Warding off stretch marks seems to be a mightily expensive business, with most products specific for pregnancy ranging anything from £10 to £25 or even higher. At a time when your purse strings are being stretched to the max with the million and one baby things you need to buy, shelling out for nine months worth of lotions and potions tends to bring on the mum guilt. For the first sixteen weeks I used the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil (£9.99 for 150ml) which seems to have done the job preventing stretch marks on my tummy but- controversial opinion coming up- I really hate the chocolatey smell.
So I was chuffed to come across the nspa Mum to Be range at Asda, which usually retails for £4-10 but is included in the current Baby and Toddler Event, so I got each of my products for a mere £3 each! The range includes bump butter, stretch mark oil, nipple balm, bust firming cream, bath and shower crème and a cooling leg and foot gel. I noticed that the bump butter had been voted best new mum/maternity skincare product in the 2014 Mother and Baby awards and for £3 you can't really argue with that, so I picked it up along with the oil and the bust firming cream to try. Here are my thoughts after using them for the past week or so...
Nourishing Stretch Mark Oil (£6/150ml)
This 'luxurious blend of rosehip, jojoba and almond oil' is my favourite product so far, mainly because it smells so much better than the Palmers oil! The scent is so light and fresh, almost floral but with some definite citrus notes and not overpowering at all. One of the things I've hated about oils in the past is the greasy feeling while it's absorbing, and I usually have to wear gloves to apply them because I can't stand the feeling in between my fingers! This one seems to be the complete opposite, it absorbs so much faster and I can get dressed straight after applying without worrying it will seep through my clothes. I can also apply this without gloves or having to scrub my hands afterwards, which earns major points in my book!
Moisturising Bump Butter (£6/200ml)
The formulation of this encompasses everything I love in a body butter: thick but melts into the skin and feels ultra moisturising. Like the oil, this also contains rosehip oil and vitamin E but has a shea butter base, so the scent is more typical of that, although there are similarities between the two. At first I applied this morning and night, but unfortunately this brought me out in a rash. However, I think this was because it wasn't being absorbed before I got dressed into my horrid synthetic work top in the morning, which was then causing the irritation. I now just slather a thick layer on at night before putting on my pyjamas and letting it sink in and there haven't been any more problems.
Firming Bust Cream (£5/100ml)
To be honest, I don't really have much of an opinion on this yet. I picked it up on a whim, but it's probably not something I really need. Apart from some stretch marks from not applying anything until fourteen weeks (I stupidly thought I wouldn't have to worry about stretch marks on my chest!), my boobs haven't suffered any other effects of pregnancy. This will probably come in handier later on in my pregnancy when everything starts heading south! Like the bump butter, this contains shea butter, rosehip oil and vitamins B and E, but is much more like a lotion in consistency. The addition of spirulina (a seaweed extract) promises to tone and firm the skin, and also promises a noticeable difference in the arms and thighs.
Overall, I've been won over by the Mum to Be range, and will be continuing to use the stretch mark oil and bump butter throughout the rest of my pregnancy. For the price you really can't go wrong, and the packaging looks lovely sitting out on your dressing table. Obviously I can't comment on their effectiveness at reducing/ preventing stretch marks, but my first impressions are certainly good. I'll report back with an update in a couple of months. Fingers crossed!
What products did you find effective at preventing stretch marks during pregnancy?
