When I was pregnant with my daughter, I accepted the fact that I might get stretch marks during pregnancy. For many women, stretch marks are a sign that your body has gone through the process of creating human life, which is a beautiful thing. In this article, I discuss my personal favorite pregnancy lotion and oil combo to prevent or minimize stretch marks.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Surprisingly, I didn’t get any stretch marks during my first pregnancy. A big part of that is probably genetics and my personal skin makeup. There are many factors that play into how susceptible you may be to getting stretch marks.
I’ve had some friends and family members ask me how I prevented stretch marks during pregnancy. Although genetics and other environmental factors play a role, I give huge props to the pregnancy lotion and oil combo I used during my first pregnancy.
Now that I am pregnant with Baby #2 and am almost halfway through the pregnancy, I’ve been using the same pregnancy lotion and oil combo so far with great results.
- Related reading: Must have items for your second baby registry list
Common risk factors for pregnancy stretch marks
Everyone always says that the biggest risk factor for pregnancy stretch marks is genetics. Although genetics might be the largest indicator of whether or not you get pregnancy stretch marks, other factors come into play.
So many things can affect the elasticity of your skin and its ability to stretch during pregnancy. Some risk factors include lifestyle (what you eat and how much you exercise), age, hydration, and rapid weight gain. (Source)
Another factor is climate, including sun exposure and humidity levels. I often wish that I didn’t live in the dry and arid high desert because my skin takes a huge toll with the lack of moisture in the air.
Finding the perfect pregnancy lotion and oil products
First, I live in a dry and arid high desert climate with almost no humidity in New Mexico, so using oil and a lotion is a must. I also felt that I needed a lotion that was a little thicker and would provide continued hydration for more than several hours.
I went through a trial and error period in finding the perfect pregnancy lotion and oil combo for my skin. In this process, I realized that not all skin is alike and what may work for me might not be a great combo for someone else. Despite trying many pregnancy and non-pregnancy products, I found what works best for me.
My perfect pregnancy lotion and oil combo are Palmer’s Skin Therapy Oil and Palmer’s Coconut Oil Body Lotion with Vitamin E.
The skin therapy oil is absolutely amazing. It’s a 24-hour moisturizing body oil with a lightweight formula and has argan oil and vitamin E for maximum results. The coconut oil body lotion is equally amazing with 24-hour moisture, coconut oil, and vitamin E. This combo kept me stretch mark-free during my first pregnancy.
The bad news
Palmer’s recently changed their formula and packaging for the Coconut Oil Body Lotion in 2021! The new formula is called Coconut Hydrate Daily Body Lotion and the new package says it contains “green coffee for youthful radiance.” I checked out the ingredients for the old and new formulas and they are indeed different.
Although I’m sure the new formula is great, I don’t feel comfortable putting a body lotion with green coffee on my pregnant belly. So, if I can’t find any more bottles of the original formula, I’ve decided to use Palmer’s Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks along with the skin therapy oil. I have high hopes that this combo will be just as effective for increasing skin elasticity and preventing stretch marks.
I’ve linked the Skin Therapy Oil, Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks, and the new Coconut Hydrate Daily Body Lotion below (click on images).
Application during pregnancy
When I found the best pregnancy lotion and oil combo for my skin, the next step was to remain consistent in the application during pregnancy.
For each application, I would use two pumps of skin therapy oil and two pumps of coconut oil body lotion. After mixing them together in my hands, I would rub the combo all over the front and sides of my pregnant belly. I applied the lotion and oil combo three times a day – in the morning, mid-day, and before I went to bed each night.
During the third trimester, I would make sure to rub this combo all over my lower back and any other areas that were susceptible to stretching and pulling when pregnant.
Spot treatments
During the third trimester, I would notice stretch marks starting to or wanting to form. On my skin, they would start out as purple-looking spots or lines.
As soon as I saw this happening, I would increase the application of the skin therapy oil on the forming stretch mark up to 5 times a day. Surprisingly, they faded away.
Application after giving birth
Taking care of my belly skin after birth was a little tricky. Immediately after giving birth to my daughter, I started using Palmer’s Firming Butter plus Q10. This formula is supposed to help tighten and tone skin after pregnancy or weight loss.
I’m not sure if I was using the product incorrectly or if I was interfering with my skin’s natural shrinking process, but I started to see postpartum stretch marks forming while using this product!
I immediately switched back to my pregnancy lotion and oil combo, which I continued to use for several months postpartum. Instead of applying the combo three times a day, I reduced the application to once or twice a day.
Taking care of your belly skin is pretty important after pregnancy, even if you did not get any stretch marks.
Final thoughts on best pregnancy lotion and oil combo
Taking care of your skin is so important during pregnancy. I recommend trying a few products to see what works for you. For me, a lotion and oil combination was perfect.
Once you find the proper products for your skin, consistency is key. Application of pregnancy belly products doesn’t stop immediately after giving birth. I found that applying my pregnancy lotion and oil combo for several months postpartum helped in the skin healing and shrinking process.
What are your favorite pregnancy lotion and oil products?