Grump with a Bump: coconut oil

Friday, 13 December 2013

Belly itch

After having a good scratch I like to look at my belly in the mirror and imagine Ham is trying to claw his way out alien style. These are the things that amuse me.

But belly itch is not really amusing; it's annoying. All pregnant women get it to varying degrees. Even Michelle Heaton asked for tips on twitter. Celebrities: they're just like us.

As I said in my post about stretch marks: I've tried several different products: Palmers, Bio Oil, Burt's Bee's. They all work just fine. However. What has worked best for me to soothe the itch is either putting coconut oil straight on my belly or using some homemade whipped body butter. Here's my recipe:

1 cup coconut oil (solid)

1 teaspoon vitamin E

A few drops eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil

Put it all in a bowl and whip for 7-10 minutes. I add the essential oil to make it smell nice and the eucalyptus/mint has a lovely cooling effect. If you have very sensitive skin it might be better to go fragrance free. Coconut oil smells good on its own anyways.

Remaginedbydara

***If you get belly itch so bad that it keeps you up at night then talk to your midwife or GP to be safe***

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Monday, 18 November 2013

Practical hippie: Homemade deoderant

People always think I am, well, a bit strange when they find out that I make my own deodorant. My sisters in law definitely think I'm slightly mental.
To me, it just makes sense. I was unhappy with the results of the products I was buying at the pharmacy, so I tried making my own. I won't say it works better than the brand names, but it works just as well and with so many added perks. I get to decided what it smells like, the consistency, and what goes into it. I'm not a health nut but I don't want to put aluminum chloride on the skin right next to my breasts when I am breast feeding.
I got the recipe I use from Keeper of the Home. She's clever, and has worked it out so you can put it in an old deodorant container for easy application. I didn't have any of those so I just put it on like a lotion every day. I ordered most of the ingredients off Amazon and have included links.