Beautiful flowers, fresh green grass, and sunny blue skies adorn the atmosphere. Spring is here and summer break is on its way; things are looking up! That is, until you see how painfully obvious your stretch marks look in the Aerie dressing room mirror.
Don’t worry; stretch marks are extremely common in all women. While the visibility, location, and amount of stretch marks may vary from person to person, they can be very frustrating to anyone who has them. Stretch marks shouldn’t stop you from dressing the way you like, but it would be great if they just disappeared. Thankfully, there are numerous steps you can take to finally get rid of them, or at least make them less apparent.
Natural Remedies:
The overwhelming abundance of natural remedies for stretch marks on the Internet can make it difficult to find one that will work for you. Skip the trial and error: most women have found that potato juice, lemon juice, egg whites, and cocoa butter with vitamin e oil are the most effective home remedies to reduce the appearance of or remove stretch marks. Apply the potato juice, lemon juice, or egg whites to your stretch marks at least twice a day for 10-15 minutes at a time. Apply the cocoa butter with vitamin e oil after each treatment, and after baths. Olive oil may also be applied. Although results may vary, most women begin to notice a difference within one month.
If you don’t want to test out just one core ingredient for your stretch marks, you can create an effective DIY elixir that incorporates multiple ingredients proven to eliminate or drastically reduce the appearance of stretch marks in several women.
Stretch Marks Elixir: (feel free to add/omit ingredients)
- Few drops of Castor Oil
- Few drops of Olive Oil
- Few drops of Coconut Oil
- Few drops Vitamin E oil (or capsule)
- Lemon Juice
- Aloe Vera gel
- Raw sugar
Directions: Apply mixture onto stretch marks and gently massage area using circular motions for 10-15 minutes. Do this 2x a day for optimal results.
Additional steps: Another effortless way to fight stretch marks on the go is to add a few drops of any of the above oils, or glycerin, to your daily body lotion. You can also make the cocoa butter with vitamin e oil mentioned above and apply it frequently.
Use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like- this is your personal elixir! Feel free to mix and match different combinations of the listed ingredients if you want to use fewer materials, but remember to keep the consistency of the mixture in mind. Many women often mix just lemon juice and sugar for a stretch mark scrub. Other mini combinations include Aloe vera + Vitamin E oil, lemon juice + cucumber juice, Glycerin (1-2 drops) and lemon.
Stretch Mark Products:
There are plenty of different stretch mark removal products you can buy if you would rather not make your own. Here are 3 highly appraised products worth trying that won’t leave a hole in your wallet.
Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy: $26-40.
Bio Oil: ranges from $10-20 depending on where it is purchased.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Cream for Stretch Marks: Typically around $6-8.
Palmer’s has numerous stretch marks products to choose from.
All products can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Ulta, Target, or any drugstore.
What to eat:
In addition to using topical treatments, make sure you maintain a nutritious, well-balanced diet. There are some diet modifications you can make to reduce stretch marks and prevent new ones from forming.
- Zinc is a vital nutrient that promotes collagen production and is key to preventing future stretch marks. Zinc-rich foods include oysters, meat & poultry, seafood, beans, nuts, and whole grains.
- Vitamin-rich foods: Vitamins C, E, and A not only heal present stretch marks, but also prevent future marks.
Vitamin C: bell peppers, blueberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, leafy greens, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and peas
Vitamin E: nuts, spinach, leafy greens, seeds, and vegetable oils
Vitamin A: sweet potato, carrots, leafy greens, squashes, lettuce, fish, tropical fruits, dried apricot, and cantaloupe
- Protein rich foods: eggs, soybeans, meat
- Water: maintains elasticity of the skin and keeps it hydrated, which is vital for stretch mark prevention. Drink 8-10 glasses a day.