A New Post Partum You!

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite products that I use on my skin and hair. A lot of folks worry about their post partum body and look. I know I did. Especially moms with Autoimmune Diseases such as colitis/crohn’s that don’t allow you to work out as much as you like. It’s so hard sometimes to understand and accept your post baby body with stretch marks, new hips, soft bellies and larger or sometimes smaller boobs! Well, I’m here to tell you that you will not have your pre baby body. You just won’t. Which is okay!! You just gave another human being life! You’re body is a beautiful life giver… at least that’s how I look at it. So you just have to work with what you got.

Before I had my ileostomy bag I use to scrub scrub scrub my skin and then oil it down everyday. I used exfoliating gloves and salt AND shea butter scrubs to buff the skin on my stomach, back, butt and legs. Now that I have my ileostomy bag, I can’t scrub my entire stomach, but once my reversal happens, I’ll be right back to it! However the legs and everything else still gets a nice scrub down. Before I had my baby I always used Oil (olive oil or Burt’s Bees), Eucerin lotion and Vitamin E mixed together. Now I’ve started using Mederma Stretch Mark cream on my stretch marks and Mederma Scar Gel on my C-Section scar and any other little scars I may have gotten and they seem to work. After those are rubbed in I use Vitamin E, Bio Oil, Olive Oil, Eucerin Lotion and The Body Shop’s Olive Oil Body Butter. I’m sure that sounds like a lot but between having a baby and having colitis, my skin has been drier than normal. You can mix all these things up in a separate bottle and shake for daily use. You may think that Olive oil will have  strong smell, so don’t use as much. In fact you don’t really need to use a lot, but it is a great moisturizer for your skin. I don’t use anything other than plain lotion or sunscreen for my face. Because my breakouts around my cycle will leave dark spots, I will use tea tree to treat the breakouts and then bio oil to help the color of the skin. Now if you have an ostomy pouch, then you can’t really use all that stuff around the site. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of your skin can be soft and healthy. Just be aware of getting to close to your flange and making that skin oily.  I also love love love Bliss Spa products. They have a great body butter in a great flavors that truly keeps your skin moisturized, but not feeling trapped under a layer of heavy oil. They also have a great product to use after you shave or wax to help kill those ingrown hairs. It’s great for men as well, especially men who get painful hair bumps on their face after shaving. Some of the bumb solution products tend to dry out your skin and these won’t. Try them out!

With a mom as a hairstylist, my list of haircare products evolve as the science and research on hair does. When she tries stuff, I get to as well. My mom isn’t a trendy person, she’s just always looking to stay on top of the best product for your hair at that time in your life and where hair products stand. I’m not a hairstylist by no means, but there are certain things she has used on me in the past that I’ve loved. Again it all depends on where my hair is at the moment, but you get the idea! Two brands I’ve always love is Paul Mitchell and Aveda. And now that I wear my hair more short wash and wear my products have changed from pomades and brylcream. I use a lot of different Paul Mitchell products but I love love love their Tea Tree line with Lavender and Lemon. I use the shampoo, conditioner, the straight Tea Tree Oil and the body soap. Paul Mitchell has always been all natural and they are a great company to support so I use them quite often. I also use the  Paul Mitchell Apple scented Super Sculpt as well as the Aveda Confixor gel. They both smell REALLY great AND they are kid friendly. I also use a Leave in Conditioner. Especially when my hair is longer and I also use it on my son. For Leave Ins I like Mixed Chicks and Wen. Now like I said my mom is a hairstylist, NOT me. God knows it’s a miracle that anything comes out right when I pick up a comb! I’m just sharing some of the products and have used and love and continue to use. I mean I like shopping at H&M and Gap…doesn’t make me a fashion person, I just like shopping there! That disclaimer is more so for my mother , the hair guru, so she doesn’t think I’m stepping on her toes. What you don’t want to do is offend your only hairstylist…especially if said hairstylist is your mother! And if said mommy hairstylist is one of the best in the city and you get your hair done for free. I’m just sayin’!

Now as far as smell goods go, I like to change it up a bit. Sometimes I’ll use a gardenia oil, or a lavender oil or my personal favorite is Michael Kors fragrance. However I know too many women around me that wear that exact scent so I’ve gone back to my top two favorites which are Kai Fragrances and Amazing Grace by Philosophy. These fragrances are different from one another, but they are clean and warm all at the same time. They also both have lotion and body wash. And Kai has a roll on oil and a sponge exfoliating/soap product that is great! One of the things I love about Kai is that is was created by a woman who is local here in Los Angeles and she along with Wen has supported one of my favorite charities, The HollyRod Foundation in the past. Also Kai & Paul Mitchell were very big supporters of my personal project, The MYD House Program (Now The HoneyBrooke Project) which is a sustainable afterschool house in New Orleans I was working on with Hill Harper. So they are not only great products, but some are local, philanthropic businesses. As far as where you can get these items try Target, Drugstore.com or your local beauty supply.

So there you have it. I know it’s hard after having that baby. There is so much going on with you and things you need to figure out that it’s hard to give yourself a little love and credit. Listen, don’t stress! You’re gorgeous and a giver of life! Work with what you got, stay healthy and enjoy your family! Control the things you can control and let go of the things you can’t. Change your clothes and your fragrance, buy some new lip gloss and you’ll feel like a whole new woman. You don’t need to be the pre-pregnancy you, just find a new post pregnancy you!