Pregnancy Belly Care Cream

Rapha Elements Pregnancy Belly Care Cream can help support your skin through your pregnancy journey by aiding greater elasticity and retention of moisture.

All of the ingredients for the belly cream were chosen for skin elasticity, scar repair and prevention, and tightening and toning.

The essential oil blends are for helping to aid the skin with the great demands placed on it and relieving any itch from skin stretching.

Switching to the after baby cream provides more healing and tightening and removes the itch relieving peppermint from the equation for those sensitive with their milk supply. Note: not everyone’s supply is affected by peppermint and it can be a helpful tool in cases of mastitis, but precaution and awareness is good.

Flaxseed oil Benefits to the skin
Antioxidants help protect the skin from environmental stressors. Flaxseed’s natural oils are known to help with oily skin and clogged pores. The fatty acids in flaxseed help to tone, tighten, firm and plump the skin back to a more youthful appearance.

Castor oil is high in fatty acids that can penetrate deep into scar tissue, encouraging the healthy growth of other skin cells.

Most of the benefits of castor oil come from the high amount of Vitamin E in the seed. But there’s more to the story: Castor oil also contains other compounds that work to promote healthy skin.
In fact, a few studies suggest that it may work more effectively than retinol, the gold standard in scar treatment. Some believe that it’s the combination of Vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants that makes castor oil such a powerful ingredient.

Fatty acids and carotenoids in avocado oil may inhibit collagen breakdown, while antioxidants protect the skin from environmental factors. These ingredients work together to help maintain firmer, tighter skin.

Avocado oil is an emollient – it increases moisture levels in the skin, making it softer and smoother. The ingredients in avocado oil that improve hydration include:
* Vitamin E
* Vitamin A
* Fatty acids
* Potassium
* Lecithin

Cocoa is rich in antioxidants that can reduce inflammation and protect the skin from damage. Considered an occlusive, one of cocoa butter’s most notable benefits is its ability to protect and moisturize skin. Occlusives block water loss from the skin by creating a barrier to help lock in moisture and keep the skin feeling soft and smooth. Another benefit of cocoa butter is its ability to improve skin elasticity and firmness. This is due to its high levels of phytosterols, which are plant-based compounds that have been shown to boost collagen production and improve skin elasticity.