By: Lee Phillips
Beauty routines do a 360 when you have another life to consider. Suddenly, experimenting with new ingredients, remedies, and elixirs invites more risk than just temporarily messing up your face. From pregnancy to postpartum, there’s a whole list of things that suddenly come with warning signs: sushi, nail polish, wet paint, kitty litter… It’s natural to rethink your routines after you’ve had a baby, and skincare is no exception. Finding postpartum ingredients that you don’t have to worry about means you can give your attention to what really matters: connecting with your new child. So, instead of filling the internet with another *fear-mongering* article, here are six postpartum safe ingredients you can, and deserve to, have fun with.
French Maritime Pine Bark Extract
No, this isn’t a mythical creature from Harry Potter, but its origin story could be. Along the coast of southwest France, in the forests that dwell there, there's a super fancy and rare tree called the French Maritime pine tree. It’s harvested for its bark, which, when consumed in supplement form, is clinically proven to be effective in lightening melasma (which commonly occurs in pregnancy due to hormonal changes), as well as all types of hyperpigmentation. Oligopin also deeply hydrates and is superbly high in antioxidants, which encourages healthy collagen and vitamin E production.
Grape Seed
Grape Seed for skin has been long practiced and for good reason, thanks to one of it’s handy molecular components, proanthocyanidin. That long and strange looking word is a type of super antioxidants that destroy harmful free radicals in your cells. Studies show that proanthocyanidin is twenty times more potent than our beloved vitamin c. proanthocyanidin also bonds with collagen, which gives it the ability to plump and firm.
Vitamin E
What does Vitamin E NOT do?! Her squad of 8 compounds called *tocopherols* prevent UV damage by literally absorbing radio waves of light. In skin health, the strength of your skin barrier is everything! It keeps the good stuff, like hydration, in and the bad stuff, like free radicals, out. Vitamin E combats dry and dull skin by strengthening the skin barrier from the inside out. On top of everything, she’s an antioxidant just like grape seed and oligopin, which means Vitamin E has an anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperpigmentation, pro healthy collagen production effect—the works!
French Maritime Pine Bark Extract, grape seed and vitamin E – three antioxidants that are like a giant bear hug for your skin and totally safe for postpartum folks! ZitSticka’s BLUR POTION is a skin-specific supplement containing all three of these ingredients to even skin texture and fade melasma, among many other things. The fact that it’s a supplement is special, too! When ingested, antioxidants do more than just neutralize free radicals on the surface of your skin. They aid in reducing swelling, preventing infections, and strengthening your immune system.
Probiotics
Let’s talk about Flora! Not peonies or tulips, but your gut flora, literally trillions of tiny organisms that exist inside you and help you digest nutrients. Inside your microbiome are kind bacteria and mean bacteria, and probiotics can balance out overgrowths, which have been shown to lead to acne. But that’s not all folks! Low PH levels on the surface of your skin makes it easier for your skin cells to fight off bad bacteria that causes acne as well as free radicals and pathogens. Probiotics also help lower the PH levels of your skin by increasing lactic acid production.
Zinc
In addition to helping your cells grow at a healthy rate, and boosting your immune system, zinc regulates oil activity and can minimize the *appearance* of oversized pores (remember! Pore size is genetic, and can never be shrunken) and blackheads that are associated with oily skin. Because zinc is anti-inflammatory and helps your immune system, it aids in regenerating skin, and is a great postpartum-safe ingredient for zapping old zits that might be overstaying their welcome.
Omega 3
Mmm... those good ol’ fatty acids. Found in foods like salmon, avocado and nuts, omega 3s calm your body's anti-inflammatory response to excess sebum and bacteria while also working to regulate acne causing hormones. Even those who haven’t just had a baby will benefit handsomely from omega 3s in their diet. Unfortunately, most pregnant people don’t get to reap the skin care benefits of omega 3, because the best kinds are found in marine life, and there’s a (valid) fear of mercury consumption. But, now that you're postpartum you can begin to look for healthy and safe ways to get your much needed dose of omega 3, and replenish those reservoirs.
Good news—SKIN DISCIPLINE is a skin care supplement packed with sustainably sourced fish oil to give you all your omega 3 needs. You guessed it, she’s also got the good vitamin E and probiotics that you need to take your postpartum skin care routine to the next level. Just like BLUR POTION, SKIN DISCIPLINE is a supplement—not a topical—which means that more than just your skin will be rewarded. Speaking of rewards, congratulations, new parent! You’re absolutely killing it.
Btw, you want to SWERVE away from certain ingredients...even if you're not preggo. Click here to learn more on this from an actual acne specialist!
Title image via Pinterest
