Getting pregnant is such an amazing thing. Who knew our bodies could handle so much and create such a beautiful thing so naturally? Pregnancy is such an incredible journey for you and your body but it's also a bloody difficult one and for your body to go through so many changes in such a short period of time (although it feels like you're pregnant for around ten years) sometimes it does just need a little TLC. Throughout my pregnancy there have been quite a lot of products that I've been religiously using to combat some of the slightly more horrid side effects that my body's been throwing my way (you can find the majority of these in my Pregnancy Essentials blog post) but more recently I've been trying out a couple of other products to try and fight against one of the most common side effects of growing a baby.
Yup. I'm talking stretch marks. The dreaded side effect that let's be honest isn't actually that important at all compared to other complications that could happen during pregnancy, but to us ladies, for some reason, they're pretty damn important. I like to think that most of the time I'm pretty body confident but honestly the idea of coming away from this pregnancy with stretch marks is one that I've worried about since day one and that pink line appeared on my pregnancy test. Obviously, I'm aware that stretch marks aren't the end of the world (I do already have some from previous weight gain & loss) but for my own body image and just my general happiness when it comes to my body, they are something that I've been wanting to avoid. Up first is a duo of products which I've been really really enjoying for the past couple of weeks; the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Bust Cream and Stretch Mark Massage Cream. If you've read my pregnancy essentials, you'll know I've been loving the Palmer's Stretch Mark Lotion for the past couple of months of my pregnancy and as I approach my final weeks of being a pregnant lady these two new products have been a great addition to my bump care routine. The Bust Cream which is is designed to firm and tone the skin area around your boobs is supposed to be suitable for after pregnancy or weight loss but I've been using it for the last two weeks in preparation for my boobs being stretch mark free after birth. I've been using my Massage Lotion over my boobs for the whole of my pregnancy anyway, but I do feel like the specific Bust Cream is a bit gentler on the skin around my boobs. It's definitely more of a gel-to-cream formula and feels really cool when applied and massaged in compared to the stretch mark cream. I really do love them both, but for my boobs, which are obviously a bit more sensitive (especially as baby day is coming closer and my nipples hurt like there's no tomorrow) I've just preferred using the Bust Cream. The Palmer's Stretch Marks Massage Cream is another product I've been trying over the last couple of weeks. Extremely similar to the Stretch Marks Massage Lotion this is more of a cream concentrate than a body lotion and is slightly thicker in texture. To me, they're basically the same thing and do the same thing but there is a slight difference and I have been loving both. The Stretch Mark Lotion is more of a non-greasy lotion which I find incredibly easy to apply all over my bump, thighs and bum after my shower and before getting dressed in the morning, it's perfect to pump out and doesn't take too long at all to sink into my skin. The Stretch Marks Massage Cream however is more of a concentrated and slightly thicker cream which does take a little longer to sink into the skin. I've been using this one before bed over the last few weeks for a more concentrated coverage of my bump etc and love how it melts in and gets to work over night to improve on my skins elasticity. Both products have ensured that so far no extra stretch marks have cropped up over my bump and I'll definitely be using these religiously post baby too to ensure my skin settles back to normal as much as it can. I do have to say though I do slightly prefer the bigger bottle of the Stretch Mark Massage Lotion because of the ease of the pump and would love to have the bust cream and cream concentrate in that form too. A product I haven't really gotten to grips with has been the Palmer's Tummy Butter. I know this product is one that a lot of people out there really love but for me a cream product in a tube or a pump has been so much easier to use. I don't know if it's because I'm a little lazy or not but the Tummy Butter formula and tub that it's packaged in just don't quite catch my attention as much as the others do; I personally find it quite hard to use because of the way its packaged and although when it is on my bump it does feel really luxurious (albeit a little oily), it is a bit of a ball-ache to apply. As this is an intensive treatment it's not the kind of product you'd apply before getting dressed or heading out but more of an intense pamper kind of product and that's something I've definitely had to make sure I remember when trying out this product. It's absolutely beautiful once it's sunk into your skin and as I mentioned before does feel really luxurious on my bump but to find the time to sit and apply this properly has been quite the task. As a solid oil (or that's what I'd describe it as) it can be quite difficult to get enough product out to cover my entire bump - granted I am now 37 weeks pregnant and it most definitely looks like I've swallowed a fully blown up beach ball, but even a smaller bump would be quite difficult to cover. With this product I've resigned to just using it as and where I need it. As I use the other Palmer's products all over my bump, boobs and bum two or so times a day I've recently just been using this Bump Butter to cover the slightly more stretched out areas of my skin. The skin around my belly button (thankfully still an 'inny') and the skin stretched over my hips do look like they're probably having the worst time of it at the moment and so of an evening I've been applying a generous amount to these concentrated areas along with my thigh area where I have a few pre-existing stretch marks. I'm hoping as an intense treatment it's working it's magic to keep the stretch marks away and to minimise the ones that are already there and so far, so good. The skin does seem a little happier and less taught and I still don't have any that I can see. As a product on it's own I probably wouldn't recommend this one as much as I would the Palmer's Stretch Mark Massage creams/lotion but for more of an intense treatment I can see this being really great for probably after I've given birth and helping reduce any stretch marks I may get or any areas of my skin that seem a little over stretched.Last but not least the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil has been something I have been loving. Quite similar in comparison to the ever popular Bio Oil, this skin therapy oil has been great for starting to minimise my pre-existing stretch marks on my thighs. I've been concentrating a tiny bit of this product on my stretch marked areas and gently rubbing this in before bed and although I can't tell if these have started to fade or not at the moment (mostly because I can't really see between my legs without the use of some contortion and a mirror right now) I have noticed the skin between my thighs getting a lot softer the more and more I apply it. As I'm not usually a fan of oil products (a reason I haven't been using Bio Oil this pregnancy) I was a little apprehensive to try this at first, but after even one application to the back of my hand to try it out I was incredibly impressed with how easy this is to use. The Skin Therapy Oil is definitely more of a dry oil in my opinion as it dries within seconds and leaves no oily residue and you barely need any for this to go along way. Originally I did think £9.99 for 150ml of this was a bit steep but having used this for around two weeks now and still having over 3/4 of the product left I think it's really well priced and sized and one of my favourite products I've tried from this collection. I have loved this product so much more than I thought I would and will certainly be using this after I've given birth too. Have you ever used any of these Palmer's products during / after pregnancy or any kind of weight gain / loss? I'd love to know your thoughts on these products in the comments below!
PIN ME!
BekyLou, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness and Lifestyle Blog based in the South West and London.
(*this post may contain items gifted to me for PR purposes*)
This post contains affiliate links - Disclaimer
Thank you so much for the recommendations - I am loving all of these products, too! I know what you mean about the tummy butter, it's quite difficult to apply but I've been getting my boyfriend to use it for massage, instead of baby oil, or other body oils - and it really works, because it's so luxurious and helps me relax! I couldn't be without that massage cream though and love the formula! I know in the next 6-8 weeks I'll be using them all religiously!
ReplyDeleteLucy @ Lucy—Loves xx