Pregnancy safe skin products?

Fullhandsfullheart · April 2016

What face products are you ladies using? I know some ingredients like salicylic acid are off limits during pregnancy, but my doctor didn't give me a clean answer on which products are safe to use. I normally use olay anti aging face lotion and a st Ives exfoliating scrub, but I would think that some of those ingredients would be considered unsafe? I'm not sure what is definitely ok to use. Have any of your doctors brought this up?

rachshops · April 2016

I'll be following this thread, as I have the same question. I use cetaphil face wash and lotion because it's very mild, and some peds recommend them for babies. That said, I don't always feel like I get a real cleaning with it.

Jmccabe12210 · April 2016

Pure Haven Essentials & Juice Beauty are two great natural/organic lines that you could use. Juice Beauty can be purchased at an Ulta.

serenaxo84 · April 2016

I am following this too. I use skinmedica and prob need to stop!

DCmama4248 · April 2016

Okay, I asked my doc just this: what besides salicylic acid is a no-no? He said to avoid (and I'm probably spelling these wrong, just pulled out the notes I took during my appointment): benzoil peroxide, retinon, and retinoic acid. That said I'm 8w,4d and still am using my obagi skin care system and haven't even checked yet. Such a relaxed second time mom ;-)...but I'm going to check tonight after you gals reminded me.

lilwonder · April 2016

I would suggest checking with your OB and your esthetician. I've done both and I'm cleared to use a couple things that I would have guessed are "iffy" or out completely; SkinCeuticals LHA Cleansing Gel and Revisions Skincare DEJ Face Cream (and the Revisions eye cream, too-- I'm still using that and it's a-okay).

I did stop using my hubby's St. Ive's scrub in the shower-- I went and picked up a mild SkinCeuticals exfoliator instead. And I also use Cetaphil body wash + lotion; my OB cleared both.

ETA: Words. They're hard.

AandDM2014 · April 2016

ewg.org/skindeep, 3 or less.

anne11716 · April 2016

I use products from lush and I love them! Ocean salt, imperials moisturizer, braised honey mask, and shampoo bars!

Jmccabe12210 · April 2016

I'm an esthetician and I'm here to tell you that you could go crazy trying to find decent products to put on your body in the USA. We don't ban anything here. Europe bans over 1,300 different chemicals in their makeup/skincare products. The US bans 11. It really depends how "clean" you want to go when looking for a skincare brand.

g8rmama_16 · April 2016

If you want to go super clean and crunchy, google the oil cleansing method. I have been doing it for about 3 years and love it. It takes a while to get the ratios right for your specific skin, but it has kept my skin clear with very little effort.

BmcD2016 · April 2016

I use oil cleansing method, it's super easy and since I put it together, I know what's in it. Only problem is baby is making me break out.

Salicyc acid is ok according to my dr.

mamahazey · April 2016

I use aveeno products. I have sensitive skin and terrible breakouts since I went off birth control over a year ago. It's finally starting to clear up a little... Of course that's just for today. Tomorrow will be a different story, I'm sure.

hellopartyof5 · April 2016

I like alpha hydroxy acid. It's supposedly better for baby than salicyc acid? Who the heck knows.

Chris86Chapman · April 2016

Hey ladies just wondering if anyone knows of any inexpensive products to use for skin care? I was using proactiv but my doctor advised that it wasn't good to use while pregnant.

MissAmeliaPond · April 2016

I've been using neutrogena naturals, but I haven't done any research into whether or not it's safe - I'm just assuming it's fine. It's definitely not expensive, but it's not helping my skin be clear at all. I've noticed a sizeable uptick in blackheads, and little white head pimples on my face, neck and chest...

Not sure how much can really be done to treat the acne safely at this point. My baby book says most birth defects happen between weeks 5-10 of pregnancy, so I'm just going to thank god for concealer/makeup and put up with the yucky skin for now.

Jmccabe12210 · April 2016

I know another member mentioned this as well but the EWG app (Enviormental Working Group) is a great place to plug in a product and see the safety rating.

It will even let you know what ingredients make the product unsafe. Amazing resource.

sarajapa · April 2016

*Removed due to TOU violation*

sarajapa · April 2016

And they follow all European standards, which means we follow the rule of not using any of the over 1,300 banned chemicals. Whereas us fda has banned only 11. Organic, vegan, and leaping bunny approved ☺️

mrs_hoyahoo · April 2016

For the record, two different OBs at my practice asked at two different times said my prescription strength benzoyl peroxide wash was fine. So I'm going to keep using it once a day. They were just concerned about retinoids.

I'm also using a face scrubber (the clarisonic Mia) and I think it's making a difference this pregnancy in keeping acne at bay.

beforeyou · April 2016

I use clean and clear foaming facial cleanser and then kiehls moisturizing lotion. Neither have salicylic acid but who knows if the clean and clear stuff is actually all safe. I only use it on my face. If I find something that works for my face I have to stick with it unless I want a nasty breakout for awhile while my skin gets used to the new product. I should probably switch to something more natural.
In the shower I just use a basic moisturizing bar soap. I was using a natural shampoo but started getting dandruff and switched to head and shoulders until that gets under control.

*Question* Anyone have a good natural shampoo suggestion for dry scalp?? My hair is weird, I get a dry scalp but greasy hair. Ugh. Help!

hellopartyof5 · April 2016

@peachykeen17 last pregnancy I got dry scalp and it was awful (I also get greasy hair too... it's great). I really like the tea tree shampoo from Trader Joe's. It's cheap and gets the job done.

beforeyou · April 2016

@nauticallife good to know, thanks! I'll have to try that, cause this is getting ridiculous.

anne11716 · April 2016

@peachykeen17 try Lush shampoo bars! They are $10 and I'm obsessed! They also have a scalp treatment that I have used for dandruff and I only had to use it three times for it to get rid of the problem!

penelope4612 · April 2016

@peachykeen17 - I melt a spoonful of coconut oil in the microwave (about 30 seconds) and then rub it on my scalp. Let it sit for 20-30 mins and then wash out. It's kind of hard to wash out and might make your hair greasy the first day (so don't do it on a day where you have to go anywhere) but I can usually get away with doing this once every few months and it keeps my scalp less dry/less itchy.

beforeyou · April 2016

@anne11716 and @penelope4612 I've heard of the lush shampoo bars but have never tried, I'll have to give it a go! And I love coconut oil, never thought about using it for dry scalp. Thank you guys for the suggestions, I'm excited to see what works for me!

kg8006 · April 2016

penelope4612 said:

@peachykeen17 - I melt a spoonful of coconut oil in the microwave (about 30 seconds) and then rub it on my scalp. Let it sit for 20-30 mins and then wash out. It's kind of hard to wash out and might make your hair greasy the first day (so don't do it on a day where you have to go anywhere) but I can usually get away with doing this once every few months and it keeps my scalp less dry/less itchy.

I love Juice Beauty! And I've been using coconut oil for everything! Makeup remover, moisturizer, hair serum, cuticle softener, we put it in our food ( separate jar ), I've been rubbing it on my stomach to help prevent stretch marks...

https://yaadhustletv.com/they-said-coconut-oil-was-great-for-you-but-this-is-what-they-didnt-tell-you/

Megz1902 · April 2016

I have been using a gentle cleanser from Trader Joes or Neutragena Naturals. I also bought a Clairisonic (Mia 1). Soap alone was not seeming to help! I use lavender and tea tree oil diluted in jojoba oil as a spot treatment. So far, mostly good.

TinyAlligator · April 2016

I'm not really one of those all natural products types... lol but for mainstream, drugstore products, you're going to want to stay away from anything with retinol and salicylic acid in it. FWIW, I use Rodan + Fields stuff for my hormonal acne and it's the only acne wash I've used that doesn't have salicylic acid in it, so I was happy to not have to find a new product like I did last pregnancy. I have an ingredient list for all of the lines I would use and the only change I did was to drop my night cream because it has retinol in it. The battle against wrinkles will have to wait...

edit-spellcheck fail

Des321 · April 2016

I just realized the acne treatment gel I use on my face has benzoyl peroxide in it..is that an ingredient we're supposed to avoid?

TinyAlligator · April 2016

@Des321 as far as I know that is one that IS safe for pregnancy. Doesn't hurt to double check with your ob. My acne treatment has that in it and not salicylic acid in it

Meether · April 2016

I don't think salicylic acid is a no-no during pregnancy, I know that retinoids are. I am a skincare scientist, so I have seen the degree of absorptions for many of the OTC products. Many of these ingredients are in very small concentrations since they are topical and meant to work in the epidermis. We used to do a lot of toxicity and viability studies and anything that was killing above 0.05% would be deemed unusable at the topical level for our company. I would not follow EWG, as they base their findings on individual chemicals, and not the concentration. They are also not a true non profit, and do benefit from commercial funding.
Here is an NCBI publication on the issue:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/

Des321 · April 2016

Great info, thank you! I'm glad it's considered safe because it's the only way i can keep my acne under control at this point.

TinyAlligator · April 2016

@Meether thanks for that link!

BmcD2016 · April 2016

@Meether thank you for that info.
I've always only used salycic acid for my skin when I do use a chemical based cleanser and I've had 2 other healthy children. My doctor sent home papers that it was safe too.

maggmagoo21 · April 2016

I am a consultant with Rodan + Fields so use their skincare products. I did ask my midwife about the safety of some of the chemicals and she said, because its topical, the amounts of any of the chemicals in the products wouldn't absorb enough to cause any issues with my pregnancy or baby's development.

mrszoess · April 2016

lurking from October- I use the belli brand. they sell it on amazon and at pea in the pod. it's formulated for pregnancy

sweetlyuntied · April 2016

I use coconut oil for my skincare (moisturizer slash makeup remover), but I tend to lean in the direction of dry, sensitive skin.

Also EWG can be helpful, but take them with a grain of salt. They are excellent at data collection, but not always so great at data analysis. Take this as an example - Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is rated a 1, but its main ingredient white petrolatum (it's ONLY ingredient) is rated at a 4.

If you're curious, and you investigate further (which I have because I work in healthcare and also have no life), you can find out that the concerns with white petrolatum are usually purity related (or in cases of improper use...like eating it). So because any problems have ever been identified, it rates it as a 4. But because the name brand stuff (which is tested for purity) hasn't had any negative studies associated with it, it's rated a 1.

So. Grain of salt.

Oakleypoozles · April 2016

Ha, I was just going to mention the skindeep website. I really like that website.

Mamanatural is my favorite vlogger and she does a lot of reviews and stuff on different products. You might check her out.

For the person who asked about shampoo I like Acure. It's a very reasonable one which I love. I'm not really sure if it would be beneficial to your scalp or not. I've used Eufora before and I actually REALLY REALLY liked it BUT it is insanely expensive and it's really not as crunchy as a lot of other options.

TinyAlligator · April 2016

@maggmagoo21 r+f represent! Which regimen are you using? I'm still plugging along on my Unblemish and am shocked that I have zero acne at this point. Last pregnancy I looked like a high schooler with the terrible hormonal acne.

maggmagoo21 · April 2016

@TinyAlligator, sorry for the delay - Mobile Bumping doesn't give me my notifications. I used Reverse for about a year before my BFP and now am on Redefine. I use Unblemish wash about once a week just to keep any potential breakouts at bay. My skin has gotten more dry than anything else with this pregnancy but it could also be the change in seasons.

AmandaKess · July 2016

I've been using the Intro system from https://www.beautybioscience.com/ and from what you ladies have listed looks like I'm in the clear! Will definitely be checking with my doctor at our next visit though!

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