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Women with perfectly round bellies, and long flowing hair frolicking through a field of daisies is one of the images of pregnancy in the media. The opposite would be the angry, puffy ankled women sending their husbands off to the store at two o’clock in the morning for pickles and ice cream. I admit I’m somewhere in the middle of these stereotypes. I’ve been lucky enough to have avoided the dreaded morning sickness, but have found my skin is reacting to these changes and the result is pregnancy acne.
In high school I had the occasional pimple or two. I used whatever popular product was on the market and it cleared up fairly quick. As an adult I consider my skin one of my best assets. I do not tan, and tend to stay out of the sun which has kept my skin pale and speckle-free. I had a unique experience while receiving a breast exam when the doctor stopped and remarked on my skin looking so “young.”
But pregnancy decided to explode with a spattering of acne along my face and neck. Not just one or two that sporadically come and go, but five at a time in a spray from neck up. I figured I would take care of the problem like I had during my teen years. A part of me really wants to be like those flowing hair women in a field of daisies and have the ultimate organic pregnancy, but unfortunately I’m not too good at it.
One thing I have worked on during this pregnancy is forgoing exposure to unnecessary chemicals. I started my acne relief shopping by researching the chemicals in popular acne products. Unfortunately I found that one of the main components in acne products, salicylic acid, can cause pregnancy complications. I may be too cautious when it comes to this, but I started looking elsewhere for acne help.
I finally found my solution at one of my favorite shops, The Body Shop. It’s believed that tea tree oil is safe to use in small quantities on the skin during pregnancy and lucky for me, The Body Shop has a whole line devoted to it as a main ingredient.
I had picked up the Tea Tree Pore Minimizer before the pregnancy to help shrink my pores and found the happy side effect was a shrinking of those pregnancy pimples.
You can also pick up a bottle of Tea Tree Oil for a more concentrated treatment. Use it on pimples big and small (even cystic), bug bites, cuts and scratches – almost any skin ailment. Tea tree oil has become my skin savior and intend to use it throughout my pregnancy and after, in case those little suckers stick around past the delivery.
we heartsters – What skin-friendly cleansers and products have you been raving about recently? Have any tips for this soon to be Mom?
Lucy loves Lady Gaga, lattes, trashy television and anything zombies. She’s a geeky girl who likes tech gadgets, reading tons of books, playing with gender roles and is constantly surrounded by a small army of cats.
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I am so ordering this ASAP! My problem is always after pregnancy when I’m nursing when my face completely breaks out…so since I just recently had a baby, I need this now!
Tea tree oil is the best! No babies in my immediate future, but I also try to go with more “natural” skin cleansers, and my acne-prone skin responds really well to oil cleansing. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been using Sibu sea buckthorn berry oil for cleansing at night; in the morning I just wash with raw honey, and then use some Tarte maracuja oil to moisturize. These three things have been keeping spots at bay and giving me a little glow, w/out icky chemicals.
@lucylemonade – Thanks for the reminder on tea tree oil. Tea Tree is one of those things that I am in love with and have it front and center. Then, I run out of it or move the bottle and then kind of forget about it.
Here is a trick I learned that works as a fabulous treatment. Squirt out a bit of your favorite gentle cleanser add a couple drops of tea tree oil and mix. Work this mixture into your face neck and chest with either your fingertips or your clarisonic. It seems to really clarify my skin. I love the smell of tea tree so it is sort of like a home spa treatment.
That’s a great tip @hao9703!
Love the tip–thanks!
I am a true believer that tea Tree Oil can fix anything! I use it on cuts, rashes, pimples and the best tip I found lately is to use it in the folds of my Boston Terriers’ faces! A couple of drops in about a 1/4 cup of warm water cleans the stains that that tears leave behind and makes them smell clean rather than dirty dog.
I’m doing this today! My Barney always has tear stains. They’re not as bad as they used to be since I stopped fussing so much (I was always using a wet washcloth to try to clean them but it got worse! Apparently, red yeast makes up tear stains and keeping it wet is bad) and got an air purifier to keep his eyes from watering so much in the first place.
My Bellarina gets tear stains, and I never dreamed that compresses could make them worse, @sherrishera !
I can’t wait to try your Tea Tree Oil recipe on Bella, @stef .
Best wishes to you, @lucylemonade ! So exciting!
Tea Tree Oil is good for so many things! I try to have a bottle on hand at all times. Did you ever leave the house and realize you forgot deodorant? I have. Knowing that TTO is a natural antibacterial, I’ve dotted some under my arms in a pinch and it works REALLY well full strength–much better than even natural deodorants that include Tea Tree Oil in its makeup. I use it on cuts and scrapes, too…and of course pimples! I also have scalp issues and massage a bit on my scalp at night before I go to bed. Such good stuff!
I’ll sing the praises of Tea Tree oil right with you! I use it even in my homemade mouthwash. Beside being a natural microbe fighter it can be used to to treat a wide range of other infections. If you have any nail fungus issues, it treats that as good as anti-fungal ointments. I have used it to help calm down my sensitive scalp from time to time. Yes, I could go on and on about its benefits! I keep plenty of it in all our medicine cabinets!
@Lucylemonade, nice review on a multi-use product! Because tea tree oil is an anti-fungal, it works against Athlete’s Foot, ezcema, and yeast infections (put a few drops in your bath water). As an anti-viral, it can lessen the symptoms of colds. Use in a vaporizer or hot bath. This controls mold when mixed with water. I could go on all night, but I won’t . . .
I’m not preggers but I’m currently using tea tree to heal my hormonal chin breakout that’s going on right now. I love the smell of it took.
This is just great information for me…especially right now! I have been experiencing a ton of hormonal acne issues. I hate using a ton of chemicals and am always looking to use the safest and healthiest products. I will totally be checking this out! Thank you @Lucylemonade!!
Wow, so many great tips!!! I need to get a big bottle and go at it :)
Really, some skin problems occur only after pregnancy but using some natural products can help in getting rid of these problems and tea tree oil is one out of them. Your stuff is amazing and has much useful information for women. Thanks for making such great post.
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I love tea tree oil – fantastic or acne. Only thing I notice is sometimes can dry the non-spotty skin out around the area if use for a little while – easily solved by using a qtip to apply :)
Tea tree oil is very strong in fighting against bacteria because it has strong antibacterials. To use it bare, you can plunge a cotton piece into the oil then place it on the affected skin. ITS VERY STRONG THOUGH – and I have sensitive skin. I like Tea Tree oil mixed in other products. Citrus Clear products use Tea Tree Oil, and I found that the Citrus Clear products worked better than just using plain tea tree oil. Especially cause my skin is so sensitive. No breakouts since I started that routine.