Double Duty Pregnancy Skin Care (Part 1 of 2)

Don't you love discovering new uses for things you already have? Find out different ways The Spoiled Mama staff uses our favorite pregnancy skin care products! Do you remember that one summer when your neighbor (first-time gardener) underestimated how much fruit her tomato plants would bear? And then for two months, you were being gifted five pounds of fresh tomatoes every week? Suddenly, you're experimenting with all sorts of tomato-related recipes: fresh marinara sauce, roasted tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, salsa, tomatoes with goat cheese! Tomatoes with fresh mozzarella! Tomatoes on top of tomatoes!

What we're trying to say here, in a long-winded way, is that invention is the mother of necessity. And since we at the Spoiled Mama are blessed to be surrounded with a plethora of our own pregnancy skin care products at work and at home, we have discovered many of our favorite Spoiled Mama goodies serve dual purposes for everyday needs.

For this two-part feature, we are sharing some tricks and tips that we've picked up. Leave us a comment if you have any of your own!

Double Duty: Make the Most of Our Pregnancy Skin Care Products

1. Lucid Serum aka Moisturizing Face Mask

Our sleek Lucid Serum serves as a gentle agent that uses natural fruity acids to slough away dead skin cells (also known as melasma pregnancy) and all that other gross stuff from your face. The result is healthier, more vibrant skin that helps expectant women obtain that sometimes elusive pregnancy glow. ...But did you know that our Lucid Serum doubles as a face mask? Leave the mask on for up to four hours to deeply hydrate and freshen dry or dull skin. When you're ready, just rinse.

2. Sugar Scrub for Stretch Marks aka Moisturizing Shaving Aid aka Prickly Heat Reliever

As you know, our stretch mark scrub is a great way to exfoliate and prevent stretch marks. ....But did you know it can help you obtain a smooth, moisturizing shave? Made with organic jojoba oil and vitamin E, our sugar scrubs leave a light layer of restorative oils on your skin once it's washed off. Use this oil "residue" to help aid in a smooth shave on your legs, arms, and other body parts! 

As an added bonus, the grainy texture of the sugar that exfoliates the dead skin also helps prevent and release in-grown hairs. I hate shaving my legs so I am a fan of anything that makes this annoying process easier. I don't have to clutter up precious shower real estate with more miscellaneous beauty products, AND my skin feels doubly soft in the end.

Recently I discovered that our Sugar Scrub for Stretch Marks can also help relieve itchy rashes caused by a sun allergy, aka "prickly heat." The heat rash, commonly found in babies and toddlers, can also happen to adults -- especially those with fair skin. The first thing anyone will tell you is that scratching the itch will make it worse.

So here’s one of the home remedies for heat rash:

• Wet your body with cool or lukewarm water
• On your slightly damp skin, use a healthy application of our organic sugar scrub all over your body.
• Gently rubbing the tiny sand-like texture of the sugar into your skin will give you instant relief.
• When you're ready, rinse with cool or lukewarm water again. (Hot water will just agitate the skin.)

For this specific purpose, I recommend trying our Oatmeal Honey Almond Sugar Scrub. The larger grain of the brown sugar gives a more satisfying relief than the smaller grain of white sugar, and the oatmeal will help relieve the rash.

Check out the part 2 of our "Double Duty" feature!