Home Remedies for Stretch Marks

"Uncover Stretch Mark Remedies with Things Already in your Home: Its unbelievable the simple stuff that are stretch mark remedies." 

I could narrow this down to one of the dozens, if not hundreds of home remedies for stretch marks, but instead I'll make it easier on everyone.

The truth is: there is no home remedy for stretch marks. Not.a.single.one. Not coconut oil, not vinegar, not mustard oil, shea butter, or drinking a lot of milk.

You see, it all comes down to what stretch marks are. They are essentially tears in your skin, causing thick, discolored scar tissue to build up between. Stretch marks occur in the the resilient middle layer that helps the skin retain its shape. They come in various sizes and degrees, and the truth is, pretty much every single person on the planet has them (yes, even men). When they first form they are dark hues, often red and purples, but after they heal they will fade to become closer to your normal skin tone, often times lighter, and possibly shinier than the surrounding skin, depending on the severity of the marks.

Unlike some scars which are only on the top layer of skin, these run so deep that nothing you apply--from creams to oils--is going to fix that. The only proven way to treat stretch marks is with various medical procedures ranging from prescription retinoids, to lasers treatments, to surgery to literally remove the damaged skin.

But what about prevention? I'm sure any woman who has been pregnant has been given various solutions to preventing stretch marks. Unfortunately not a single study has been able to prove any of these actually aid in preventing stretch marks. At the end of the day, rubbing a bit of shea butter in you skin might not help, but it won't hurt. Just don't be surprised if you end up with stretch marks by the time those 9 months are up.

Coconut Oil As Sunscreen

"Coconut oil is the original suntan/sunscreen lotion ... Coconut oil is a proven sunscreen that is still used by millions of people in the tropics as their sole source of protection from sunburn and skin cancer." 

I'll be the first admit that coconut oil IS nice, but unfortunately it gets more hype than is really needed. It's the new go-to oil of the millennium (older people will remember when olive oil was the go-to oil in the 80's and 90's). It's been the cure-all for everything from weight loss to eczema. But can coconut oil work as a perfectly natural non-toxic sunscreen? 

Ehhh, sort of. It depends entirely on the amount of SPF you're after. Will coating yourself with coconut oil prevent sunburn? To a degree: yes. It has a natural SPF of about 7. Yep, 7. Technically it's 7.11, which is actually lower than olive oil at 7.549, but higher than most all other oils. (source) 

SPF 7, however, is really, really low, and will not protect you all that much. Not only that, but you will need to reapply it constantly since it doesn't offer the staying power that commercial sunblock does. Even if you don't burn, you're still exposing your skin to dangerous rays. There's a lot of misinformation about SPF, I've heard everything from the "SPF tells you how long it lasts" (not true) to "all sunblock is the same" (also not true). The recommended SPF for most people is 30, and you should make sure that the sunscreen you're using not only blocks UVA but also UVB. (source) 

Another thing to take in account that this pin does not, is that everyone has different skin types. Coconut oil might work as a sunscreen for those native to the tropics, but that doesn't mean it's going to work as well if you're genetically low on melanin, like those who are from northern countries. Depending on the melanin levels in your skin, just trying this once could result in a nasty sunburn.

I get that a lot of people are trying to get away from chemicals and possibly harmful products, but at the end of the day, skin cancer caused by exposure to UVA/B rays is also a risk you have to consider when you're debating on which cream to reach for this summer.

How To Heal A Sunburn

"Heal A Sunburn In ONE Night! 3-4 in piece off an aloe vera plant, sliced in half 1 Tbsp coconut oil, in liquid form 1/2 – 1 tsp raw honey or propolis."

Well summer is nearly here, so now would be a good time to explain why not to do this. The pin and blog it links to says you can heal even the worst sunburn with a simple mixture of aloe, coconut oil and honey or propolis. 

Now I will agree that aloe is the best thing you can use on a sunburn. The other ingredients however are what makes this a truly awful idea. I can not stress enough NEVER put oil or lotions on a sunburn. Why? Well they trap the heat in. As simple as that. Even after you've removed yourself from the sun, your skin once burned will remain hot - you can touch your sunburn and feel the temperature difference between it and your regular skin.

Adding oils, lotions, and honey of all things is only going to keep your skin hot. I know there is a rather big following especially online who claim coconut oil is a miracle and can do anything, but lets get logical here - oil is oil. Yes I know the general makeup of butter vs coconut oil is completely different, but on a burn they will have the same effect  We laugh at the 100 year old idea of rubbing butter on a burn, so why turn around and put the modern day equivalent on your skin? Coconut oil will have the same effect as any oil or lotion on a sunburn. 

Now I will say, that after the sunburn has had time to cool, say in 24 hours, and it's no longer hot and it's starting to feel dry and itchy? By all means try coconut oil! Keeping your skin hydrated once the burn has had a chance to cool off is perfectly fine, and can help in the healing process. But the hours after you first got your burn and your skin is still hot is NOT the time to start adding oils and lotions to your skin. Honey is no different in it's ability to trap heat into your skin. I know there is a large body of studies that point to honey having anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to them, but all in all between the mess and the stickiness it's pretty low on the 'things I want to rub on my skin' list. You're better off taking an ibuprofen and drinking several glasses of water. (Hydration starts from the inside - when you get sunburn you need to up your water intake!) 

So what can you do when faced with reddening skin from a day out? The very best thing you can do for a sunburn is to soak in a cool tepid bath with ground oatmeal (you can either buy it over the counter or make it yourself in a food processor, nothing fancy just ground oatmeal until it a powder. Yes it really is that easy! You can add herbs like lavender or chamomile if you're feeling fancy.) and once out, pat dry and apply aloe. My go to aloe is the mentholated kind with added lidocaine. Aloe can be applied many times throughout the evening too, so don't just apply it once and figure that's good enough, the more times you apply it, the better chance you have at healing you sunburn. Also like I said earlier - drink water. Lots of water. You're probably dehydrated from being out in the sun and hydration is very important to healing your skin.  

Baking Soda Microdermabrasion Scrub

"DIY Microdermabrasion - mix 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water into a paste and apply in a circular motion and rinse" 

Ah, this. This is one of those pins that inspired this blog to begin with, so I should probably do a formal post about it. We've all seen it, a lot of us have probably tried it. So why is this a bad idea?

Because it's the gold pants of the beauty world. Let me explain  This is a not-the-worst-idea-but-I-still-can't-call-it-good-idea idea.  Maybe if you're young with oily skin, and by some off chance it doesn't make you break out. So this will work on about .001% of people. Like how very few people can wear gold pants and look not ridiculous in them. For the rest of us: set down the baking soda and step away from the pants, because it's a bad idea.

I actually had a hard time even finding a photo  
of someone looking good in gold pants!

Why? Well you see, skin has a natural pH to it. If you see a dermatologist it's one of the first things they will address. If your skin's pH is off,  chances are you're fighting dryness or oily skin and breakouts. Normal range is around 4.5-6.5 which mean it's a bit on the acidic side - which is good. Its good to maintain a healthy low level of acidity to fight off bacteria and other things. Baking soda, as we all know from chem class, is a base, meaning it helps neutralize acid. Baking soda's pH is around 7.5, meaning it can help lower the acidity of your skin if you use it, which is something you most likely don't want.

On top of that, baking soda is really really good at drying your skin out. Something you might not be too worried about when you're 19, but if you're up there in age, trust me, you worry about it. I've seen the same baking soda scrub idea also pinned with the suggestion of using coconut oil in place of water (again with the coconut oil!) but having tried it myself I can assure you - it will still leave your skin feeling very dry and tight, and greasy for the first hour or so. And smelling a bit like a good stir fry.

I've read a few suggestions saying to use the base pH of baking soda to help with oil production, but unfortunately for a lot of people it will have opposite effect  You see, often times your skin is oily because it's too dry. Yes, I know, that sounds crazy. But listen: your skin needs a balance of pH and oil to it. If your skin is dry from ether the products you're using, washing too much, sun, cold, living in a dry climate, etc., your skin goes into over drive. It starts producing more oil to better protect itself. And here's where a lot of people make the mistake of reaching for a deep cleansing oil-removing soap or scrub. So you just dried your skin out even more, causing your skin to produce MORE oil. You see the cycle. So the first thing you need to do if you have oily skin is to pamper and baby your skin with gentle cream based cleanser and a gentle moisturizer to see if that helps.

So there you have it. Baking soda works, kind of, but it also dries your skin and screws up your pH balance, which can cause breakouts and dry and/or oily skin. For every person you meet who swears by this, chances are you'll find a dozen more who had issues when they tried it. All in all, it's a bad idea.