Natural Personal Care
Since cosmetic and personal care companies are in charge of policing themselves when it comes to chemical safety, I thought I would point out some favorite green brands for mom. Of course, you don’t have to toss out all of your existing toiletries and makeup. However, when you run out of a product, you may want to try a more natural alternative.
Did You Know?
Stretch Mark Creams and Lotions
What? There’s no such thing as a miracle stretch mark cream? Many maternity lotions and products make promises they simply cannot keep. For example, whether you get stretch marks or not is attributed to your genetic predisposition, weight gain, and rate of weight gain, and not to the brand of belly butter you slather on at night (although moisturizing your skin daily should help with the itch).
Brand Recommendations:
- Belly Lotion (for stretch marks): Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter ($9-15) or Bio-Oil ($15-20)
- Belly Lotion for the Ingredient Purist: Belli Elasticity Belly Oil ($25-30) Ingredients used are picked based on published medical research and thoroughly tested. Contains no synthetic fragrance, paraben, gluten, phthalates or preservatives.
- Body Lotion: Weleda Skin Food ($10-15)
- Body Oil: Weleda Pregnancy Body Oil ($17-20) or Burts Bees 100% Natural Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil ($6-9)
- Blemish Skin Care (no salicylic acid, pregnancy-safe acne control): Belli Anti-Blemish Facial Wash ($22-27) or Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick ($6-8 or $13/2-pack)
- Sulfate Free Shampoo Inexpensive: Organix (OGX) or Loreal Everstrong
- Sulfate Free Shampoo Splurge: Pureology Nano Works
- Sulfate Free Shampoo Curly: Kinky Curly Come Clean ($12/bottle)
- Body Scrub: Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub Tropical Mango ($5-6)
- Foot Scrub: Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Leg and Foot Crème ($9-11)
- Best Natural Toothpaste: Tom’s of Maine with fluoride
- Best Natural Deodorant (Most Effective): Native Deododorant, Weleda Deodorant, Underarmed for Women & Men and Lavanila Laboratories Lavanila Healthy Deodorant.
- Note: Deodorants and antiperspirants work by aluminium salts blocking sweat glands. The aluminum in deodorant has long been a suspect linked to breast cancer, especially considering the area of application. However, there seems to be insufficient evidence to make this claim definitively.
Did You Know?
Sulfate-free shampoos
Salons offering color and smoothing treatments have been recommending sulfate-free shampoos for years to help women preserve their expensive treatments. However, sulphate-free products can now be found in drugstore aisles. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is a detergent used for cleaning and making stuff lather. SLS is used in a wide variety of industrial products, such as floor cleaners and engine degreasers, and it is also found in soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste. SLS is not typically found in baby products, although its milder cousin, sodium laureth sulphate (SLES), may be used. Many websites claim that SLS is a carcinogen, but major cancer groups agree there is not enough evidence to support this claim. What is clear about SLS is that it can be an irritant in higher concentrations, especially if left on the skin or used regularly. Individuals with eczema or sensitive skin should use sulfate-free soaps and shampoos.
Natural Cosmetics and Beauty Products (Green Beauty Award Winners)
- Best Inexpensive Brands: Physician’s Formula Organic Wear, Burt’s Bees
- Best Mid-Range Brands: Josie Maran, Ecco Bella Vegan Organic Beauty, Juice Beauty
- Best Splurge Brand: RMS Beauty (top products: RMS Luminizer Highlighter, Lip2Cheek, and cream shadows)
- Makeup Removing Towelettes: Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes, grapefruit ($14-16/3-pack)
- Mineral Makeup: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals ($10-25) or Mineral Fusion Pressed Powder Foundation ($18-25). Mineral-based makeup or foundation generally sits on top of skin.
- Best Splurge Foundation: Vapour Organic Beauty Luminous Foundation ($45-55), Dr. Hauschka’s Translucent Makeup ($36-61)
- Best Value Foundation: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30 ($15-25). Free of: Parabens, Phthalates, Fragrance, Chemical sunscreens, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Mineral oil, Triclosan, Formaldehyde, Talc, Gluten, Animal-derived ingredients.
- Concealer: Ecco Bella Under Eye Concealer Coverup ($17-22)or Dr. Hauschka’s Pure Care Cover Stick ($22-25)
- Mascara: Josie Maran Argan Oil Mascara ($20-25) or Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara ($7)
- Lipstick: Josie Maran Argan Color Stick ($15) or Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Lipstick ($12-15)
- Lip-gloss: Jane Iredale PureGloss ($20) or Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss ($6-9), Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lip Shimmer ($5-10)
- Lip balm: Eos ($4), Burt’s Bees, Original Beeswax ($3)
- Lip balm, Vegan: Crazy Rumors with no beeswax ($6)
- Nail Polish: Zoya ($8) or Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Care ($17)
- Nail Polish Remover: Zoya Remove Plus ($10-12)
- Hair Color: Lush Hair Hennas ($48) or Surya Henna Cream henna-based hair dyes ($17)
Maternity Clothes
Favorite maternity brands and stores: A Pea in the Pod, Top Shop, Motherhood, Kohl’s, Oh Baby by Motherhood, Target, Gap, Ann Taylor Loft, and Old Navy.
Higher end, trendy collections: StellaMaternity.com, PinkBlushMaternity.com, Asos.com, OlianMaternity.com, Seraphine.com, IsabellaOliver.com, and JapaneseWeekend.com.
Maternity Intimates
- Cotton Maternity Underwear: Intimate Portal Women Under The Bump Maternity Panties Pregnancy Underwear ($15-25)
- Maternity Thong Underwear: Hanky Panky Signature Lace Low Rise Thong
- Maternity Lingerie: You! Lingerie or Hotmilk
- Maternity Underwear with belly support and Activewear: Belevation
Comfort Support Pillow
Some women choose to place an extra standard pillow between their legs, or under their hips, for support while sleeping. Others will tell you that they couldn’t have survived pregnancy without their Snoogle.
Body pillow: Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow ($55-65) or PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow ($40-50) U-Shape Full Body Pillow Maternity Support Detachable Extension – Support for Your Back, Hips, Legs. The QUEEN ROSE Pregnancy Pillow comes with a velvet cover ($55-70)
Other Useful Maternity Products
- Bra Extenders: Maidenform ($8) or Petutu Bra Extender ($8)
- Pants Extenders: Extend using the jeans that you already love with Comfy Clothiers Elastic Pants Waist Extenders ($8-10/5-pack), Fertile Mind Belly Belt Combo ($20), Ingrid & Isabel Bellaband ($25-30), or a hair tie or rubber band looped around your pants button
- Belly Button Covers: A simple Band-Aid when wearing tight shirts or work shirts, or Miss Oops Popper Stoppers ($8)
- Maternity Shapewear: Belly Bandit – Thighs Disguise Pregnancy Shapewear – Smooth and Shape Your Silhouette ($40-45), Belevation Womens Maternity Shapewear Mid-Thigh Pettipant ($20-25)
- Postpartum belly support: Bellefit Postpartum Corset ($110-125) high end medical-grade compression, Belly Bandit ($50-72), a popular belt that you may be able to borrow.
Practical Tips from Real Parents: Just for Mom (personal care, clothes, shoes, etc.)
- If you are diligent with applying your belly lotion, you will loathe the smell of cocoa butter by the end of pregnancy.
- I have friends who swear by their stretch mark cream. They say, “I put it on every night and never had stretch marks….blah, blah, blah.” I did the same thing, and I have dark red marks all over my belly years later.
- If you have a darker complexion, be prepared for melasma. I had blotches of dark coloration all over my face and arms. Always use sunscreen but definitely don’t use a skin bleacher.
- The worst side effect of pregnancy, by far, was my melasma. I am an Indian-American woman, and I already had a few dark patches on my face, but pregnancy made them much worse.
- You have no idea how much your body will change week to week, so be cautious when buying maternity clothes. I ended up wasting lots of money.
- Every pregnant woman needs a simple black maternity dress for work and special occasions. Dress it up with a sparkly necklace or dress it down with a cardigan.
- Wear comfortable shoes and put your feet up several times a day. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I had to wear black flip-flops to work because my feet were so swollen.
- Get your husband to rub your feet with a peppermint oil foot rub at night.
- Try a postpartum girdle after you give birth. I think they really help to shrink your stomach.