Pregnancy and puberty are common causes of stretch marks. © Shutterstock.
You have lost weight, congrats! But sudden weight gain or weight loss can give you stretch marks. These ugly marks may dampen your celebration of weight loss or gain. Pregnancy and puberty are also common cause of stretch marks.
Chemical-laden beauty treatments come along with their own sets of side-effects, besides pinching your pocket. Instead go for natural products, which are also cheaper and safer. Here are 5 effective home remedies to reduce and lighten your stretch marks.
One study revealed that retinoids may help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Vitamin A is a retinoid. So, eating certain foods, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, may help increase your vitamin A levels. Which in turn can contribute to your skin's health and overall appearance.
Aloe vera is both a natural healing agent and a skin softener. Apply fresh aloe vera gel on your stretch marks. Leave on for 20-30 minutes and rinse it off with tepid water. Do it daily and you will the marks reducing gradually.
A popular home remedy for skin health, cocoa butter also helps in reducing stretch marks. Apply it on the affected areas and leave it overnight. If you're pregnant, start using it from now. And continue even after pregnancy. Doing so will remove your stretch marks completely.
A sugar scrub will exfoliate the skin and lighten your stretch marks. Take one cup sugar, 1/4 cup of almond oil or coconut oil, and some lemon juice. Mix them all. Rub the mixture on the stretch marks for 8-10 minutes before taking shower. Do this several times a week.
Studies have found that coconut oil can heal skin wounds quickly. Apply virgin coconut oil on the part of your body where the stretch marks are daily. This will help reduce the red appearance.
Lemon juice will help heal and reduce scars, while cucumber juice will soothe the skin. Mix equal quantities of lime juice and cucumber juice and apply the mixture on the affected areas. Leave it till it gets soaked up by the skin. Rinse it off using warm water.
