Keep your hair, face and body glowing for the whole nine months.
by nikki yeh
Lovely Locks
During pregnancy, some women experience changes in their hair. With these pointers, you’ll be able to naturally maintain
your mane:
Style aware. If you have that inkling to cut your hair short, think again. Keeping your hair long can make your face look more slender and you’ll have more styling options.
Coarse coif. Got dry hair? Then wash it less frequently, especially since natural oils are healthy for your hair. Consider washing your hair three times a week with jojoba oil-based shampoos and conditioners.
Losing it. Hair loss during pregnancy can occur due to a lack of iron, iodine or protein. Talk to your health care practitioner about achieving a well-balanced diet with the proper supplementation. In the meantime, eat iron-rich foods such as fish, tofu, eggs, figs, raisins, peas and nuts.
Control Your Acne
Higher levels of androgens boost your skin’s production of sebum. What does this mean? Extra acne. Try these natural acne solutions that are safe for your pregnancy:
Be gentle. Use a mild cleanser twice a day. If you think using a washcloth is good for your face, guess again; this can irritate your acne even more. Instead use your hands to gently rinse your face.
Read the labels. Natural ingredients will help to ensure that you have a safe pregnancy. After all, what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream and reaches your newborn. Try products that don’t contain parabens, a group of chemicals that are known to cause irritations.
Coverage. If you can’t leave home without make-up, try water-based foundations, as they won’t clog your pores or cause more annoying breakouts.
Stretch this
Stretch marks can appear on a woman’s abdomen six months into pregnancy. Although there’s no way to prevent them, you can take these measures to make them less noticeable after childbirth:
Eat up. Try eating foods high in vitamins C and E, zinc* and silica* to help your skin adjust to stretching.
Rub away. Massage your stretched skin with aromatherapy oils. Their calming scent will also keep you super relaxed. Consider neroli oil, an essential oil that helps regenerate oily or dry skin.
Water works. Dehydration actually damages your skin, so drinking water throughout the day can help enhance your skin’s elasticity.
Smooth on. Moisturize as soon as you can — the newer your stretch marks, the more likely your skin will renew itself. Consider natural moisturizers such as those with shea butter* to increase skin cell turnover.
Bonus Tip
Just because you’re tired doesn’t mean you have to look it. Consider investing in an eyelash curler; it’s one quick way to make your eyes even bigger and more alert.
