A healthy glow and radiant skin is often associated with pregnant women. But if your skin is not glowing with all of that extra hormonal activity, it’s time to experiment with beauty products and all-natural body cleansers to rejuvenate your skin. “It is so vital to remember that you have pores that cover your entire body and when products are applied, they are absorbed into your body,” says Jenelle Kim, a formulator and herbologist for Jadience Herbal Formulas, an all-natural line of skin care products in California. “What gets absorbed by your body will likely get absorbed by your baby.” Treat yourself to a skin care regimen with body cleansers that will benefit you and keep your skin glowing for the next nine months.
Sugar Scrubs
Sweeten the smell and smoothness of your skin during pregnancy with all-natural sugar scrub cleansers. Kim recommends an herbal formula sugar scrub to nourish skin during pregnancy. “It [herbal sugar scrub] consists of a host of amazing herbal ingredients that deeply nourish skin, increase circulation of blood and chi and exfoliate dead skin cells to deeply tone and hydrate skin while helping to prevent stretch marks and breakouts,” she says. You can even make your own cleansers, adding herbs to the basic ingredients of sugar and oil.
All Natural Serums
Since pregnancy is a time when blood flow is increased, skin can get broken capillaries, especially around the cheeks, says Pearl Dworkin, an esthetician and holistic nutritionist in San Francisco, California. “I recommend serums that help strengthen the capillaries and cleansers and toners with gentle anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as green tea, plant extracts, chamomile and cucumber extracts.” Dworkin recommends against aggressive scrubs, but encourages gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells.
Honey
Keep your beauty regimen natural with a little bit of the sweet stuff. Use honey to cleanse your body during pregnancy, says Dworkin. “The natural sugars dissolve the bonds that hold the dead skin cells to the surface and honey also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties,” she says.
Mandelic Acid
Many women will notice that although pregnancy may make the skin radiant for some, for others it produces breakouts and even rashes. Combat skincare blemishes with mandelic acid. This white, crystallized solid is soluble in water and found in many cleansers designed for pregnant women. “Mandelic acid is one of my favorite ingredients to treat acne,” says Dworkin. “It’s safe and effective and comes from almonds. It has a lipophillic quality that can penetrate the pores and disperse oil, and it is antibacterial.”
Mild, White Soap
If you want to keep your skin care routine simple, Anita Redd, president of Anita’s Balm, a skin care line in Lawrenceville, Georgia, recommends cleansing with mild, white soap, followed by a natural moisturizer under the eyes and on fine lines. “It will keep us looking bright eyed and energetic despite nausea and other tiring symptoms,” says Redd.
