Here’s a few suggestions; Aveda, Herbatint, Palette by Nature, Fudge Paintbox, Manic Panic, Crazy Color, New Seasons, Henna too but see previous notes on it here.

Hair Removal

Plucking is painful, but not harmful to the unborn baby.  If you are a Nair user, you may want to rethink this for the length of your pregnancy.  The active ingredient in hair removal product is usually thioglycolic acid, which reacts chemically with your hair.

The doctor is out when it comes to an answer to whether or not chemicals in hair removal creams (like barium sulfide and calcium thioglycolate) are too dangerous for your fetus, so you may just feel safer (or happier) asking your partner to break out the razor and join you in the tub!

However, if your pregnancy has you experiencing a rather slow sex drive, like me, and don’t want to lead the poor guy on, you can also wax (ouch) or elect for electrolysis.  I’ll be opting for a more au-natural experience, sigh.  For as long as I can’t see below my belly anyways.

Perfumes

Personally I can’t stand them, there’s something about perfumes that makes a person smell like burnt feathers.  Ish.

Read the label on the bottle, the word ‘fragrance’ is often the cover word for phthalates.  Phthalates are connected to breast cancer in women and birth defects in babies.  I can see wearing a little perfume when it’s just you, but considering the sensitivity of a fetus… just leave the perfume out!

Or, if you’re out of your first trimester, you can go for essential oil.  Here’s a short list of the ‘safe’ oils.

•    Roman chamomile
•    Eucalyptus
•    Geranium
•    Ginger
•    Grapefruit
•    Lavender
•    Lemon
•    Lemongrass
•    Lime
•    Mandarin
•    Patchouli
•    Rose Otto
•    Rosewood
•    Sandalwood
•    Sweet orange
•    Tea tree (Personal Favorite!)
•    Ylang Ylang

However, here’s a short list of oils that you should probably avoid during pregnancy altogether.

•    Arnica (homeopathic is fine)
•    Basil
•    Birch (sweet)
•    Bitter almond
•    Camphor (brown or yellow)
•    Cedarwood/thuja
•    Cinnamon
•    Clary sage
•    Clove (bud, leaf or stem)
•    Coriander
•    Fennel
•    Horseradish
•    Juniper Berry
•    Mugwort
•    Mustard
•    Nutmeg
•    Parsley (large doses)
•    Pine (Dwarf)
•    Rosemary
•    Rue
•    Sassafras
•    Savory (Summer)
•    Tansy
•    Thyme red (large doses)
•    Wintergreen
•    Wormwood

Acne Treatment

My skin hasn’t undergone any dramatic changes since I’ve been pregnant, but some women feel like they’re having a second adolescence.  And, as most of us remember, we slathered on the crèmes like our lives depended on it.  Our social lives anyway.

Stay away from leave on lotions, gels and crèmes as well as peels that have salicylic acid or retinoids.  Though, if you see Glycolic acid, it’s an AHA and a-okay.  Ask your dermatologist.

Sunscreen.

Safe!  Yayy!  Though it’s probably still a good idea to visit the beach between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon, wear a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses and long sleeves (if possible).  Depending on your sunscreen and how much toweling off or sweating off, reapply every couple of hours.

Makeup!

Makeup is mostly safe. Though I’ll be checking my foundation for retinoids or salicylic acids.  Otherwise it’s fine!