Stretch Mark Belly Butter with Bonus Tips!

Ahhhh the many joys of pregnancy! Stretch marks is just one of them. While there are genetic factors, there are ways to help prevent & avoid stretch marks. The secret is in skin elasticity. The more elastic your skin is, the less likely it is that you will have stretch marks. I used this belly butter while I was pregnant and while my body was bouncing back to pre-pregnancy shape and had amazing results!

Be sure to scroll to the bottom to get some bonus tips!

Ingredients In Your Belly Butter

The following ingredients are moisturizing, hydrating, & healing for your skin and promote elasticity. You can swap out any of these in your belly butter recipe.

Essential oils can be soothing, moisturizing, and great for skin. These are my favorite to use in my belly butter:

Belly Butter Recipe

Ingredients:

Note: Feel free to experiment and swap ingredients from the above list to find a consistency & formula that is best for you. This is my favorite combo:

1/2 Cup Shea Butter
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Jojoba Oil
2 Tablespoons Beeswax
1 Tablespoon Aloe Vera Gel
2 Teaspoons Vitamin E Oil
2 Teaspoons Rosehip Oil
10 Drops Frankincense Essential Oil
20 Drops Gentle Baby Essential Oil

Instructions:

Heat Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, and Aloe Vera Gel in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Stir until all of the ingredients have melted.
Remove from heat.
Add the Vitamin E Oil, Rosehip Oil, Frankincense Essential Oil, and Gentle Baby Essential Oil.
Stir to combine.
Put in the fridge for a couple hours to completely cool.
Mix with a hand mixer to make a whipped belly butter.
Pour into glass jars. (You will need two 8 oz jars.)
Store at room temperature for up to 1 year.
Apply 2-3 times per day focusing on your stomach, hips, thighs, & breasts (where stretch marks most commonly occur).

Bonus Tips!

Drink Lots of Water

One way to improve your skin elasticity is to moisturize from within by drinking lots of water. I use a Berkey Filter. It's recommended to drink between 64 t0 96 oz of water daily while pregnant.

Collagen

Benefits of collagen:

Important for joint health (I believe collagen was a key factor in healing from previous back surgeries & back pain - read about that here)
May prevent wrinkles
Has protein
Important for digestive health
Great for your skin

Collagen comes from animal bones, skin, and tissues. The animal parts are boiled to extract collagen. It's important to get a good collagen from sustainable sources. I use this collagen. I add it to my smoothies, coffee, & tea, sprinkle into soup, sandwiches, & yogurt....it's easy to add collagen into your diet.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have many health benefits including supporting healthy, nourished skin. Sources of omega-3 fatty acids include

Walnuts
Fish
Flax Seed
Chia Seed
Eggs
Omega-3 Supplement (I like this one)

Sulfur

Sulfur is the 3rd most abundant mineral in the body. Sulfur is a vital component of hair, nails, joints, tissues, and cartilage. Having sufficient sulfur promotes skin elasticity.

Sources of sulfur:

Kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, garlic, onions, broccoli
Meat
Eggs
Sulfur supplement (I like this one and it's my favorite hair, skin, & nails supplement that I take daily, pregnant or not)

Dry Body Brushing

Dry body brushing is an easy way to get rid of dry skin & cellulite and increase circulation. Dry body brushing is easy is simply brushing your skin with a stiff brush. Learn more about dry body brushing here.