Overall Health

5 Natural Ingredients to Use During Pregnancy

While pregnant or breastfeeding, it becomes especially important to be mindful of what goes in and on your body. Studies have shown that common chemicals in everyday personal care products, such as shampoo, makeup and moisturizers, are associated with developmental, reproductive and behavioral disorders, hormone disruption and cancer. Nine Naturals believes in creating products that are not only high-performing, but also completely safe and natural. Some of our favorite natural ingredients include:

VITAMIN E: Isolated from vegetable oils, Vitamin E is an important vitamin required for the proper function of many organs and an antioxidant, meaning it helps to slow down processes that damage cells. This is important for pregnant women because it can help prevent complications in late pregnancy due to high blood pressure, PMS, painful periods, hot flashes associated with breast cancer, and breast cysts. The moisturizing properties of Vitamin E for skin is well known but it also does wonders for your hair! When ingested or applied topically on hair, Vitamin E is effective for hair growth by improving blood circulation in the scalp, prevent premature greying by slowing down the overall aging process, giving hair a lustrous shine by promoting natural strength and shine, and preventing split ends by countering damage done by heat. Find Vitamin E used in all Nine Naturals products.

ARGAN OIL: Not all women get pregnancy glow. Some often experience dry skin, especially around the belly, breasts, and hips as the skin swells and grows. High in vitamin E, antioxidants, and linolenic acid, argan oil is a super-effective moisturizer that has been shown to prevent and treat stretch marks by maintaining elasticity and preventing moisture-loss. On top of improving your body’s immunity to diseases such as breast and colorectal cancer, argan oil is good for treating under eye circles, burns, wrinkles, brittle nails, arthritis, and rheumatism pain. Argan oil in Nine Naturals Mandarin + Ginger Restorative Conditioner gives lackluster postpartum hair a boost by adding shine and hydrating roots.

BROCCOLI SEED OIL: Broccoli seed oil is high in vitamin C, Vitamin B, and erucic acid, which is a light oil composed of many different omega-9 and omega-6 oils. This means that it helps eliminate free radicals that can contribute to cancer, prevent hair loss while promoting thicker healthier hair, and soothe redness and inflammation. Best part? Broccoli seed oil is a natural substitute for silicone--often found in cosmetic products, particularly in leave-on skincare and haircare products, such as Nine Naturals Vanilla + Geranium Regenerative Belly Butter. This natural emollient hydrates hair and skin without leaving a greasy film and adds a protective layer that traps in moisture, and keeping skin and hair hydrated all day long!

CAPUAÇU BUTTER: Found in the rain forests of South America, Cupuacu butter has a natural hazelnut aroma, is rich in phytosterols, polyphenols, and fatty acids, and is a good natural substitute for lanolin. This means that it can be used to effectively treat dry, damaged skin, combat free radicals in tissues, and protect and moisturize skin. Treating skin with cupuacu butter also allows skin to attract 240% more water, fight inflammation, and improve elasticity--making it the perfect ingredient for stretch-mark fighting belly butters! Plus, it also absorbs UV rays, adding natural sun protection. This is why Nine Naturals uses cupuacu butter in its Unscented Moisturizing Body Cream.

COCONUT OIL: Coconut oil, used in all Nine Naturals products, is a fatty acid that is easily metabolized by the body, making it an excellent replacement for butter and oils, and helps regulate blood sugar levels while providing stable energy. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, much-needed lauric, caprylic, and capric acid in coconut oil passes from mother to child. These acids are known to have antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasiticidal properties that support immune system in mommy and baby. On skin, this holy grail ingredient prevents stretch marks and alleviates itchiness on belly and breasts.It’s also a natural, moisturizing, and gentle cleanser. Use to remove makeup from skin, tame frizzy hair, and soothe cracked lips.

Adding these simple and natural ingredients to your beauty routine will go a long way in helping detoxify your pregnancy. Read labels carefully and opt for brands that provide full ingredient transparency. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database is also great place to get more information about companies with high safety ratings.

Mascara is often filled with harmful chemicals, such as parabens, and potential carcinogens such as petroleum and tar. These toxic ingredients have adverse effects on not only your eyelashes, but also your overall health (studies have linked these chemicals to cancer and birth defects). In mascara, these chemicals can also have negative beauty effects by hindering lash growth and causing lashes to fall out!

Fortunately, using these toxins aren’t necessary to achieve the beauty results you want. At Nine Naturals, we only believe in using all-natural and organic ingredients, instead of harmful chemicals, to enhance your natural beauty and our new addition to the Covet Shop--Honeybee Gardens' Truly Natural Mascara--is no exception. Here are some of the all-natural and non-toxic ingredients that make this mascara a moisturizing, nourishing, and water-resistant must-have in your makeup routine!

SAW PALMETTO: The oil obtained by cold extraction of Saw Palmetto berries is used to promote hair growth. In Truly Natural Mascara, this ingredient nourishes eyelashes while helping them grow long and lusciously, giving you naturally mesmerizing lashes!

CARNAUBA WAX: Almost completely exclusive to Brazil, the oil extracted from Carnauba Palm leaves is dried into a wax that is used in the Truly Natural Mascara. It is a natural thickener that doesn't clog pores, ensuring a smooth application for silky lashes. But it gets better! This mascara also softens lashes at the same time, leaving your eyelashes voluminous and clump-free!

AVOCADO BUTTER: Rich in vitamins, proteins, and fats, avocado butter is the perfect ingredient for natural mascara. This holy grail moisturizer is high in powerful antioxidants that not only hydrate lashes but also keeps them soft even after makeup removal. That’s why we also put avocado oil in our Nine Naturals Citrus + Geranium Soothing Body Wash.

In the case of Honeybee Gardens’ Truly Natural Mascara, quality is not sacrificed for purity. All-natural cosmetics not only keep your body healthier for you and your baby, they also effectively nourish lashes to help you look your best before, during, and after application. So embrace it--all-day silky eyelashes with natural volume and length!

How your emotions affect the baby in your belly

Article & Photo courtesy of Well Rounded NY

Just as what we eat transforms into nourishment for the child growing in our womb, what we think and feel can become part of our developing baby. As a practitioner of Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM), I am trained to see how our emotional state affects every aspect of our lives—and, when we are pregnant this is no different. In fact, from a TOM perspective, when we are pregnant, emotions not only affect our health and wellness, they affect the health and wellness of the baby growing inside our belly. There are the negative emotions like fear, sadness, anxiety and just general worry. And then there are the positive emotions of courage, peace, ease and joy. They all affect both you and baby positively or negatively.

In TOM theory, every organ in our body not only has a physiological function, but an emotional one as well. For instance, the positive emotional states of courage and will enhance and support the organ of the kidney, and the emotions of joy, love and peace affect the organ of the heart. So, when these emotions are experienced it is seen as not only supporting the proper function of the organs they correlate to but that these organs are in good health because their emotional states are balanced.

Similarly, the negative emotion of fear impairs the function of the kidney, just as anxiety and lack of joy negatively affect the function of the heart. When it comes to pregnancy all of the organs are important but the heart and the kidney are of most importance as these organs both have a direct line of communication with the uterus.

In TOM anatomy there are energetic channels—one running directly from the kidney to the uterus and one that runs directly from the heart to the uterus. In this vein, it is seen that the negative emotional states of these organs—namely, fear and anxiety have quite a negative impact of the emotional state of your child in utero.

In TOM, this is taken so seriously that women are told to not even watch scary movies or be around arguments or stressful events. They are only to be around joyous, happy and peaceful situations. I know that’s not always realistic in today’s world, as life happens. But we can take caution in protecting our pregnant selves from too much of these negative emotions because the emotions we experience on a daily, even moment-to-moment, basis, are penetrating our baby and becoming part of their emotional framework.

The biggest message I give to my patients (and that I try to embrace myself, as I am currently pregnant too!) is that we need to focus on joy and love in our lives. Do it not only for your own health and wellness, but for that of baby’s. Here are some easy ways to do this on a daily basis:

1. Practice gratitude. Each morning, upon waking, list 5 things (either write them down or just go over them in your head) that you are grateful for. A focus on gratitude shifts your focus from worry or stress to love and joy.
2. Meditate. Even if for only a few minutes each day. Doing this calms your nerves and baby’s too. This not only feels good for you but I’d venture to say it will create a more calm child (perhaps one that sleeps through the night from the beginning!).
3. Laugh as much as you can. Surround yourself with lighthearted friends, or read or watch something that makes you chuckle. Laughter sends waves of joy right from your heart to your uterus.
4. Make someone else happy. It is said that the best way to get more joy in your life is to make someone else happy. So do a good deed and fill your heart with love and feel that love warmly wrapping around your baby.
5. Be healthy selfish. Being selfish is often seen as being self centered or egotistical. However, I think being selfish can really benefit our health, especially when we’re pregnant. Not only do we now have to conserve more of our energy (because so much of it is going to baby) but we should be protective of our emotional energy. Avoid friends or family members that are draining or dramatic. Avoid watching the news or fear inducing television. Exercise healthy boundaries and say no to anything that doesn’t feel good.

Practicing these lifestyle tips will not only keep your health optimal but your emotional state happy and joyful. And, when you are feeling more joy that bliss is traveling from your heart right into your uterus and nourishing your growing baby with love and joy. Whether this makes sense to you or not, it can’t hurt, and who doesn’t want a loving and joyful baby?

This article is by Aimee Raupp, courtesy of Well Rounded NY. Conceived with love by former magazine editors Jessica Pallay and Kaity Velez, Well Rounded NY aims to be the singular pregnancy resource for city-savvy moms-to-be. Through reviews, profiles, expert Q&As, local guides and more, Well Rounded curates the New York City pregnancy and helps its readers come to terms – and term! – with pregnancy in the city.

Whether it's finishing a project, stocking up on diapers, or redecorating a home, women today have a lot going on. Sometimes we have the luxury of escaping to a tropical paradise, and other times, all we can squeeze in is an impromptu, at-home, spa session. Luckily for us, certain natural and pleasant aromas have been proven to help improve cognition, mood, and overall health as well as relieve stress and nausea. With the exception of certain oils (such as jasmine, rose, safe and more), essential oils are safe for use during pregnancy when used sparingly and in a diluted concentration.

Here are our top natural stress relieving scents that are safe for expecting mothers:

1. Geranium

Geranium’s gentle floral scent has been known to have soothing and relaxing effects on the body and to uplifting effects on mood. That's why we love our Citrus + Geranium Body Wash and Vanilla + Geranium Belly Butter. If you're feeling irritable or like you're in a never-ending cycle of work, then geraniums may just become your new best friend.

2. Chamomile

In addition to reducing stress, this sweet and fruity smelling flower has also helped some with insomnia and muscle tension. In fact, over the past 2000 years, Chamomile has been used to as a natural treatment for pregnancy nausea. Try applying chamomile straight to your skin or drinking it in tea!

3. Citrus

Citrus fruit essential oils are good for aromatherapy and anti-bacterial purposes. Especially during pregnancy, citrus fruit help fight nausea and fatigue by increasing energy and improving your mood. With so many benefits, we couldn't help but incorporate citrus in most of Nine Natural's’ haircare and bodycare product fragrances. Our Citrus + Mint Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner, Mandarin + Ginger Restorative Conditioner, and Citrus + Geranium Body Wash provide an uplifting shower experience when you’re feeling tired. Create an uplifting experience right in your shower!

4. Sandalwood

Extracted from the heartwood of the evergreen tree, sandalwood oil has a sweet and woodsy scent. Besides reducing anxiety, sandalwood has been known to help with insomnia and improve overall sleep quality. For sleepless nights during pregnancy, this scent can really come in handy!

5. Peppermint

Peppermint has a cool and distinctively fresh feel and scent. The minty fragrance is known to relieve nausea and fight fatigue. Topically, peppermint oil hydrates the skin by encouraging natural oil production. For an invigorating pick-me-up, we use peppermint oil in our Nourishing Shampoo and Nourishing Conditioner.

With so many safe and effective ways to help us not only feel good but smell good, there's no excuse for not introducing one--or all!--of these golden aromas into your beauty and wellness repertoires. At Nine Naturals, we created unique, proprietary blends of 100% natural essential oil fragrances that not only smell amazing but are also beneficial to women during pregnancy. No need to head to the spa when your home shower is already steaming with mandarin and geraniums!