There were quite a few lifestyle changes that I choose to adopt while pregnant; a cleaner beauty regimen was one of them. I throughly researched what was safe to use during pregnancy, what could potentially be harmful for the baby and then promptly raided my bathroom shelves. It took quite a bit of time to research products, consult the experts and in some cases, reach out directly to the beauty brands to make sure that the product in question was totally safe for pregnancy. Having spent so much time and effort, I vowed to create this blog post to help other expecting women discover beauty products that are safe and in my opinion, work really well!
Ingredients To Avoid
There is a lengthy list of ingredients to avoid, here are some of the big ones:- Aluminum chloride hexahydrate (found in anti-perspirants)
- Beta hydroxy acids (salicylic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, trethocanic acid and tropic acid)
- Chemical sunscreens (Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, oxtinoxate, menthyl anthranilate and oxtocrylene)
- Diethanolamine (DEA) (found in hair and body products)
- Dihydroxyacetone (DHA): (found in spray self-tanners)
- Differin
- Formaldehyde (hair straightening treatments, nail polishes and eyelash glue)
- Hydroquinone
- Parabens (propyl, butyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and methyl parabens)
- Phthalates (synthetic fragrances and nail polishes)
- Retin-A
- Retinoic acid
- Retinol (Vitamin A, retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene and isotretinoin)
- Sulfates (sodium laureth sulfate)
- Toluene (found in nail polishes)
Pregnancy-Safe Beauty Products
And here is a list of beauty products that I used during my pregnancy that do not contain any of the aforementioned ingredients as of 2016. I absolutely love all of these brands and have continued using these products while breastfeeding.Face
- Facial cleanser: 100% Pure's Organic Lavender Honey Organic Facial Cleansing Foam
- Facial moisturizers: I used Acure Day Cream, Acure Night Cream and added a few drops of Josie Maran's Argan Oil when I felt that my skin needed extra moisturizing
- Eye Cream: Acure Eye Cream
- Facial Toner: Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol Free Toner in Lavendar
Makeup
I took my makeup routine down a couple of notches during my pregnancy, those precious extra minutes of sleep meant everything!
- BB Cream: Coola Natural BB Cream
- Eye Liner: I used Bare Minerals black eye shadow as a liner, just a heads up that the loose powder is a little messy
- Loose Powder: Bare Minerals Matte Foundation
- Lip Gloss: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Gloss and this 100% Pure Lip Butter
- Mascara: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara
- Concealer: RMS Beauty "Un" Cover Up
- Lip Balm: EOS Organic Lip Balm
Body
- Soap: Whole Foods Triple French Milled Soap
- Body lotion: Giovanni 2chic Brazilian Keratin and Argan Oil Ultra-Sleek Body Lotion I also really love the Tangerine and Papaya Butter version of this lotion and Earth Mama Body Butter
- Deodorant: Schmidt's Deodorant, I love their "Geranium" scented deodorant for sensitive skin
- Tummy Oil + Lotion: Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter and Oil I used both of these throughout my pregnancy and only got a couple of stretch marks in an area where my skin was very tight from a previous scar on my belly
- Sunscreen: Coola Sport SPF 50 Fresh Mango Moisturizer they also have this Baby SPF 50 Unscented Moisturizer
Hair
- Shampoo + Conditioner: Acure Organics
- Volumizing Spray: John Masters Organic Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender
- Hair Spray: Yarok Feed Your Hold Hairspray
- Detangler: Honest Co. Conditioning Detangler
Toothpaste
Nails
- Nail Polish: Zoya and Cote I'm so lucky that their bungalow is right up the street for me! I treated myself to a couple of mani/pedis towards the end of my pregnancy when I could no longer reach my toes.
- Nail Polish Remover: Zoya
Hopefully this list is useful to you! What products did you use during your pregnancy? Also let me know if there are any other products or brands that I should add to this list.
