Are you expecting? Well, at that time, you will be questioning a lot of your daily use things. Pregnancy brings many unfamiliar territories, leading women to rethink their personal care product choices – including shampoo. A shampoo is a product that is typically safe for everyone and does not cause health complications. However, these hygiene and cosmetic products are still not tested on pregnant women.

Often shampoos contain harsh ingredients like retinol and salicylic acid that pregnant women should strictly avoid. Now, you must be wondering how the ingredients in your shampoo matter if they will just be applied to your hair. In that case, you are not thinking about the rinsing part. These harsh ingredients usually come into contact with a large body surface and are inhaled while rinsing. Also, like the rest of the skin, your scalp can absorb ingredients too.

Therefore, while the chances of a shampoo harming your unborn baby are slim, it is still a wise decision to grab a pregnancy-safe shampoo to avoid using questionable ingredients during pregnancy. Moreover, during pregnancy, women experience various changes in their hair texture because of hormonal shifts.

While some feel their hair is becoming thicker than usual, others experience dryness and extreme hair fall. Therefore, adding a pregnancy-safe shampoo to your shower routine is better for addressing hair issues during pregnancy. However, choosing the right pregnancy-safe shampoo for yourself is challenging because of the overwhelming number of options available.

Read this article to learn about the best pregnancy-safe shampoos and important considerations for choosing the right one!

Importance of Using Pregnancy-Safe Shampoos

While there are no clear guidelines on what defines a shampoo as “Pregnancy-safe”, there is still a list of ingredients women should avoid while pregnant. Ingredients like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, PEGs and formaldehyde releasers are best to avoid during pregnancy. Also another surprising ingredient that pregnant women should avoid is essential oils.

According to many dermatologists, essential oils, especially rosemary, can cause uterine contractions in pregnant women. However, all essential oils do not cause safety concerns during pregnancy. Therefore, if you have a shampoo containing essential oils, it is best to run it by your doctor before throwing it in the bin.

Here is what kind of damage other questionable ingredients cause to your unborn child and body during pregnancy:

• Formaldehyde: A common ingredient in shampoos and hair straightening products that can cause miscarriage and congenital disabilities.
• Sulfates: Another common ingredient in various shampoos and personal care products that has been linked to causing congenital disabilities in various animal studies.
• Parabens: Parabens can cause lower birth weight and preterm birth due to their endocrine-disrupting properties.
• Phthalates: According to many studies, phthalates cause reproductive development issues, and medical experts strictly forbid their usage during pregnancy.
• PEGs: Using PEGs during pregnancy increases uterine damage, fetal injury, premature birth and uterus infection risks.

Even if your normal shampoo is free of questionable ingredients, it might not treat all your scalp and hair issues that arise while pregnant. One of the most common pregnancy conditions is an extremely dry and itchy scalp. Therefore, you must switch to pregnancy-safe shampoo if you face the same issue. Pregnancy-safe shampoos have a deep-hydrating formula that will keep your scalp moisturised and hair glossy.

And Finally, it’s important that you feel great throughout your Pregnancy. Improving your Health & Wellbeing will significantly lower your levels of Stress During Pregnancy.

Important Considerations for Choosing the Right Pregnancy-Safe Shampoo

Pregnancy is an exciting phase of a woman’s life. When you are expecting, it is common to have a million little things running through your mind. You will immediately find yourself scrolling on the internet to know things to avoid, to take, to do or not do so. Therefore, the excitement you experience at the first moment will turn into anxiety when you find yourself responsible for making various decisions.

One such decision will be switching to a pregnancy-safe shampoo. With so many different options on the market, it is normal to become overwhelmed and confused while picking a pregnancy-safe shampoo for yourself. Therefore, to make the process less overwhelming, you must know what to look for in a pregnancy-safe shampoo.

Here are a few important considerations for choosing the right pregnancy-safe shampoo for yourself:

Ingredients

The ingredients are most important to consider when choosing a pregnancy-safe shampoo. Any shampoo that you choose should not contain harmful ingredients. Otherwise, there is no purpose in switching to a pregnancy-safe shampoo as you go through this hassle just because you want to make your pregnancy safe. However, if the shampoo you chose contains questionable ingredients, you are putting yourself and your unborn child at huge risk.

While many pregnant women might feel tempted to grab the most-hyped shampoo off the shelf, it is better to take the time to read the ingredients label carefully and, if need be, research the ingredients on google or send it to your doctor. Natural and plant-based shampoos are usually safer options during pregnancy.

However, many brands claim their shampoos to be natural and organic, but their ingredient lists tell a different story. They know that only a small percentage of customers bother to check the ingredient list, and they can get away with it easily. Therefore, you should always check the ingredients list no matter how prominent the “natural” word is on the shampoo’s packaging.

Hair Type

Before purchasing any pregnancy-safe shampoo, you must remember that not all shampoos work for all hair types. Women have different hair types and may change during pregnancy due to hormonal shifts. Therefore, before picking any pregnancy-safe shampoo, make sure to consider your hair type.

Is it curly, wavy or straight? Is your hair colour-treated? You should always choose a shampoo according to your hair type. Otherwise, the pregnancy-safe shampoo you picked will do worse to your hair than good, no matter how highly-ranked or positive customer reviews the shampoo has.

Scalp Type

Determining your scalp type is crucial for picking out the right pregnancy-safe shampoo. However, it is not easy as determining your hair type. You must visit a dermatologist to understand your scalp type. Later, you can pick the shampoo according to your scalp type.

Choosing a pregnancy-safe shampoo without knowing your scalp type can increase your hair issues. Imagine your scalp type is oily, and you pick a deep-nourishing shampoo. Therefore, to avoid making such mistakes, visiting a dermatologist to learn about your scalp type is important.

Hair Issues

During pregnancy, it is quite common for women to experience hair changes. While some experience hair thickness, others report dryness and extreme hair fall. Therefore, before heading out to the market to buy yourself a pregnancy-safe shampoo, it is important to think about your overall hair and scalp health. The healthier the scalp, the better the hair.

As mentioned above, the hormonal shifts in pregnancy often leave women with dry and itchy scalps. Are you facing the same issue? In that case, you must choose a pregnancy-safe shampoo that promises deep nourishment and hydration. Choosing the wrong shampoo will strip away the natural oils from your scalp, worsening your scalp condition.

For better scalp and hair health, women should choose a pregnancy-safe shampoo formulated using more natural ingredients and fewer chemicals. The more the shampoo is on the natural side, the better it is for your hair health.

Fragrance

Another important consideration for picking the right pregnancy-safe shampoo is its fragrance. While some women prefer unscented shampoos, most choose scented ones to make their hair smell nice and fresh. However, using a scented shampoo might accelerate your scalp and hair issues during pregnancy.

Usually, the normal scented shampoos contain artificial fragrances and dyes that one should avoid during pregnancy. Pregnancy-safe shampoos usually are unscented and do not include ingredients that can trigger hormonal imbalance. However, there are a few pregnancy-safe shampoos that come with mild fragrances, especially to cater for women that prefer scented shampoos. These shampoos are formulated using natural fragrances and essential oils.

Therefore, before choosing any pregnancy-safe shampoo, you must consider its fragrance. If you don’t enjoy a shower with unscented shampoo, you can go for the mildly fragrant ones. They will make your hair smell nice and pregnancy smooth.

Nutritional Support to Hair Health

During pregnancy, women need extra nutritional support for their hair health. Therefore, it will be great if the shampoo you choose contains vitamins and minerals to benefit your hair health. It will be a bonus point. Many pregnancy-safe shampoos contain Vitamin B5, E, aloe vera, and grape seed oil to provide the nutritional support that your hair needs during pregnancy.

Therefore, while choosing a pregnancy-safe shampoo, you must carefully review the ingredients label and prefer the one with vitamins and minerals. It will keep your pregnancy safe and help you maintain good hair health.

Customer Reviews

Before making your final decision, you must not forget to check the customer reviews. Often the product that seems too good has a plethora of negative reviews. Therefore, it is better to check customer reviews to avoid making a wrong choice.

Best Pregnancy-Safe Shampoos that Pregnant Women Should Know

To help narrow down your search, here are a few best pregnancy-safe shampoos that have the majority of the checkboxes mentioned above ticked:

Vanicream Shampoo (Best Overall Shampoo for Pregnancy)

During pregnancy, many women start experiencing allergies or skin irritations. Therefore, they are asked by the doctor to avoid using personal care products that include artificial fragrances or dyes as it will trigger their allergies and skin irritation. Are you facing the same issue? Well, in that case, you will definitely be looking for an unscented pregnancy-safe shampoo.

Vanicream is one of the most popular pregnancy-safe shampoos women cannot stop raving about. It is free of harmful chemicals and artificial fragrances, making it a perfect pregnancy-safe shampoo. Additionally, it only has the necessary components to give you the cleanest hair possible.

It is a mild shampoo with balanced PH. Therefore, it works wonders for all hair and scalp types. With more than 10,000 positive customer reviews, you know that this shampoo is the best option to maintain good hair health and keep your pregnancy safe. Moreover, it is also dermatologically tested. Therefore, you can buy it in a blink of an eye!

Pros:

• Free of harsh chemicals and toxins
• Mild Shampoo
• PH balanced
• Perfect for gently cleansing scalp and hair
• Suitable for all hair types
• Great for Women with Eczema and Sensitive, prone skin
• No added fragrances
• Positive customer reviews
• Dermatologically tested

Cons:

• Not tearless

SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration Shampoo (Best Shampoo for Dry and Damaged Hair during Pregnancy)

Another great pregnancy-safe shampoo is by SheaMoisture’s Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Shampoo. The shampoo is formulated using organic shea butter, mafura oil, honey and baobab to give intense nourishment to your dry and brittle locks. With the help of these natural ingredients, this shampoo will help soften your hair, reduce frizz and repair the damage caused due to extensive styling or hormonal shifts.

Massive hormonal shifts during pregnancy often lead to dry and brittle hair. Do you fall into a similar category? Purchase SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration to give your hair the special treatment it needs during pregnancy. While this shampoo is suitable for all hair types, it works like magic for curly hair. It will make your curls soft and more manageable. Therefore, you will no longer struggle to untangle your locks when your body is already going through a lot.

Pros:

• Free of harmful chemicals and toxins
• Cruelty-free
• Perfect for treating dry and damaged hair
• Color Safe
• Amazing scent
• Perfect for Curly hair

Cons

• Artificially scented
• Some women may find it to be overly-scented

Burt Bee’s Very Volumizing Pomegranate Shampoo (Best Shampoo for Long-Lasting Shine during Pregnancy)

Burt Bee’s Very Volumizing Pomegranate Shampoo is also an immensely hyped pregnancy-safe shampoo. It is formulated using anti-oxidant pomegranate seed oil and jojoba protein to act as a natural shine booster. During pregnancy, many women complain about their hair getting dull and losing all the shine. If you are facing the same issue, you should definitely give Burt Bee’s Very Volumizing Shampoo a try.

While this shampoo is clearly more on the chemical side, it still does not have questionable ingredients that can risk your pregnancy. Moreover, it can also help make your hair voluminous and fuller, boosting your self-confidence during pregnancy. However, this Burt Bee’s shampoo has quite mixed customer reviews.

While some adored how the shampoo made their hair soft, shiny, and voluminous, others reported residue buildup after extended use. Despite the mixed reviews, we still think this shampoo is worth a try. It might not have worked for all, but it has worked like magic for some.

Pros:

• Free of Parabens, SLS, and phthalates
• Perfect for treating dull hair
• Suitable for all hair types
• Lathers well
• Light and pleasant Scent

Cons:

• It might cause scalp-buildup

Christian Moss Naturals Original Shampoo (Best Organic and Natural Shampoo for Pregnancy)

If you are looking for 100% natural and organic shampoo during your pregnancy, you should definitely go for Christian Moss Naturals Original Shampoo. It is free of harmful chemicals and toxins, making it a safe choice for pregnant women. Moreover, it is formulated using coconut oil, aloe vera and shea to resolve all hair issues pregnant women experience. It will gently cleanse your scalp, soften hair, reduce hair fall, and repair hair damage caused by hormonal shifts or ultraviolet radiation.

The brand is so confident about its product that they offer a six-month guarantee after the purchase. They offer a full refund to all their unhappy customers. Considering its benefits, this shampoo might have made it to the top of our list. The reason why it is not there is that it includes a small percentage of rosemary. The amount is so small that the chances of this shampoo being harmful to pregnant women or their unborn children are pretty slim.

However, since rosemary is linked to potential congenital disabilities and organ toxicities, you can skip it if you are not fine with even a minor percentage of rosemary in your shampoo. But if a small percentage of rosemary does not bother you, it is a great shampoo for pregnant women.

Pros:

• 100% natural and organic ingredients
• Suitable for all hair types
• Suitable for babies
• Environment-friendly
• Reduce hair breakage and frizz
• Hydrates and repairs hair
• Lathers well
• Fragrance-Free
• It does not cause scalp buildup

Cons:

• It contains a minor percentage of rosemary oil.
• Highly-priced.

Conclusion

Being pregnant is undoubtedly one of the most exciting phases of a woman’s life. While it comes with a lot of joy and happiness, it also brings a lot of hormonal changes for women to deal with. These hormonal shifts will definitely take a toll on women’s health. Besides mental health, women also have to say goodbye to their shiny and lustrous hair, which is definitely a tough goodbye. If you don’t want that to happen, switch immediately to pregnancy-safe shampoo. In this article, we have discussed everything you need to know about picking the right pregnancy-safe shampoo for yourself, along with some recommendations. Do you like our recommendations? Feel free to drop your feedback for us in the comments!