Is it safe to have a Brazilian blow dry in pregnancy?

"Now that I'm pregnant I can't do that, so my curl is slowly coming back. It's frizzy right now, but it's coming back."

If you’re keen on hair treatments like Brazilian blow dries or getting your hair relaxed - do you need do stop when you’re pregnant? What harm, if any, can they do?

We asked Dr Philippa Kaye for her advice on this one, as it’s an issue were reckon can be confusing for lots of women.

And she wasn’t too surprised that people find this area of pregnancy confusing: because, she says, the short answer is that we don't exactly know which chemical treatments are safe and which are not, either to straighten, or indeed perm your hair in pregnancy.

So, to be on the safe side, she reckons it’s better avoid them.

"There has been a study which looked at chemical relaxing treatments (not Brazilian or keratin treatments) and found no link between them and low birth weight or premature birth," Philippa told us.

"With regards to Brazilian or keratin blow dries these often use a chemical called formaldehyde, which can be absorbed into the body though the skin (such as on the scalp) or breathing.

"Exposure to formaldehyde over long periods has been linked to developing cancer. Some products have been found to have much higher levels of formaldehyde in them than is considered safe.

"A 'formaldehyde free' option may not indeed actually be formaldehyde free as these can contain a chemical called methylene glycol which turns into formaldehyde on heating.

"So the short answer is that I would avoid all chemical hair straightening treatments in pregnancy: either stick to the heated straighteners or embrace the curls!"

Looks like Khloe was spot on with this one ?

Read more:

• Is it safe to eat raw cookie dough when you're pregnant?
• What's belly pumping - and should you do it?
• Should you sunbathe when you'e pregnant?