Stretch Marks is a common problem specially amongst pregnant women and adolescents. These long white lines are not harmful and do not cause any medical problem, but they are not appealing in looking.
Stretch mark is a type of scar which develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly. These abrupt change causes the collagen and elastin which support our skin, to rupture. As the skin heals, stretch marks may appear.
Skin marks often appears during:
- Pregnancy affecting most of the women
- Adolescent years of growth
- After quick weight gain or Loss
Initially stretch marks appear as red or purple lines and slightly raised. These flatten over time and become whitish.
How essential oils help?
Essential oils help in improving blood circulation in the body and ensures skin receives required energy and oxygen. This helps play an important role in keeping the skin healthy, as well as reducing appearance of stretch marks.
Make your own Stretch Mark cream:
Essential oil does have an effect on stretch marks and are able to significantly reduce their appearance. Some essential oils may work better than others. Although there is no treatment which will get rid of them completely, but they can help reduce their appearance.
Stretch Mark Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Coconut oil
- 1/2 cup Shea Butter
- 1/4 cup Rosehip Oil
- 1/4 cup Grapeseed oil
- 2 tsp Vitamin E
- 75 drops Lavender Essential oil
- 50 drops Helichrysum Essential oil
- 50 drops Frankincense Essential oil
Instructions
- On medium heat, melt coconut oil with Shea butter.
- Add Rosehip Oil and Grapeseed oil to the mixture.
- Turn off the heat, allow the mixture to cool a little and then Vitamin E and essential oils.
- Transfer the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for half an hour
- Once cool use a beater to make it soft and fluffy and transfer to a container.
- Apply pea sized portion daily to get reduce appearance of stretch marks.
Know your Ingredients:
Coconut oil helps in improving skins elasticity, increases cell generation and fights off infections thereby helping in minimizing the appearance of stretch marks.
Rosehip seed oil is gentle on the skin and is rich in fatty acids, vitamins like A, C and E, and antioxidants. It stimulates collagen production and presence of Vitamin A helps in reducing appearance of stretch marks.
Shea Butter deeply penetrates in the skin and keeps it moisturised. It is also high in Vitamin A which is known for collagen production and helps in reducing dark spots.
Grapeseed Oil has the ability to repair damaged and stressed skin tissues and the restructuring qualities helps to restore new skin cells and helps generate new tissues.
Vitamin E has wonderful antioxidant properties which protects the skin against free radicals thereby acting as an anti-aging ingredient and also acts like a natural preservative.
Lavender Essential oil is known for its calming properties and increases collagen production which helps in forming new tissue cells which in turn encourages healing.
Helichrysum essential oil is packed with anti-inflammatory and cytophylactic properties and helps the skin in regenerating collagen production.
Frankincense Essential oil penetrates the skin easily and is known to promote cell regeneration and reduce the appearance of stretch marks and scars.
RISK & SIDE EFFECTS
- Essential oils are only for external use and should never be ingested
- Store essential oils out of reach of children and store them apart from other products. Some essential oils can be fatal to pets and therefore always research before using them
- Essential oils must ALWAYS be diluted before applying on skin as they are highly concentrated as can cause irritation. You can dilute them in carrier oil of your choice and the max concentration of essential oils should be 3-4%
- Always do a patch test before applying on larger areas of skin
- It is unclear what effects essential oils have on pregnant and breastfeeding women. While some consider them safe, many doctors advice pregnant women to avoid use of essential oils
- Always buy pure essential oils and stay away from fake counterparts as they wont contain same therapeutic benefits
Bottom Line
Even though stretch marks cannot be completely removed, few essential and carrier oils can help in reducing the appearance of stretch marks and keep skin healthy. It is best to keep a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly to maintain healthy weight and keep your hormone levels regulated. Essential oils can be used as a complementary therapy to healthy lifestyle.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional nor chemical formulator or pharmacist. This is the DIY recipe I use personally to reduce stretch marks. Please use at your own risk.