Stretch marks - natural ingredients and home remedies

If you are one of those people who are not prone to stretch marks, consider yourself lucky!

However, if you are like me you know very well how annoying they can be and how hopeless one feels when wanting to know how to get rid of them.

According to American Academy of Dermatology, 90% of women acquire them during pregnancy. They are not physically painful although they can itch when forming but they can be visually unappealing and certainly affect one's self-esteem. They form when the skin stretches either during pregnancy or weight gain. Unfortunately, aside from chemical peels and lasers, there is no way to completely remove them nor are there ways to completely prevent them from forming.

So, how to get rid of stretch marks? There are natural ingredients and home remedies that will increase the chances of prevention of future ones appearing and the reduction of existing ones.

Moisturizing the skin

Whether you decide to use over the counter cremes and moisturizers or decide to use a homemade moisturizer, apply it daily and apply lots of it! The skin needs to remain moisturized in order to be soft and elastic. The more elastic the skin is, the less are the chances of it stretching and distorting and underlying fibers breaking.

This is also where the use of natural ingredients comes in:

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is known as a potent antioxidant which protects the skin from damage by the free radicals. You can use lotions enriched with Vitamin E or buy caplets of it. Apply lots of it and use it regularly. Vitamin E helps restore the skin and heal existing scars.

Olive Oil

Olive Oil is also filled with Vitamin E and a great moisturizer that is easily absorbed by the skin. It is also pretty cheap. Same as with Vitamin E: apply lots of it and do it regularly.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter smells great and it is a great moisturizer. When used to prepare a lotion bar, it creates a protective layer over the skin which prevents damage by harsh weather or other harsh conditions.

Shea Butter

Another great stretch marks remedy is shea butter. Unlike cocoa butter, it doesn't smell that good but it does wonders to dry and damaged skin keeping it soft and elastic.

Castor oil and Flaxseed oil

Castor oil is mostly used as a massage oil but one of his benefits is that is draws out toxins and heals the scarring of skin.

Flaxseed oil greatly benefits the skin but it is to be ingested. It is easily found as capsule at any pharmacy store. It is recommended for treatment of psoriasis, eczema and dandruff. It is also good for nails.

Our reader Olivia sends us this Stretch mark cream

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 teaspoons grated beeswax
1/4 cup of cocoa butter
1 teaspoon of light sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon of apricot kernel oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (smells great!)

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients (except vanilla) and heat it until beeswax and cocoa butter have melted. Stir well the whole time. Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract. When it has cooled well, store it into a clean, glass jar and close the lid tightly.

Thanks Olivia!

More tips and recipes shared by our readers

Click here to download a free pdf stretch marks fact sheet

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