Best Stretch Mark Cream for a Stretch Mark Free Pregnancy (99.0% Natural)

Did you know that 90% of pregnant women will get stretch marks? However, I was one of the lucky 10% who didn’t get stretch marks thanks to an amazing stretch mark cream. I know that you’re wondering what the best stretch mark cream is to help you prevent stretch marks so that your post-baby belly looks as amazing as it did before. That’s why you should definitely check out this post.

Because in this post I am sharing with you the one stretch mark cream that helped me to completely eliminate my stretch marks and honestly, felt sexy in my skin while pregnant. And I know that you’re not feeling too sexy right now and you’re worried about whether growing a baby inside your belly will leave you with stretch marks because I was worried too.

Obviously, I can’t guarantee that you will see the same results, as it will also depend on your skin type and a few other factors I discuss below. But before you think my skin is perfect, I have to disappoint you.

It would be nice to have perfect skin, wouldn’t it?

But unfortunately, my skin isn’t that pretty at all because I suffer from spider veins and bruises easily (so easily, it’s ridiculous).

Therefore, I was worried about my skin and confidence during the nine months of pregnancy because I didn’t want more visible marks on my sensitive skin. And I was totally taken aback that I did not develop any stretch marks during my pregnancy, AT ALL.

Since I am not a medical professional, I have to add a disclaimer that I am only sharing my personal experience with you. But the responsibility to seek medical advice and ensure the products are suitable for your medical conditions rests with you, ok mommy?

However, let’s get back to what you came here for.

Because I would like to share with you a belly butter I found accidentally that was so incredibly nourishing that I was able to grow my baby bump without even the slightest stretch mark appearing (which was amazing considering my sensitive skin).

In order to prove it to you, here are some photos of my bump during my pregnancy. Those photos are real and have not been retouched in any way by me.

I took them with my old iPhone 6 without any filters.

You might be skeptical about whether body butter can really prevent stretch marks from forming on your baby bump. And I totally get it, I was also skeptical at first, thinking that the term “stretch mark cream” was nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

However, I was WRONG because it is a scientific fact that stretch mark creams are effective. 

To be entirely honest, I don’t even remember thinking about buying stretch mark cream for myself when I was pregnant.

I just assumed that all pregnant women get stretch marks.

The only time I thought about it was when my belly suddenly shifted forward and I thought to myself in the mirror “Wow, I am definitely pregnant now”. 

Fortunately, I got a gift once my belly started to really noticeably stretch around 24 weeks (that would be your second trimester).

Thanks to this one stretch mark cream, I managed to go through my pregnancy without any stretch marks at all!

Nevertheless, whether you will also be able to go stretch mark free or not depends on a number of factors, such as your genes, hereditary characteristics, connective tissues, collagen production, skin tone, skin elasticity, and muscle mass.

Because of this, I want to explain to you what stretch marks are and why they form so you can understand which key ingredient you should definitely look for in stretch mark creams (and which you don’t).

So, let’s start off with this important question, are you ready?

What are stretch marks and why do they appear?

This might be hard to hear, but stretch marks are actually scars on the skin. Stretch marks occur when your skin suddenly stretches, much more abruptly than usual, which is what happens during pregnancy, from the second trimester onward until you give birth.

Stretch marks form in the second layer of your skin epidermis in your connective skin tissue. When your skin doesn’t stretch well, your connective skin tissue rips and then scars. And those scars become visible as stretch marks on your skin.

That means, the key to avoiding stretch marks, according to science (and also based on my own experience), is to increase your skin’s elasticity so that your skin can stretch MORE during pregnancy.

When do stretch marks start?

Stretch marks can start forming as soon as your belly starts stretching, which usually happens from your second trimester onwards all the way until you go into labor (which is usually in your third trimester).

That means that until you give birth to your new bubs, your growing belly will stretch your connective skin tissue, putting massive pressure on your skin’s layers. How many stretch marks you’ll get, or if any, and how quickly, depends on your skin elasticity and your skin type as different skin types stretch differently.

However, you’re more likely to develop stretch marks in the last 3 months of your pregnancy as the skin on your belly goes through a massive growth spurt causing it to stretch way more than ever before to make room for your growing baby (I know, it’s exciting but also a bit scary at the same time).

How to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy

Besides topical creams, there are a few other things you can try to prevent stretch marks from happening, so here they are.

1. Control your weight. One of the most helpful things you can do to prevent stretch marks when you’re pregnant is to maintain a healthy weight. Try to avoid rapid weight gain as this will force your skin to stretch faster.
2. Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water, even more than before you fell pregnant.
3. Eat a nutrient-rich diet even though you feel like eating chocolate all the time (or is it just me?).
4. Include vitamin C in your diet which is good for your skin’s elasticity.
5. Soak up some vitamin D to help prevent stretch marks. Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties, which help skin heal better. but don’t forget to wear sunscreen when you’re out in the sun.
6. Eat foods rich in zinc, like eggs, nuts, and chickpeas, which speeds up wound healing.
7. Use a good anti-stretch mark cream or natural belly butter to improve your skin’s elasticity and help your skin stretch without tearing.

To be honest with you, I only did the one thing on that list: staying hydrated as I was super thirsty during my pregnancy. Other than that, I didn’t try to eat healthily and pretty much lived off of chocolate and cake (every day, haha). However, I only gained 10kg during my pregnancy and I used a stretch mark cream as well.

When to start using stretch mark cream during pregnancy

You should start using stretch mark cream around the 4-5 month mark when your belly begins to really grow and your skin starts to stretch.

That means, the moment you start to notice your skin stretching, itching, or showing the first signs of stretch marks, you should start using an anti-stretch mark cream.

Personally, I started adding belly butter to my daily routine at about 5 months of pregnancy.

But if you feel like your belly is growing fast quickly, don’t wait!

If your bump shows earlier than 5 months and you have a tight feeling in your skin, start applying a nourishing cream much sooner to avoid getting stretch marks. 

Because, in my opinion, preventing stretch marks is easier than stretch mark removal afterward.

Ingredients to look for in a stretch mark cream to prevent stretch marks

The good news is, that stretch marks can be prevented with almost natural ingredients only, which is perfect when you’re carrying a little human inside you. And the main ingredients you should look for in cream are:

• Shea butter
• Coconut oil
• Argan oil
• Jojoba butter
• Jojoba oil
• Aloe vera
• Organic ingredients in general

To treat old stretch marks, you can use olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, or coconut oil. But since I never had any, to begin with, I’ve not tested these methods.

Ingredients to avoid in stretch mark creams

Although you might think that the more vitamins you take the better, there are a few vitamins you should avoid while pregnant. This includes vitamin A.

Vitamin A is linked to birth defects. Therefore, you should avoid Vitamin A in both food and skincare products (Retinol), since creams get absorbed directly into the bloodstream and passed on to bubs. Also avoid eating Vitamin A-rich foods such as liver and pate, cod liver oil, sweet potatoes, and carrots as they contain large amounts of Vitamin A.

You also want to stay clear of mineral oil and artificial fragrances.

The best cream for stretch marks

As I mentioned, I got a jar of this stretch mark cream as a gift, and, hallelujah, has it changed my life.

And it’s hard to describe, but it felt as if this cream helped my skin stretch easier. And it just made my skin 10x more elastic.

During my second and third trimesters, I was looking forward to using the cream every day and it became part of my daily self-love routine to pamper my growing baby bump with it.

Not only has it helped me stay completely stretch mark free but it just made me feel sexier and my skin was glowing. And I couldn’t get enough of touching my belly and stroking my little bubba.

And mommy, I can’t stress enough how important it is to feel like a million dollars during your pregnancy. Because when you’re happy, your bubs is happy too (and probably your hubby as well, haha).

And that miracle anti-stretch mark cream, as I call it, is Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.

99.0% natural ingredients

If you’re anything like me, you might be extremely cautious about what you put on your skin when you’re pregnant. I know because using personal care products with fragrances made me extremely paranoid.

Prior to becoming pregnant, I used to love body lotions and creams that smelled nice as well as wearing my favorite perfume. However, after becoming pregnant, I got scared of putting heavy scents on my body because I didn’t want them to be absorbed and passed on to my unborn baby. In fact, I even became hesitant to use a deodorant roller for fear that it might harm my baby (crazy, I know!).

Thus, I really liked the fact that this belly butter is 99.0% natural, which means it’s made from natural ingredients that are safe to use during pregnancy, and, additionally, it’s fragrance-free.

However, I don’t find it completely fragrance-free. It still smells a little bit sweet and a tiny bit coconutty, which I personally love. But of course, it might smell totally different to you, so please don’t get mad at me if you disagree. I am just trying to describe to you what it smells of for me.

But the best thing is that even if you have sensitive skin, then this cream might be right for you, as it was absolutely safe for my sensitive skin.

Burt’s Bees formula contains a combination of key ingredients:

• Cocoa
• Shea butter
• Jojoba butter
• Vitamin E (this is really the key ingredient you need)

Vitamin E is key to helping your skin prevent stretch marks because it helps your skin stretch rather than tear and scar (which is how stretch marks occur).

The natural ingredients in this amazing belly butter helped boost my skin’s elasticity so that it didn’t tear and scars when my baby bump really started to grow.

As I mentioned earlier, these key ingredients will make your belly feel ultra-soft and elastic before your new arrival. After your new arrival is here, this belly butter will even help your belly to bounce back in shape as well. But most importantly, those ingredients help your skin stretch naturally so that your skin doesn’t develop stretch marks as it stretches (or at least that’s what it did for me).

And the other thing I like about this belly butter is that it doesn’t contain Parabens, Phthalates (which are preservatives that stick to your skin), Petroleum, or SLS (which stands for Sodium lauryl sulphate and creates foam).

This means this cream it’s completely safe for pregnancy.

Pros:

• It’s 99.0% natural and only uses ingredients that are safe during pregnancy
• Contains Vitamin E (which is the key ingredient to look for)
• Helps your skin recover after you give birth by supporting your skin’s collagen production, making it a great option during and after your pregnancy for your wallet also
• Made in the USA
• Not tested on animals
• It’s a larger jar than most other creams on the market (185 g) which means you get better value for your money 
• No parabens, Phthalates, Petroleum, or SLS
• Fragrance-free

Cons:

• Rubs off if you use too much, which is normal for natural products

Honestly, I can’t say anything bad about the product.

I felt that this rich belly butter blend gave my growing belly exactly what it needed, without knowing what my skin needed if that makes sense.

The key to preventing stretch marks in the first place is to nourish and moisturize your skin so much that your skin literally doesn’t need to stretch.

The second trimester using this belly butter

Here are some photos I took after using this belly cream for over 3 months during my pregnancy. I’ve noticed such a difference in my skin.

My skin feels:

• ELASTIC (my skin around my belly was 10x times more elastic and I just felt incredibly comfortable in my own skin. It felt as if this cream helped my belly grow easier, which completely avoided my skin from stretching.)
• Nourished
• Smooth
• Soft
• Healthy
• GLOWING like crazy!

Even other mom friends complimented me on how healthy and glowing my belly looked and how smooth it feels.

But I would say what stood out for me the most is how incredibly elastic and smooth my skin became compared to the skin on my arm or legs where I only used normal body lotion. Instead of itchy skin, it left my skin so soft that I couldn’t get enough of stroking over my bump (I wish you could feel how soft my skin felt). I truly believe that applying this belly butter daily helped my skin stretch without getting any marks.

The third trimester using this belly butter

This is what my baby bump looked like during my third trimester. I’ve been using this belly butter for 3 months and my skin is incredibly elastic and smooth (no filter).

Itchy Skin

Itchy skin during pregnancy is a sign that your skin is stretching.

So if you haven’t experienced an itchy baby bump yet then I hope it stays like this for you for as long as possible. Because honestly, my itchy skin was so annoying that it nearly drove me insane. The beginning of my second trimester was the worst when I was scratching my belly the most.

But this belly butter relieved it instantly and stopped my skin from being itchy.

And I read many reviews of women saying how much they loved that this belly butter stopped their skin from itching. So, if your skin tends to get itchy easily then this belly butter may relieve the itchiness. Because the more your skin stretches, the itchier it gets.

How much belly butter do you need?

A jar of this belly butter goes a long way because you’ll need very little (and mind you, this jar is much bigger than other jars). Start off by using a small dollop on your finger and gently rub it onto your belly. Add more if you need to but don’t use too much as excess cream that doesn’t get absorbed might rub off.

Why I bought a second jar in week 38

After using the cream daily, sometimes multiple times, I had gone for 3 months with my first tub of this magic belly butter. And I was confident one tub was going to get me over the finish line. But at week 38 I had run out and had no sign of labor yet.

Because of the price, I was hesitant to buy another tub, even though I knew it would make a massive difference to my skin.

But I wanted to buy other things on my baby list before my baby’s arrival and investing in my skin didn’t seem as important at first.

At the end of the day, I decided my skin was worth it and so I bought myself a second jar.

So if you’re wondering too whether your budget allows you to splurge out on something for yourself then maybe ask your partner or friends for an early baby gift?

Because you absolutely deserve to look and feel your best while you’re growing a baby inside your belly. I’m a huge believer that feeling confident in your skin is the most attractive attribute you can have.

If you use it every day, like me, then one belly butter jar will approximately last around 3 months, depending on the size of your baby bump and how much you use.

At first, I only used it on my belly. But as I’m getting closer to giving birth I started using it on my breasts, back, hips, and bottom, and yes, even to soften my perineum (which is something I started looking into as I was getting closer to delivering my baby. Due to Corona there were no birth preparation classes and I basically had to YouTube everything myself).

Here’s a recommendation of how many tummy butter jars you’ll need:

If you’ve got more than 6 months to go, you’ll need 2-3 jars.

If you’ve got more than 4 months to go, you’ll need 1 to 2 jars.

If you’ve got more than 3 months to go, you’ll need 1 to 2 jars.

If you’ve got less than 2 months to go, you’ll need 1 jar.

If you’ve got less than 1 month to go, you’ll need 1 jar.

If you order more than 1 jar you’ll get free shipping even. To see if you qualify click here.

But what if you don’t want to buy it for yourself. Maybe your partner can support you with a thoughtful gift?

Mums to be gifts

Whether you’re a mum-to-be and are looking for a way to pamper and honor yourself. Maybe you want to step up your self-love routine during your pregnancy or are looking for the perfect gift for your bestie, mum-to-be, partner, or friend? This is the best stretch mark cream present you can buy that will her want to thank you every day.

But don’t just take my word for it. You can read more independent reviews of happy mums and mums-to-be customers here.

Top stretch mark creams

But I thought I also leave you with a few other options if you, for some reason, don’t think that Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter is right for you. So here is a list of the best stretch mark creams according to other moms:

• Bio Oil Skincare Oil
• Palmer’s Cocoa Butter
• Evereden Nourishing Stretch Mark Cream
• TriLASTIN Maternity Stretch Mark Prevention Cream (AMAZON’s choice)
• Mederma stretch marks therapy

Which cream is best to remove stretch marks?

In my opinion, it’s easier to prevent them from happening than to try to get rid of them afterward.

Closing thoughts on Best stretch mark cream to prevent stretch-mark free during pregnancy (99.0% natural)

And to finish my post I just want to say that there’s nothing wrong with stretch marks either. Most women love their “battle scars” or “tiger patterns” that remind us of the time we were pregnant. Honestly, I don’t think I would have minded if I would have gotten them. But thanks to this amazing gift my partner gave me I didn’t get any and that’s why I wanted to write this review for you if you are freaking out or are worried about developing stretch marks and would like to know what you can do to avoid stretch marks altogether.

What I love about this belly butter is that you can use it while you’re pregnant but also after you have your baby as it will help your skin bounce back as well. Our bodies are amazing and it amazes me what we, women, can do.

There are so many things outside of your control when you’re pregnant, but there are some things you can do to feel a little sexier, healthier, and more in control by giving your bump the best care.

The best way to prevent stretch marks is to use the right product early on in your pregnancy. 

And in my opinion, it’s the best stretch mark prevention cream you can get your hands on. And it’s 99% natural, which I love. And it’s one of the best-sold creams ever with over 23.000 reviews on Amazon and 4.8 ratings. I don’t get paid to write this review but I am hoping that it’s been helpful to you.

Wishing you all the best for your growing baby bump!

What is your experience with stretch marks? Would love to hear your comments or experience in the comments below.