Are you a mom who struggles with melasma? I know a lot of moms do. Like most things, there are often more natural/toxin-free treatments to help cure our everyday problems. What about melasma?
Struggling with Melasma? 4 Simple, Natural, and Non Toxic Tips to Prevent and Treat Discoloration that Often Comes with Pregnancy and Hormone Imbalance
So what is Melasma?
Melasma, also sometimes called pregnancy mask, is a harmless coloration of the skin that appears as brown patches, or patches of freckles. It's caused by an overproduction of cells that change the color of the skin. It’s totally harmless, but it can be annoying, right? A lot of people don't necessarily love the look of melasma.
What causes melasma and is there anything you can do about it?
Of course there is! You know I always have solutions for you! Melasma has 3 main causes and I have some tips on what you can do to prevent and minimize the appearance.
The Sun- Are you surprised? We all know that the sun causes skin damage and sun spots, so it is definitely a melasma culprit.
The solution here is simple: protect yourself from sun damage. Wear a hat, take a break in the shade, but most importantly, wear sunscreen. Especially on your face which gets the most sun exposure during the day. Apply a good SPF 30 facial sunscreen every day.
I never miss a day applying my Crunchi Sunlight SPF 30. It’s non-nano zinc oxide and toxin- free. Plus, it doesn’t leave that white cast like other zinc sunscreens. You can find it here: www.detoxbydesigninsiders.com.
Hormones out of whack?- This is the other major cause of melasma. Hence the name “pregnancy mask” because it often shows up during pregnancy when your hormones are going through major changes; or from birth control or hormone replacement therapy. If you have melasma and you’re not pregnant or on birth control or hormone replacement therapy, ask yourself, ‘what else could be affecting my hormonal balance?’
What are you eating? You want to make sure you're cleaning up your diet, that you're eating super clean, you're not having GMO foods and eating real, whole foods. You know it’s a whole food when it doesn’t need an ingredient label!
What products are you using? Have you detoxed your laundry and cleaning routines? For example laundry - We wear our clothes all day, sleep in our sheets all night. It’s important to make sure that there aren't chemicals, like those pretty laundry fragrances, that often contain endocrine disruptors and are in contact with our skin all day and night.
Don’t Forget about your skincare and makeup too!- I can’t tell you the number of times people are surprised that their skincare and makeup often contain ingredients that mess with the hormone system.
Personal care and beauty products are often full of endocrine disruptors and in many cases we use them every single day. When we put them on our skin, our largest organ, many are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
The good news! There ARE toxin-free options out there. You can still feel confident and beautiful with toxin-free skincare and makeup and empowered too, knowing what you’re wearing is actually safe for your health.
I created a partnership with Crunchi because I know that they really are toxin-free and aren’t greenwashing me. They are committed to removing toxins from their products and from the cosmetics industry as a whole. (And if you’ve ever thought about sharing about the importance of toxin-free living like I do, then let’s chat!)
Try a home remedy- Once you're sure you’ve detoxed your home, diet, and skin care, try this simple tip my friend shared with me.
Take a little baking soda in a dish, slice a lemon in half. Dip the cut side into the baking soda and scrub your face with the lemon dipped baking soda. It’s a natural facial scrub that really brightens the skin!
Listen, I know that I’m not a dermatologist, just a tenacious finder of information. But I really hope you found this helpful if you're struggling with melasma.
I would love to hear how this episode impacted you or even help you find toxin-free skin care and make-up products. Shoot me a message on instagram @themeganmikkelsen. I’d love to help!
