A Mother’s ME time: Pregnancy & Post-Pregnancy Skincare

All too often, pregnancy can feel like it’s all about the baby. As mothers and mothers-to-be, our attention often becomes single-mindedly focused on our upcoming new arrival. But pregnancy and post-partum is also a really important time for you as a mother, and this means making time to look after yourself and your own wellbeing just as much as you do for your baby.

Pregnancy can often start to change what’s happening with your skin, so it is important to know how to adapt your skincare routine to the changes happening in your body.

How your body reacts to essential oils and fragrances

Pregnancy can heighten sensitivity to smell, which means that some essential oils can serve as an irritant, especially in the first trimester. Rosemary and lavender essential oils are specifically a few to avoid. At MotherEarth’s Beauty, we specifically cater for pregnancy friendly skincare with our range that is intended for sensitive skin. Our Beauty Balm multi-purpose shea-butter based balm has no added fragrance, making it safe to use during pregnancy. The unique combination of shea butter together with grapeseed oil in this balm makes it ideal for addressing scars and marks, making it particularly effective at tackling post-pregnancy stretch marks. Because this balm contains no essential oils, it is both safe and beneficial to use for both Mother and Baby and serves as a rich all-body butter for babies.

How your hormones affect your skin

Beyond the expected stretch marks and glowy skin that is often associated with pregnancy, your body undergoes huge hormonal shifts during this period that can have a wide array of changes to your skin. In particular, the increase in progesterone levels that occur during pregnancy can also increase sebum production as well as (sometimes) causing inflammation. During this period, it can be beneficial to use anti-inflammatory and cooling ingredients as part of your daily skincare routine to calm your skin and balance oil production. MotherEarth’s gentle daily cleanser, Cleanse Me, combines Jojoba oil, which most closely resembles the structure of the natural oils your skin produces, with millet seed extract to balance sebum production. This together with Magical Mist, MotherEarth’s face mist which uses cucumber glycerol as its active anti-inflammatory ingredient will help tighten pores and restore that natural pregnancy glow.

Many women can also develop melasma during pregnancy, which results in large, dark patches on their face (source: Everyday Health). This is often a result of the increased hormone levels, which regulate skin colour and are at their highest during the third trimester. For this we recommend liquorice root extract, found in our daily moisturiser, Glow Me, which can help lighten dark spots and tackle pigmentation.

Overall, the skin tends to become more sensitive during pregnancy, so it is important to follow a gentle skincare routine with no harsh ingredients or fragrances. Ultimately each individual and pregnancy is different, so as a safe bet, we recommend patch testing any new skincare products you add to your routine during your pregnancy to ensure that they suit what is going on in your body in that moment.