Stretch marks are quite common, and most people have them in varying degrees, resulting from everything from growth spurts and weight changes to pregnancy. They may appear on your abdomen, buttocks, thighs, arms, and even breasts. While some embrace them as part of life’s amazing natural body art -reflective of one’s journey, others opt to reduce the visibility of stretch marks for a more uniform skin tone.
Stretch marks usually fade on their own over time, and while there isn’t a treatment that will get rid of stretch marks completely, there are measures you can take to help reduce their appearance and texture. Essential oils are natural remedy people use to address their concerns with stretch marks. Keep in mind essential oils are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and thus it’s the buyer’s responsibility to beware of the product’s origin and contents prior to use. To avoid potential health concerns, you should only purchase oils from a manufacturer who:
- is willing to provide materials safety data sheets
- is well-known in the professional aromatherapy world
- varies the pricing of their oils according to oil type and rarity
- lists the country of origin and method of extraction at a minimum on the label
- doesn’t add synthetic ingredients to their oils
Remember, essential oils are potent and can irritate your skin, therefore, they must be diluted with a carrier oil before applying to the skin. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy recommends essential oil dilutions for adults. Some carrier oils include:
Always Start with the lowest dilution once or twice a day and slowly increase the potency of the dilution as long as adverse effects aren’t present. It’s advisable to do a patch test to check for allergic reactions prior to applying essential oils to your skin. When conducting an essential oil patch test. I hope this helps you along your natural cosmetics journey, and remember that beauty is beyond skin deep.