Pregnancy Beauty Tips Every Mama Can Use

Pregnancy skin responds to a short routine done consistently: enough water, a gentle cleanser, a light moisturiser, shade during the day, and sleep where you can get it. Nothing on a shelf outperforms sun avoidance for pigmentation, and nothing prevents stretch marks outright.

Drink more than you think, in this heat

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests around 8 to 12 cups of water a day in pregnancy.

Singapore makes that harder than the number suggests. You sweat walking to the MRT, then sit in air-conditioning that dries you out from the other direction, and by four in the afternoon the headache you blame on hormones can simply be thirst.

Keep a bottle on the desk. It is the easiest habit on this page to keep, even if water alone does little for dry skin.

Wash your face, gently

Pregnancy acne is common, and so is the opposite problem of skin that suddenly stings at products it tolerated for years. Both do better with less.

A mild cleanser twice a day, lukewarm water, no grains and no brushes. Mama's Choice Gentle Face Wash is our own: a low-foam gel that cleans with a mild amino-acid cleanser instead of SLS, contains niacinamide, and has no added perfume. In a repeat patch test on 49 adults by SKINPROOF in Jakarta (December 2020), about two-thirds of them with sensitive skin, it showed no potential to irritate or sensitise. Our guide to choosing a face wash for your skin type covers how to judge one.

Do not pick at breakouts. Scarring from a squeezed spot outlasts the pregnancy.

Sun, because this is the equator

Melasma is one of the changes women notice most. The American Academy of Dermatology attributes it to hormonal change plus ultraviolet exposure, and only one of those is in your hands.

Singapore sits almost on the equator, so ultraviolet levels stay high year round and the sun is near overhead at midday. Cloud makes less difference than it feels like it should.

What works: shade, a wide-brimmed hat, the covered walkway rather than the open pavement, and a daily moisturiser with sun protection. Ours is Mama's Choice Daily Protection Face Moisturizer, which uses the mineral filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and is labelled SPF 20 PA++, medium protection. For a long stretch outdoors, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every two hours. Do not stay too long in the sun, even while using a sunscreen product. What does not work is a brightening serum applied under a lunchtime walk in full sun.

Our article on facial skin problems in pregnancy goes into the pigment question in more depth.

Your belly will itch

Skin stretching over a growing bump gets tight and itchy, particularly in the third trimester, and particularly in a climate where you are also sweating.

Moisturising will not stop marks forming. Genetics and the speed of stretch decide that. It does make tight, dry skin feel more comfortable, which is reason enough.

Mama's Choice Stretch Mark Cream is our moisturiser for the bump, with jojoba and olive oils, shea butter and aloe vera, made without parabens or drying alcohol. Like every cream, it has not been shown to stop marks forming; it keeps stretching skin moisturised and soft. Apply it after a shower while the skin is still slightly damp, in slow circles, which doubles as a few quiet minutes of your day.

Itching that is severe, worse at night, and concentrated on the palms and soles is different and needs a doctor promptly rather than a cream. Our piece on itchy skin during pregnancy explains why.

Hair and makeup

Hair often looks thicker during pregnancy and then sheds heavily a few months after delivery, which catches almost everyone out. That shedding is temporary and it does recover. Our article on pregnancy hair loss covers the timeline.

A shorter cut makes shedding less visible and is kinder in this humidity. Skip the heat styling if your scalp is already sweaty by the time you reach the office.

On makeup, ordinary products are fine. The category worth real caution is skin lightening, because the Health Sciences Authority has published alerts on cosmetic products found to contain undeclared mercury. Buy from Guardian, Watsons, Unity or an established retailer, and treat any cream promising dramatic whitening in a fortnight as a product to put down.

Wear clothes that fit

Nothing changes how you feel faster than trousers that close. Thin fabrics matter in this climate, so cotton and linen over anything synthetic.

Wedges beat heels for stability, and flat sandals beat both by the third trimester when your feet swell in the afternoon. Our maternity clothes guide covers what is worth buying and what to borrow.

Sleep, and the stress you can actually reduce

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least seven hours a night for adults, and pregnancy makes that harder every trimester. Reflux, hip pain, and a bladder that holds nothing all conspire.

A pillow under the bump and another behind your back helps more than most things. Side-lying with support beats any amount of rearranging on your back.

Movement helps too, timed around the heat. Early morning on the park connectors, a pool, or an air-conditioned class.

What to skip

• Retinol and other retinoids, for the duration
• Strong peels and laser work, which keep until after delivery
• Unregistered whitening creams, for the reason above
• Saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs, since raising your core temperature is best avoided
• Adding four new products in one week, so you cannot tell which one made your face sting

Pregnancy is a bad time to experiment and a good time to simplify. A handful of products, used properly for nine months, is usually all the routine you need.