6 Safe Beauty Treatments During Pregnancy (and 5 to avoid!)

You can trust a medical professional, but if your gut tells you to avoid something, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

When you're pregnant, you want to do everything possible to make sure the little one growing inside you is safe and healthy. But you also want to feel as beautiful and comfortable as ever. So which beauty treatments are safe when you’re pregnant, and which ones should you avoid?

{ MORE: Pregnancy Safe Beauty Products }

Generally, the rules are as follows:

• Don’t raise your core body temperature above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Research has determined this is the maximum temperature you should reach in order to keep both you and your baby healthy.
• Don’t use any harsh chemicals directly on your skin. If it touches your skin, it can be absorbed into your bloodstream, and your baby depends on that blood.
• If there are going to be harsh chemicals in the room, make sure that room is well ventilated.
• Always tell the professional serving you that you’re pregnant before the treatment.

These are general rules, of course. There are differing opinions on what is and isn't safe for a pregnant woman and her unborn child, but you can always come back to these four factors to decide whether something you’re unsure about is safe.

{ MORE: How Pregnancy Changed My Beauty Routine }

So which treatments can you keep up?

1. Your daily beauty routine. Generally speaking, your everyday hair, makeup, and bathing rituals are perfectly fine.
2. Massages. According to Health & Parenting, “A massage is the perfect way to rid you of those pregnancy aches and pains and to help you to relax and forget the stresses of impending motherhood.” Of course, you should make sure that your masseuse is a certified prenatal therapist. 
3. Acupuncture.
4. Facials. Try to get an all-natural facial if possible. Also, be careful about getting a facial with retinoids, which should never be used during pregnancy, according to BabyMed. Also keep in mind that your skin is likely more sensitive during pregnancy. You may want to ask whoever is doing your facial to test the product on your skin before starting.
5. Manicures and pedicures. This is conditional upon not being in a poorly ventilated, smelly room filled with dangerous chemicals, of course. There is also an increased risk of infection, so be sure they properly clean all tools. 
6. Highlights. While coloring the hair is a topic of debate, highlights are fine as long as the chemicals don’t come in contact with your scalp.

While you probably have more freedom to do beauty treatments than you might have heard, there are still other treatments you should avoid. These include:

1. Tanning. Tanning is one of those things that could raise your core temperature to dangerous levels. The UV rays in tanning beds also break down folic acid, which is important for your unborn baby.
2. Body wraps. Also can cause you to overheat.
3. Hot tubs and saunas. While relaxing, hot tubs and saunas are often just too much heat for your body during pregnancy, even for only a few minutes. According to How Stuff Works, you should avoid soaking in any water that makes you sweat or your skin pink.
4. Piercings. Being pregnant is tough on your immune system, so getting a piercing could come with an increased risk of infection.
5. Chemical hair removal. Waxes and electrolysis are fine, but avoid bleaches and depilatories, which the skin absorbs.

{ MORE: Should Pregnant Women Get Acupuncture? }

If you have any questions about what is and isn't safe for you and your baby, you can always ask your doctor. You can trust a medical professional over nearly anyone else to know how to stay healthy, but if your gut tells you to avoid something, it’s better to be safe than sorry!