How I Saved My Skin During Pregnancy
"Your skin is absolutely GLOWING."
Thank you! I’ve received this comment frequently since spilling the pregnancy beans a few days ago and starting to post more on IG Stories again.
While I look happy and glowing in the photo above, what you see today is not really due to the 'pregnancy glow' at all, and very recently my skin was actually the worst it's probably ever been.
During the initial stages of the first trimester, there was no glow up whatsoever. My loving yet brutally honest Chinese parents (anyone out there with Asian parents: you feel me) mentioned it a few times. It was something along the lines of, “Your skin looks so gray. Are you feeling okay?” Well, outside of the nausea, occasional scary bleeding, extreme fatigue, brain fog like no other, oh and let’s not forget to mention the 5-6 new daily pimples on my forehead, sure, I feel great. -_-
My skin was somehow managing to look dull, red, super greasy/pimply and have dry patches, all at the same time. The skin every woman dreams of…said no woman in her right mind. My sebum production (the oil substance our sebaceous glands produce) was in overdrive, and by the end of each day, I felt like I had hundreds of new clogged pores, and some of those turned into shiny, red new pimples the next morning. I tried using some of my gentler skincare products containing ingredients such as azelaic acid and lactic acid, but my skin seemed to be too irritated and all over the place to cope with them.
As someone who usually has mostly clear skin with the exception of an occasional premenstrual zit or two, all of this was new to me and combined with all of the other symptoms and issues I was experiencing (another blog post about that coming later), it was just a bit too much to deal with. I was definitely not feeling comfortable or confident in my own skin.
I drastically cut down the number of skincare products I used and focused almost exclusively on a fragrance free moisturizer (one of many Henné creations that have yet to hit the market) and our face oils. The efficacy of the face oils were really about to be put to the test during this pregnancy on my own skin, especially Serene. I used the moisturizer and Serene morning and evening religiously for a week straight.
While I was well aware of the effectiveness of Serene on sensitive and acne prone skin from testing on various people during our formulation and trial process, I didn’t know firsthand how much of a difference it would truly make on my own hormonal skin. By the end of the week, I started seeing some seriously promising results. My skin was less red, and the dry patches were gone. The sebum production was lower, and the number of clogged pores had gone down, especially on my forehead, which was one of the biggest trouble areas.
After a few weeks of mainly focusing on this regimen and gradually using gentle exfoliators again, I finally felt like my volatile pregnancy skin had turned a corner. Sure, I was still getting more pimples than I did pre-pregnancy, but since my sebum production had gone down, so had the acne and clogged pores. There was more life to my face and complexion again. I was still struggling with some pregnancy related symptoms and scares, but thankfully my skin was no longer a cause for insecurity or concern, which gave me a tiny sliver of feeling of normalcy.
Fast forward to today. I’m on the final stretch of the second trimester, and I’ve started using Illumine a few nights a week again and also as a natural highlighter. It helps naturally brighten my skin and gives it that glazed donut look that I love, which I discovered during the first trimester looks very different from out-of-control sebum greasiness.
I have been using products with essential oils sparingly during my pregnancy so far, and I personally feel completely comfortable using Illumine as well as other products in our line that contain EOs (such as the Lip Mask and Lavender Mint) due to the low percentages present. However everyone’s skin and body react differently, so to be on the extra cautious side, I’d still recommend consulting with your doctor first before using essential oil products while pregnant or breastfeeding.
That pretty much sums up my pregnancy skin chronicles so far! I hope some of the info above will be helpful to the expectant and new moms out there. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the exact same results as I did, now more than ever, I believe in the power of the Henné face oils, and I truly believe they'll make a difference in your skin too.
Thank you! I’ve received this comment frequently since spilling the pregnancy beans a few days ago and starting to post more on IG Stories again.
Photo of the little one and I from dinner last night <3
While I look happy and glowing in the photo above, what you see today is not really due to the 'pregnancy glow' at all, and very recently my skin was actually the worst it's probably ever been.
During the initial stages of the first trimester, there was no glow up whatsoever. My loving yet brutally honest Chinese parents (anyone out there with Asian parents: you feel me) mentioned it a few times. It was something along the lines of, “Your skin looks so gray. Are you feeling okay?” Well, outside of the nausea, occasional scary bleeding, extreme fatigue, brain fog like no other, oh and let’s not forget to mention the 5-6 new daily pimples on my forehead, sure, I feel great. -_-
My skin was somehow managing to look dull, red, super greasy/pimply and have dry patches, all at the same time. The skin every woman dreams of…said no woman in her right mind. My sebum production (the oil substance our sebaceous glands produce) was in overdrive, and by the end of each day, I felt like I had hundreds of new clogged pores, and some of those turned into shiny, red new pimples the next morning. I tried using some of my gentler skincare products containing ingredients such as azelaic acid and lactic acid, but my skin seemed to be too irritated and all over the place to cope with them.
As someone who usually has mostly clear skin with the exception of an occasional premenstrual zit or two, all of this was new to me and combined with all of the other symptoms and issues I was experiencing (another blog post about that coming later), it was just a bit too much to deal with. I was definitely not feeling comfortable or confident in my own skin.
I drastically cut down the number of skincare products I used and focused almost exclusively on a fragrance free moisturizer (one of many Henné creations that have yet to hit the market) and our face oils. The efficacy of the face oils were really about to be put to the test during this pregnancy on my own skin, especially Serene. I used the moisturizer and Serene morning and evening religiously for a week straight.
While I was well aware of the effectiveness of Serene on sensitive and acne prone skin from testing on various people during our formulation and trial process, I didn’t know firsthand how much of a difference it would truly make on my own hormonal skin. By the end of the week, I started seeing some seriously promising results. My skin was less red, and the dry patches were gone. The sebum production was lower, and the number of clogged pores had gone down, especially on my forehead, which was one of the biggest trouble areas.
After a few weeks of mainly focusing on this regimen and gradually using gentle exfoliators again, I finally felt like my volatile pregnancy skin had turned a corner. Sure, I was still getting more pimples than I did pre-pregnancy, but since my sebum production had gone down, so had the acne and clogged pores. There was more life to my face and complexion again. I was still struggling with some pregnancy related symptoms and scares, but thankfully my skin was no longer a cause for insecurity or concern, which gave me a tiny sliver of feeling of normalcy.
Fast forward to today. I’m on the final stretch of the second trimester, and I’ve started using Illumine a few nights a week again and also as a natural highlighter. It helps naturally brighten my skin and gives it that glazed donut look that I love, which I discovered during the first trimester looks very different from out-of-control sebum greasiness.
I have been using products with essential oils sparingly during my pregnancy so far, and I personally feel completely comfortable using Illumine as well as other products in our line that contain EOs (such as the Lip Mask and Lavender Mint) due to the low percentages present. However everyone’s skin and body react differently, so to be on the extra cautious side, I’d still recommend consulting with your doctor first before using essential oil products while pregnant or breastfeeding.
That pretty much sums up my pregnancy skin chronicles so far! I hope some of the info above will be helpful to the expectant and new moms out there. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the exact same results as I did, now more than ever, I believe in the power of the Henné face oils, and I truly believe they'll make a difference in your skin too.
