Our Guide to Pregnancy Safe Body Care

Ingredients to Avoid

If you’ve recently discovered you’re pregnant, you may start questioning your beauty cabinet. Some of your normal body oils, scrubs, creams, etc. may actually contain ingredients that you should be avoiding. A lot of people actually discover green beauty products during pregnancy and then never go back!

A Few Ingredients to Check Your Body Care for –

• Aluminum
• Formaldehyde
• Chemical Sunscreens
• Retinoids
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Glycolic Acid

Hydration Hydration Hydration!

Liha Beauty

There are a lot of things that you don’t expect from pregnancy until you are actually pregnant. One thing I didn’t expect is how much my skin has changed – both my face and my body!  I was expecting the “pregnancy glow” that one often hears about but so far I haven’t experienced that glow. My body is now ultra dry, sensitive, and reactive. It took me a while to find products that actually hydrated my skin properly – lots of trial and error. Another factor is smell…there were so many products that I once loved that I can no longer use because I can’t stand the smell!

I finally found the perfect hydration duo, which has cured my dry and sensitive skin. Every morning and every evening before bed, I apply a thin layer of Liha Beauty’s Organic Idan Oil, which has the most beautiful smell. This oil is made with natural, cold-pressed coconut oil into which a Tuberose flower has been immersed, ensuring the wonderful scent of this night-blooming flower is absorbed naturally into the oil by a traditional African process of enfleurage. I then top that oil with Liha Beauty’s legendary Ivory Shea Body Butter, which has no scent – perfect if you can’t handle any smells! A little goes a long way with this product, meaning one tub lasts ages. Shea butter has been used for centuries by women to protect and regenerate the skin, its potency lies in its naturally high concentration of A and E. All of your dry patches will immediately disappear after using this product!

Etto Oil

Created by our lovely friend Taylr Anne, Etto Oil has been one of my favourite oils since it first launched. Even though my sense of smell has been funny, Etto Oil’s blend of essential oils has not bothered me one bit, but actually the opposite. I adore the smell! This oil is made from all organic ingredients, which leave the skin feeling so incredibly soft and hydrated. It is such a wonderful oil to use before before bed, as it instantly calms the mind – something I’ve been needing more of during pregnancy.

Gentle Exfoliation

When it comes to pregnancy in general my motto is gentle, gentle, gentle. Abrasive scrubs used to be my go-to for exfoliation but now that my skin is extra sensitive, I’ve switched to dry-brushing with my Glasshouse Salon Wooden Dry Body Brush. Along with preserving our healthy summer glow, dry brushing does so much for the skin and the body. Like Gua Sha, dry brushing stimulates lymphatic drainage, helping to eliminate toxins within the body. It is very common for the lymph system to become stagnant, which can play a part in weakening our immune system and causing an unwanted cold from toxins sitting in the body. Since the skin is our largest organ, what we feed our skin directly affects what is happening underneath. When we dry brush, we are increasing blood circulation within the body, so it is very common for your skin to turn red during the practice. Since the practice is a form of manual exfoliation, we are helping to speed up cell turnover and rid the skin of dead skin, which can make our skin look pasty.