Simple & Effective Skin Care Routine For Moms-To-Be

Pregnancy changes so many things—but who would have thought it could bring dry skin, sensitivity, and sudden breakouts too? With so many skincare ingredients and products off-limits, taking care of your skin during pregnancy can feel like a challenge. But that doesn’t mean you have to completely give up on your skin care routine and just let nature take its course (because let’s be honest, that can get rough!).

So, in this blog, we’ve put together a simple, pregnancy-safe skin care routine that expectant moms can follow—without worrying about harming their developing baby. 

Let’s get started.

Step By Step Morning Skin Care Routine For Moms-To-Be

To start your day feeling and looking fresh, you can try to include the following into your routine:1

1. Cleanser

This is the first step for any skin care routine. The build-up of dust, sweat and germs overnight must be thoroughly cleansed before starting your day. Use lukewarm water and a pregnancy-safe cleanser that’s specially formulated, keeping your skincare needs in mind.²

2. Toner

This is the next step after cleansing your face. A toner preps your skin better for what’s applied next to it. In addition, it promises to make your pores appear smaller and deliver hydration. But before picking a toner during pregnancy, remember to steer clear of alcohol-based formulations and opt for toxin-free brands.⁴

3. Eye Cream

Your eyes are the most sensitive part of your face as the skin around your eyes is relatively thinner and more fragile.³ Moreover, eyes are dead giveaways for all that you’ve been through—the fatigue, the sleepless nights and the emotional outbursts. But regular use of a high-quality eye cream or serum can not just improve your dark circles but also give you brighter, more youthful-looking eyes.

4. Face Serum

Serums are concentrated solutions of active ingredients specially formulated to deeply nourish and protect your skin from within. But if you’re pregnant you have to be careful about picking one that’s free from toxins and harsh chemicals and is potent enough to address the common pregnancy concerns such as hyperpigmentation and skin dryness.⁵

5. Moisturiser

Moisturisers help moisten the skin and keep it soft. Regular use of a moisturiser is the secret to more youthful-looking skin, as it provides a barrier against water loss, reduces fine lines, and smoothens and hydrates skin. Keeping your skin properly moisturised during pregnancy can also help it stretch better and reduce the formation of stretch marks.⁶

6. Sunscreen

During pregnancy, your skin becomes extra sensitive to the sun’s rays. That’s why it becomes very important to shield it against the sun when stepping out. While physical protection such as a hat or gloves can come in handy, using a pregnancy-safe sunscreen is highly recommended. This is also important because unprotected sun exposure can make your melasma (pregnancy-related hyperpigmentation) worse.⁷

Step By Step Night-Time Skin Care Routine For Moms-To-Be

During the nighttime, you can follow the same skincare routine with a few tweaks. So here’s the plan you can stick to before you go to bed:

1. Makeup Remover

Before going to bed, always ensure to remove any kind of makeup. Leaving makeup overnight can lead to clogged pores, invite germs and cause many kinds of skin issues such as acne. To do so, you can use baby oil or a mixture of natural oils such as castor oil, olive oil and Aloe vera.⁸

2. Cleanser

If you haven’t been wearing any makeup you can skip the first step and directly start with a cleanser. It’s a crucial step for healthy skin as your skin stays exposed to a variety of environmental pollutants, dust and germs during the entire day.²

3. Toner

Before applying a serum or a moisturiser, you can apply a water-based toner to help balance the pH and improve the hydration of your skin.⁴

4. Eye Serum

As your eyes prepare to relax for a good night's sleep, you can supercharge them with a gentle eye cream. This can help you wake up with more hydrated and brighter-looking eyes.³

5. Face Serum

Ending the day with a few drops of a good quality serum made of natural ingredients can help you achieve a radiant complexion, even during pregnancy.⁵

6. Moisturiser

If you want to wake up with plump-looking, dewy skin, then you must make it a habit to religiously apply a moisturiser before going to bed.⁶

How To Customize Your Skin Care Routine 

To make your skin care routine more effective, you can customise it—depending on both your skin type and the type of skincare concerns affecting you. Let’s explore each one in detail below:

Based on your skin type:

You might have different skin types such as:

• Oily Skin: If your skin appears more shiny, especially around the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) then you most likely have oily skin. It’s characterised by enlarged pores and excess sebum production. Oily skin is more prone to blackheads, whiteheads and acne. Women with oily skin must practice double cleansing using a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip your face of natural oils.^{9 10}
• Dry Skin: Suffering from rough and flaky skin that feels tight? Then you might have a dry skin type. Such skin is also more prone to sensitivity and eczema. So you need to keep it properly moisturised using a heavy-duty moisturiser after regular intervals. Even better, use one that promises to deliver hydration for long hours.⁹
• Normal Skin: This is the best skin type in which the skin is neither too oily nor too dry. Those of you with normal skin have a smooth texture and good elasticity. They also face very few skin issues. But this doesn’t mean you should let go of your regular skincare practices.⁹

Based On Your Skincare Concern:

Here’s a list of skincare concerns that often bother women, especially during pregnancy:

• Acne: The hormonal changes during pregnancy may cause your skin to break out more often. There could be blackheads, whiteheads or pimples here and there. But with the right skin care tips and by modifying your skincare routine accordingly, you can easily ace your way to clear skin. This is also where you can try to include a pregnancy-safe acne-clarifying serum to deal with the breakouts.¹¹
• Sensitivity: Pregnancy makes your skin extra sensitive. This means it can easily get itchy, irritated or inflamed. And you have to be extremely careful about the products you use during this time. Not only can harsh, chemical-laden skincare products cause potential harm to your baby, but they can also irritate your skin further.¹²
• Large Pores: Women with oily skin frequently battle the condition where their skin pores appear enlarged on the face. And the hormonal changes during pregnancy exacerbate the condition. Large pores cause excess sebum production which may further lead to acne. So for those of you facing this problem, the best advice would be to look for products that are labeled oil-free and non-comedogenic. It’s also important to follow appropriate sun protection measures.^{13 14}
• Hyperpigmentation: Dark spots or areas of hyperpigmentation are very common during pregnancy. But what makes them worse is unprotected sun exposure and even poor skin care. Certain cleansers or harsh soaps can make these dark patches worse. So it’s important to be selective about what you want to apply on your face.¹⁵ You can opt for AreoVeda’s Skin Brightening Serum which is pregnancy-safe and especially formulated with Bakuchiol, CryoGold and other natural skin brightening ingredients.
• Sun Damage: As mentioned earlier, pregnancy makes your skin more sensitive. And that means it can get easily damaged with less than usual sun exposure. So the best practice here would be to cover up and use a pregnancy-safe sunscreen whenever stepping out. If you get a sunburn, you can treat it with some cold packs and moisturisers.^{16 7}

Summing Up

Pregnancy can bring up some unwanted skin concerns. But a good skin care routine can help address these problems in a jiffy. While picking out products for your pregnancy skincare, it is of utmost importance that you look for pregnancy-safe, gentle and toxin-free products. 

And that’s what makes AreoVeda a trusted choice for all expectant mothers. At AreoVeda, we don’t just make tall claims about our products being gentle and toxin-free, but we also have the necessary certifications to back them up. AreoVeda is India’s 1st skincare brand to be EWG-verified, ECOCERT-certified and cellularly proven to be safe and effective. To know more about it, Check out our website. 

FAQs

Can I Do Skincare During Pregnancy?

Yes. It’s all the more important to take care of your skin during pregnancy using pregnancy-safe skincare products.

Which Is A Pregnancy-Safe Skincare Brand?

AreoVeda is a pregnancy-safe skincare brand certified by the EWG and ECOCERT to be safe, natural and effective for pregnant women.

How To Take Care Of Dark Spots During Pregnancy?

You can follow a good pregnancy skincare routine that includes regular cleansing and moisturisation, and top it up with a pregnancy-safe skin brightening serum containing natural ingredients like Bakuchiol, licorice, etc to take care of your dark spots during pregnancy.¹⁵ Moreover, steer clear of sun exposure and wear an SPF as the sun’s rays can worsen your dark spots.