Your Complete Skincare Guide During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such a beautiful miracle. However, it can come with many highs and lows and so many uncertainties, especially for first-time moms. All kinds of changes are happening to your skin and body, but you want to ensure you are keeping you and your baby safe. Today we are digging deep into all your beauty-related pregnancy questions to reveal the safest ways to skincare during this exciting, scary, emotional, and cherished time in a woman's life!

While there is not necessarily a specific set of "rules" to follow in regard to skincare during pregnancy, there are some wise general guidelines that can help you navigate this magical journey and lead you to the products that will benefit you and your body best, all while keeping sweet baby safe and undisturbed in there.

Here are skincare tips during pregnancy:

Go as natural as possible.

This is best practice for any stage of life, not just during pregnancy. However, when you are pregnant, the choices you make for your body don't affect just you. Steer clear of products that flaunt heavy fragrances or perfumes, skin-irritants (often hidden in cosmetics as chemical preservatives), and artificial coloring. These components, when absorbed through the skin, can disrupt the natural function of the cells in your body.

Check out this list of top 10 ingredients to avoid during pregnancy for specifics on what to look for on the labels and why they could be harmful to you and your baby.

Here at Osmosis, we pride ourselves on providing clean beauty and skincare products with the highest quality of ingredients that are safe for you and your baby! Even our Vitamin A Serums are safe to use throughout your pregnancy and during breastfeeding because the percentage of retinaldehyde does not exceed the recommended dosage for safety.

Treating common pregnancy skin conditions.

Melasma: Hyperpigmentation is a frequently-occurring condition both during and after pregnancy. This is due to a surge of hormones that your body is trying to adjust to when you're growing a new little human! Extra sun protection is important to help prevent further damage from sun exposure. Keep a bottle of unscented, mineral-based sunscreen in your bag at all times and reapply frequently throughout the day.

Stretch Marks: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Daily application of an intensive moisturizer or a hydrating face mask will help repair the skin's barrier as it stretches with the growth of your baby! Look for products that contain shea butter, jojoba seed oil, or even hyaluronic acid as a healing component.

Itchy Skin: There is a multitude of reasons your skin might feel uncomfortably itchy during pregnancy. One of the most common conditions is called PUPP, or pruritic urticarial papules and plaques, (try saying that three times fast) which is a rash in the form of small red bumps and hives appearing in large patches on the body. Tend to this condition by avoiding heat, keeping it moisturized, and applying a nourishing mask weekly or as needed.

While getting sucked into the vortex of the internet with your endless questions can consume the 9 months of your pregnancy, try to remember to give yourself some slack. You are growing a human, it's the most magical thing your body can do!

And when it comes to skincare, choose clean beauty products to treat conditions as needed, and let your body sort out the rest. Always be sure to consult your physician if you start to experience any sensitivities to any beauty product or supplement.