Pregnancy Safe Skincare Routine
Yes, pregnancy-safe skincare products are a thing and while not everyone may take this into consideration (or care), I have personally always been an advocate of knowing what is good for my skin. As someone who suffered from terrible cystic acne in the past, clean and quality skincare is one of the things I care about a lot but it can be confusing to know where to start. So this post is to help you vet through your skincare products and hopefully help guide you in the right direction.
When I found out I was pregnant, the first thing I knew I had to stop using was retinol. According to Healthline: “The topical use of retinol and retinoids may contribute to high levels of vitamin A in the body. During pregnancy, this may cause serious harm to a fetus. Oral use of retinoids significantly increases this risk. Fetal retinoid syndrome (FRS) is a condition caused by taking retinoids during pregnancy." Fortunately, I wasn’t a big user of retinol to begin with so this was easy. Now it would be simple to say this brand and that brand aren’t safe, but that’s not necessarily the case.
After researching around, I found this website that has been my go-to for finding out which products within a brand are safe for me to continue using. From pregnancy skincare ingredients to avoid to a list of safe brands to use, and within those brand lists are specific products that are either safe or unsafe. For example, I love OSEA and have been using them for years but two products in their line are not considered pregnancy safe. This website alone has saved me hours of looking up every single product ingredient and I love how easy it is to navigate.
Now, I’m not the type to have a 10-step skincare routine, I don’t have the time or energy for it and I know once Baby Sole is here, my time will be much more limited. I also stopped wearing makeup altogether back in 2021, which is why how my skin looks and feels matters 10 times more to me. I recently went to get a facial at Rationale as a little birthday treat and after a double cleanse, the esthetician scanned my skin and gave me an in-depth analysis of what I actually needed and what was already working for me. Not only was this so helpful, but she also provided a detailed skincare routine (via email) after the visit. I’m going to be transparent, I didn’t purchase any of their skincare products because the ones I have are already working for me and it was a matter of which ones to use, and in what order (for me) to better my routine. So I took the ritual provided by Rationale (thanks Christine!) and adjusted it to fit with the products I love and use currently —
ESSENTIAL MORNING RITUAL
· Rinse your skin with warm water, and pat dry.
· Apply 2-3 drops of Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum, OSEA Hyaluronic Serum, and Cocokind Vitamin C over your entire face, neck, and décolletage.
· Apply a small, pearl-sized amount either OSEA Blemish Balm or Caudalie Cream Premier Cru to your entire face, neck, and décolletage.
· Apply 1-2 pipettes of Innisfree Daily UV Defense SPF onto your fingertips. Apply a thin layer over your entire face, neck, and décolletage.
ESSENTIAL EVENING RITUAL
· Massage a pearl-sized amount of CocoKind Oil to Milk Cleanser over your entire face, neck, and décolletage to thoroughly break down makeup, SPF, and debris from the day.
· Cleanse your entire face, neck, and décolletage with OSEA Cleansing Milk. Massage 1-2 pumps onto dry skin, then rinsing thoroughly.
· Apply 2-3 drops of Caudalie Facial Radiance Dark Spot Serum over your entire face, neck and décolletage.
· Apply a small, pearl-sized amount of OSEA Blemish Balm or Caudalie Cream Premier Cru or Summer Friday’s Jetlag Mask for extra hydration overnight over the entire face, neck, and décolletage.
· Finish with a tiny amount of Cocokind Revitalizing Eye Cream around the eye area.
Feel free to use the above as a foundation for your skincare routine. Thank you to Rationale for having me in and treating this mama to a much-needed facial!