A lot of talk has been bantied about the use of shea butter to prevent stretch marks – especially during pregnancy, but also during a big weight gain or weight loss, when stretch marks are most likely to form due to a stretching of the skin.
You see, when that extra weight (like the weight of a pregnant belly or typically larger pregnancy thighs) goes away, your skin tries to snap back, but is left with marks similar to how a plastic bag looks when it’s crumpled but then shaken out again.
Stetch marks often appear as a white line or discoloration in the skin, or sometimes they appear as a purplish color. They are not attractive, and that’s the reason so many women freak out about avoiding them if they are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, many by using shea butter on their bellies every day to avoid the marks when they have their child.
Men get them too though. I had a boyfriend who was 6 foot 3, and told me he went through a huge growth spurt in high school. He had stretch marks on his upper thighs, most likely from that growth spurt. Although men get them too, stretch marks are kind of a feminine concern, like cellulite which men can get too, because frankly, most men don’t care unless they are extremely noticeable!
Some women say that they have either used shea butter or cocoa butter – although I would personally use shea butter because of it’s more emollient qualities – during pregnancies and escaped with almost no stretch marks, while others claim they used it and didn’t have as good of luck.
I think the key here is getting a 100% shea butter formula, which may not come cheap because pure shea butter is a little more expensive herbal skin care product, and making sure you vigorously rub it into the area where you are expecting stretch marks, twice a day, if not three to four times a day if you remember. I think this can drastically reduce your likelihood of motherhood stretch marks!
