Stretch marks, those unsightly red and purple lines that make their appearance on our stomach and thighs, are most often the result of pregnancy, rapid weight gain or rapid weight loss. Though I strongly believe that everyone woman (and man!) should love their body and embrace the changes that happen as they mature: wrinkles, gray hair, stretch marks, skin spots. It’s difficult to deny that everyone wants to look and feel their best. Instead of looking to chemicals, laser treatments, and invasive surgeries to keep ourselves looking young — try a few of these home treatments those stretchmarks and witness first-hand how our body can heal itself, when we provide it with that extra boost of nutrients to help it along.
1. Raw Honey – unprocessed honey is an excellent exfoliant for buffing away dead skin cells and providing moisture to your skin. It’s not as messy as it sounds — unfiltered, unprocessed honey is less sticky than the honey that is typically found in the bear shaped bottle at the grocery store.
2. Shea Butter – the benefit of shea butter are well known in the beauty world, but while products that list shea butter as a key ingredient, you will want to find a 100% shea butter lotion for use on stretch marks.
3. Aloe Vera – Aloe is already considered a remedy for a number of different skin issues, including burns, warts, and scars, and when applied daily, it can have the same healing effects on stretch marks.
4. Castor Oil – high in protein and fatty acids, rubbing castor oil into your stomach and thighs will not only provide your skin with the nutrients it needs to heal properly, but it will also strengthen your fingernails and soften your hands in the process. Double benefits.
5. Lemon Juice – smoothing freshly squeezed lemon juice into your stretch marks will give your skin a boost of antioxidants. You can also mix it with another skincare product, like any of those we already discussed. Make sure to only use fresh juice — while the bottled juice may taste the same, it won’t have the same potency.
It is important to mention that these treatments work best on new stretchmarks, and scars and marks on your skin that are years old, may require more extensive treatment, though trying one or more of these natural remedies can only benefit your skin. I encourage any of you who may be going through one of these changes, pregnancy, weight loss, growth spurt (teens), etc. to try one or more of these topicals on your stretch mark prone areas as a preventative treatment. If they can heal damaged skin, they can certainly help protect and nourish your skin as it moves and changes.
