i love love love olive oil, not stretch marks

Many pregnant women worry about stretch marks-I was one of them. Am I going to be prone to them? Are they genetic? What can I do to prevent them? If I get them, will they go away? These were just a few of the questions I had swimming about in my head. Like many, I started to search the internet, ask friends, and even asked my doctor about the topic of stretch marks. After doing a lot of research, I realized that I was not going to be able to completely prevent them from happening to me if that was in my deck of cards, but I would try to minimize them.

Women tend to develop stretch marks when they gain a lot of weight rapidly or simply they have a genetic predisposition to stretch marks. Then there are the lucky few who never develop stretch marks at all. During pregnancy, many women notice stretch marks on their stomach area, hips, thighs, and breasts. This is quite common because the skin is stretching very quickly to accommodate the baby and the milk stored in the breasts.

Once I started my search, I found there were many products on the market that claim to stop stretch marks from occurring. I soon realized a lot of the products found in drug stores do not have enough of each ingredient to actually make a difference. I then started searching for an all-natural solution - not to solve the problem - but maybe help me have better odds. Through a few friends, the internet, and talking to a few health care providers, I decided that using olive oil on my skin was the best option to help minimize stretch marks.

Olives are one of the richest sources of vitamins A, D and E, along with other essential nutrients and have potent antioxidant properties. You can drink the oil or massage it into your skin. If you apply it to the affected area, it will function as a softening agent or it makes an excellent product together with Aloe Vera.

Each night before I go to sleep, I rub my hips, thighs, and abdomen gently using extra virgin olive oil. You do not need a lot of oil, just a small amount. This helps to improve blood circulation and minimize stretch marks. I was worried about it being sticky and staining my clothes, but once I rub it in and wait a few minutes the olive oil soaks right in and does not rub off onto my clothing, and there is no odor either. I have also pushed myself to drinks lots of water because it not only is supposed to prevent stretch marks, but it helps to flush out toxins and improves the look and feel of your skin.

I know there are so many products out there and it seems like everyone and their friend has a different opinion on the subject, but this seemed to work the best for me. It made my skin soft, I never had an itchy stomach from my skin stretching, it was a lot less expensive to buy olive oil than to purchase several different products from the pharmacy, and it is an all-natural alternative. I liked the fact that I knew what I was putting onto my body - as I have said before, if I don't know how to pronounce the ingredient, then I probably shouldn't be putting it on my body. I plan on using it after giving birth as well because our bodies are still changing so rapidly.

This is not a solution for everyone but for you women out there looking for something besides cocoa-butter and all the other fancy products out there.. give olive oil a try!