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From: Zoe

Hi Roxanne,

Can I dye my hair while I nurse? I was told not to during my pregnancy, but I'm unable to find out if it is ok now.

Dear Zoe:

Although I'm not a doctor, I spoke to several to get the answer to your question when it was my question, right after Cameron was born (I needed a change, and decided red was the way to go!). Because my brain is a bit addled these days, I called those same docs again this week (a pediatrician renowned in the breastfeeding world and a holistic ob/gyn). They both said, dye away! Here are two caveats, however, one by me based on experience. If your baby is really young, you can't be away for too long and the length of a salon dye job can be forever. But the chemical stench is too much for newbies, so bring a hubby or friend to tend to baby while you stink. You can nurse under the cape when you need to and then have him/her whisked away again. The caveat from my Mr. All-Natural ob/gyn came in the form of a rhetorical question: Would you eat food made with completely artificial colours (Answer: yes! How else do you get a blue M&M?)? But the correct answer, apparently, should lead you in the direction of vegetable dyes and hennas for hair colour. Me, I went for the Miss Clairol red dye #1.

Happy dyeing!

Roxanne

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