Personal grooming while breastfeeding: What are the effects of hair coloring and perms, tanning beds and nipple piercing?
According to the Breastfeeding Answer Book, published by La Leche League International, no evidence exists that the nursing mother’s use of hair-care products, such as hair dyes and permanents, has any effect on her breastfeeding baby. When a mother uses hair-care products, some of the chemicals will be absorbed through her skin. If her scalp is healthy and intact, less will be absorbed than if the skin on her scalp is scratched or abraded. There is no evidence that the nursing mother s use of tanning beds has any effect on her breastfeeding baby. There is no evidence that nipple piercing has any effect on breastfeeding. For more information, consult the following article: Nipple Piercing: Is It Compatible with Breastfeeding? LEAVEN, June-July 1999, pp. 64-65.
