Itchy skin during your pregnancy? Discover our tips!

Your skin changes during pregnancy. Not only are the hormones raging through your body, which has an impact on your skin, but your belly is also growing. The stretching of the skin can sometimes be accompanied by itching. No matter how special the process of belly growth is, itching does not make any expecting mom happy. We feel the same about that. Hence: tips for itching during pregnancy!

What causes itching when you are pregnant?

• The stretching of the skin. If the skin stretches too quickly, it can become dry.

• The improved blood circulation in the skin. You will heat up more quickly and start to sweat, which results in itching.

• PUPPP, or Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. These are red, itchy bumps often spread all over your body except your face. Harmless to you and the baby, but unpleasant.

• Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP). This is a liver disease in which the transportation of bile in the liver is too slow. This can cause bile acids to leak into the blood, which can cause itching, particularly during the last three months of pregnancy. Especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet*. * Consult your GP for advice 

Advice for itchy skin during pregnancy

You don't want to hear this one, but we'll say it anyway: try not to scratch. Don't. This will only make the itching worse.

Keep your nails short. If you can't control yourself, at least don't scratch your skin.

Keep your hydration level up. Drink at least 1.5 litres of water. If water is boring, add some flavour with cucumber and mint or lime. Herbal tea is also allowed, but beware: some herbs are best avoided during pregnancy. Did you know that there are apps to remind you to drink water? 

Avoid aggressive foaming products in the shower. Many soap and shower products contain SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), a rather harsh foaming agent meant to quickly dissolve sebum and dirt. If your skin is already quite dry, this can result in irritation of the skin. Use a shower product made with natural ingredients and without SLES or, our tip: the Milky Bath Oil (Naïf baby). You can use this bath oil just as easily in the shower. 

Keep it smooth: Hydrate! In this special process, you want your body to do its job as well as possible. So we want to support the natural process, preventively if possible. To make sure you can enjoy your pregnancy carefree, we created the Naïf Pregnancy Line. A Soothing Pregnancy Belly Balm for the skin care of the belly, based on sheabutter and the Pregnancy Body Oil.

Wear soft, natural fabrics. You don't want to sweat any more, you don't want to itch any more. You want to be kind to your skin, so it will be kind to you. Avoid itchy jumpers and synthetic tops made of acrylic and polyester. Soft, natural fabrics that you can wear on your skin are organic cotton, linen, hemp, silk and/or lyocell. We love the clothing of Palaver, for example. Also check out the website of Project Cece.

Detergent and fabric softener. Yes, you may not have seen this one coming, but many people with itchy skin or skin irritation benefit from switching to a natural detergent. Detergent soaks into your clothes, which you wear on your body for about 24 hours. Certain ingredients such as Formaldehyde and aggressive perfumes can already irritate your skin. Fine brands that you can use are Seepje and Ecover. Also great for washing baby clothes, by the way.

Breathable bedding. If you're doing well, you're in your bed for roughly 7-8 hours each night. At night your skin recovers, you can sweat profusely and bacteria will multiply. So choose skin-friendly, breathable bedding materials. And wash it with a friendly detergent, of course ;) Tips for fine (and sustainable) bedding: Yumeko, VanMorgen and Crisp Sheets.

In the end, it's a natural process that you have to trust. The only thing you can do is support your body as much as possible. Do you have any tips that should not be missing from this list? Get in touch with us through email or phone. You've got this!