Pregnancy is a time of incredible change as your body expands to create new life. Over the course of 9 months, weight gain and your blossoming belly stretch your skin rapidly. This can cause tiny tears in the layers of skin tissue called striae gravidarum, or stretch marks.
After your baby is born, these marks serve as a reminder of the beautiful journey your body went through to bring your little one into the world. While it’s important to acknowledge and appreciate your body’s strength and resilience during pregnancy, it’s also completely normal to not love how you look and feel postpartum.
It can take awhile to learn to embrace this new version of yourself. During this tender time, incorporating simple rituals that nourish and support your skin celebrates your body for all that it went through to bring your baby into the world, while helping you accept and appreciate your transformation.
This stretch mark skin serum is infused with green tea, which has been shown to improve the appearance of stretch marks. Tea is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, which help to reduce inflammation, increase collagen production, and hydrate the skin. Research has shown that over time, applying green tea topically can promote skin regeneration helping to fade stretch marks.
Ingredients:
- 20 ml jojoba oil infused with green tea and calendula
- 10 ml almond oil
- ½ tsp rosehip oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops patchouli essential oil
To make the infused oil—
Fill a dry, heat proof jar or glass measuring cup about half full with equal parts green tea leaves and calendula. Pour the jojoba oil over them, making sure the herbs are fully submerged and covered with at least an inch or so of oil.
Gently heat over very low heat (ideally 100°- 140° F) for 1 to 5 hours in a double boiler or crockpot. The oil has finished infusing when the color of the herbs has been imparted. At this point, turn off the heat and let the oil cool.
Strain out the herbs and rebottle the infused oil.
To make the serum—
Using a funnel, add the oils to a dropper bottle. Shake well to combine.
