Stretch Mark Creams – do they really work or are they just nice & soothing to use?
If you didn’t know already, (I’m sure you all do) I’m a mummy to be to a little boy. I was sent a couple of different stretch mark creams to try out and review quite a while ago now, and I’ve been giving them a really good trial run to find out whether or not they actually work. I think I’ve been using them for a good 3 months or so I would say, and I’m now 32 weeks pregnant and there is not one single stretch mark on my stomach. So I’m either incredibly lucky or these little gems actually work wonders! I’m putting it down to the creams, they have each been so lovely to use and so moisturising on my skin. So if you’re pregnant and want to try and keep the stretch marks at a minimum, I really really recommend each of these. Anyway I’ll do a separate review on each one so that if you only want to pick up one, you can find out which is my favourite out of the four.
Science of Skin Stretch Mark Defence* | £24.99
This is actually a spray rather than a cream which is suited to use as your baby bump grows to relieve itchiness from the skin stretching, and keep it nice and hydrated. It claims to be non-oily but I actually find this to be quite greasy before I rub it in and it absorbs into my skin. However the formula is very light and there’s none of the messing about to rub it in like there is with some thick creams. It doesn’t have the most pleasant smell as it doesn’t really have a scent to it, when you’re pregnant you’re very sensitive to smells so I think this could be hugely improved by adding a nice floral or sweet scent to it, but other than that it works great. It’s really hydrating too which is something you need when your skin is constantly stretching to grow with the baby. If you do get this, I would recommend buying a nice scented body cream to apply afterwards as then you’ll feel a bit more pampered 🙂
Science of Skin Solution for Stretch Marks* | £39.99
This is a stretch mark cream from the same brand as above, but this is for tackling stretch marks as soon as they appear. Now as I have had no stretch marks yet on my stomach, I haven’t used this in that area, but I have had a couple on my boobs (the joys of pregnancy) so I was able to test this out in that area. It didn’t get rid of them completely, which to be honest I didn’t expect it to. But it 100% helps fade them a little as mine are nowhere near as visible as they were when they first appeared. At almost 40 pounds, this is a pricey stretch mark solution but you get quite a lot of product and only need to use a little at a time, and if it works, it’s worth it right?! So if any stretch marks appear on my stomach over my last few weeks of pregnancy, I’ll for sure be using this to try and make them less visible. It doesn’t have the weird smell like the stretch mark defence does, but I still think it could be improved by adding a nice scent of some sort!
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion | £5.50
I picked this up after hearing a couple of other bloggers recommend it during their pregnancy and I have to say for a mere £5.50 you can’t not get this. If you’re a fan of sweet smells, chocolate, cocoa butter etc, this is a must have. It’s so dreamy to apply because it just smells so freaking good. I’m obsessed. I love applying this on it’s own or after I’ve applied the other stretch mark creams that don’t have a scent to them. It’s non greasy and is supposed to relieve itchiness which it must do as I’ve suffered with barely any itching at all. It’s really lovely to just get out a nice bubble bath and lather this all over bump as it’s so nice to apply and of course smells fab!
Colief Mum to Be Cream* | £9.99
Last but not least, is my favourite out of them all. It’s super affordable, smells absolutely gorgeous and is so creamy and moisturising. If you’re going to get just one cream out of them all, get this one. This is a cream that I haven’t had as long as the others but it’s one I’ve been using the most of, I’m almost run out! I reach for this on a daily basis just because I’m at a stage now where I want to use something that is nice and soothing to apply and something that also smells good. I don’t know how to describe the scent but it’s very feminine and just generally lovely. If you pick this up you’ll know what I mean. If you have stretch marks already, I can’t vouch that this will make them less visible as like I’ve said I don’t have any on my stomach yet, but I would still get this just because it will really help moisturise bump which is what you need to help keep it nice and elasticated. It absorbs into the skin really quickly too so there’s not much messing about, but it’s said that applying stretch mark creams are a good way to bond with bump anyway 🙂
So those are the creams I’ve been using throughout most of my pregnancy, whilst I’ve had a fairly large bump. Maybe my luck will run out soon and I’ll get some stretch marks during my last few weeks before baby arrives, but I’m pretty content with the fact that I’ve had none for practically my whole pregnancy. I’ll be keeping my social media updated anyway so if any do appear, I’ll make sure I mention it on Snapchat or Twitter (username is gemellisx for both). That way if you are wondering whether these creams really work, you’ll know for sure if I go my entire pregnancy without any.
