Mother Care: Skin Rituals & Resources for Every Stage of Motherhood

A beautiful day for expressing gratitude for the unwavering support, love, and the guidance that shapes us from our moms and motherly figures, Mother’s Day holds a deep well of emotions. 

From overflowing joy to a sense of sadness and bittersweet yearning, especially for those women whose motherhood journey has not come to fruition along the timeline they hoped for, the profound spectrum of emotions surrounding motherhood are ones we want to acknowledge and honor this Mother’s Day. 

Whatever emotions bubble up for you on this day, we see you, dear friend and are sending love and light your way. 

In the spirit of sharing, I compiled this post packed with resources as a dedication to all mothers, current and hopeful, as well as a resource hub for women on the beautiful and sometimes challenging road to becoming a mother.

A Tribute to Motherhood

Firstly, to all the mothers out there, your influence is immeasurable – the ripple effects of your cascading out far and wide. 

Whether you have given birth or not, the motherly roles in our community share a common bond in nurturing life, be it our children, nature, or the other facets of our worlds. 

Amidst the trials and triumphs, the sleepless nights and the indescribable beauty of watching our little ones grow alongside our businesses, your role is pivotal, and your strength, commendable.

In case you haven’t heard it lately, or nearly enough, you are an incredible mother, and you are deserving of dedicated time for self-care. We hope you’ll find a wellspring of inspiration as you carve out time for a more enhanced skin ritual to celebrate your motherhood journey in mind, body, and spirit. 

Let’s dive in! 


MIND 

One of the first things you do when intentionally embarking on a motherhood journey is to consume information, and there’s no lack of it to consume, which can be both a blessing and a burden. 


I found that the best way to filter through it was rather than search results, turn to tried-and-true recommendations. If you find that’s the route for you, too, these are the books and films I found to be share-worthy. 


Books

 

Films

  • The Milky Way Documentary - “The Milky Way is a documentary exposé from two renowned lactation consultants about breastfeeding in the United States, where Americans have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.

  • Why not home - “Join Jessicca Moore, filmmaker and nurse practitioner, on a compelling journey through maternity care in the United States. Told through the lens of doctors, nurses, and midwives, Why Not Home? examines the latest evidence on risks and rewards of different birth settings.”
  • MicroBirth, a film about the Microbiome and Birth - “Exploring the latest science about the ‘seeding and feeding’ of a baby’s microbiome during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. The film features scientists behind the ground-breaking research that reveals the critical role of mothers’ microbes for optimal training of the infant immune system and lifelong health.”

BODY

From intentionally preparing the body to become pregnant to postpartum, breastfeeding, and beyond, our hormonal shift as mothers can send our bodies and skin for quite the rollercoaster ride. 

Supporting yourself with the aid of supplements and skin rituals that reinfuse elements diminishing during our hormonal shifts will help to replenish your body, nourish your skin, and provide a boost in keeping your spirits high. 

 

Pre- & Postnatal Supplements*:

- Liposomal C - This antioxidant rich blend aids collagen synthesis and combats oxidative stress, helping to support a healthy immune system by helping to form red blood vessels and protect against free radicals. 

- Liposomal A - Keeps bones strong, promotes clear skin, maintains vision and moistens eyes, strengthens immune health. I took Liposomal A on a regular basis as it was recommended by my healthcare team and I felt confident in the benefits, although taking vitamin A (or anything for that matter) while being pregnant is a deeply personal choice. Please talk to your health team and make the decision that resonates with your plan. 

- Glucosamine Sulfate - Used by the body to make other chemicals that build tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the fluid that surrounds joints. Joints are cushioned by the fluid and cartilage around them. Taking glucosamine can help increase the cartilage and fluid around joints and/or help prevent their breakdown

- Magnesium Glycinate - Beneficial for every body in every stage, Magnesium supplementation is particularly beneficial in pre- and post-natal women as it aids in sleep, supports bone health, eases muscle cramping, and has mood-boosting properties

- Electrolytes - Restoring fluid balance and pH levels are crucial for proper nerve and muscle function, especially during pregnancy when your body is under continuous stress (and stretch). I loved the LMNT brand of electrolytes, particularly the chocolate flavor, which was a good way to fulfill one of my cravings into a healthy beverage.


Post natal herbal tea for uterine & lactation support: 

Herbal remedies are one of the most ancient forms of medicinal healing, when searching for natural uterine and lactation support you can easily add into your day, look no further than teas (extra points for healing + hydration!)

Herbs such as Crampbark, Motherwort, Alfalfa, Rosehips, Nettle, Fenugreek, Oat straw, Lemon balm, Fennel, Red raspberry leaf, Blue cohosh are all ones to look for in your pre- and post-natal herbal blends*.

Please make sure to do your research on which herbs to utilize when some herbs should not be consumed until third trimester or post-birth due to their influence in uterine toning.

 

Movement

Maintaining consistent physical activities and exercise not only maintains your health throughout the TTC process and throughout pregnancy, but can also play a role in the positioning of your baby before birth, ensuring that they make their way into a head down and face back position for optimal birthing position. 

I loved these workouts and activities from Spinning Babies that promote optimal fetal positioning as well as aiming for a goal of 10K steps per day (most days I only hit 8K, but aim high!). It's equally good for mental health as it is for building and maintaining stamina for birthing. 


Recommended skincare products (more details on sacred skincare rituals below in the “Spirit” section of this guide ✨): 

  • Gentle Cream Cleanser - With a nutrient-packed formulation featuring Vitamin B5 and a potent redness- and puff-reducing peptide blend as the stars, our Herbal Cream Cleanser gently cleanses, hydrates, brightens and revitalizes all skin types.
  • La Vie En Rose Replenishing Water - With a few mists of our La Vie En Rose Replenishing Water, not only will your complexion perk up like parched petals that have finally gotten a big drink of water, leaving your skin dewy and luminous, but you’ll also feel an instant energetic shift and wave of calm wash over your senses. 
  • Squalane Pro-Healing Plant Medicine Serum - With pro-healing and barrier-strengthening ingredients including squalene, aloe, and Gotu Kola, just to name a few, the Squalane Pro-Healing Plant Medicine Serum combines the best of nature’s defensive and restorative properties to help your skin barrier heal as well as lock in hydration that immediately delivers a supple glowing complexion. 
  • Healing Cream Moisturizer -  Crafted to harness the botanical prowess of pro-healing and mega-soothing ingredients such as Arnica and CBD, our Healing Cream works overtime to hydrate and nourish even the most dry and irritated skin, and it’s also amazing for healing stretch marks as it increases collagen production and improves skin's strength.
  • Hyaluronic Body Crème - Harnessing the power of various weights of Hyaluronic Acid, fatty acid lipids and moisture-quenching ingredients, bind water to the skin to intracellularly hydrate.
  • It’s also worth noting that a product I put on a sacred pause until the fourth trimester was the Blue Moon Overnight Sleeping Mask - I opted to add our Squalane Pro-Healing Plant Medicine Serum into my P.M. routine for additional skin nourishment.*

Postpartum Muscle Recovery


The unique FaceFyt Microcurrent device helps tone and exercise facial muscles, encourage product absorption, and improves microcirculation. 

Reducing the appearance of wrinkles and revitalizing the skin with microcurrent and EMS (electrical muscle stimulation), using the FaceFyt Microcurrent results in younger and visibly tighter looking skin. 

For the best results, a series of 6 treatments is recommended, no longer than 3 weeks apart.
Click here to get our Facefyt microcurrent body protocol.  


*Disclaimer: Every body and situation is different, ensure you check with your wellness, healthcare, or maternal health provider before starting any new supplement or movement to ensure it’s safe for you.

 

SPIRIT 

Sacred Skincare Rituals 

While skincare is obviously an outward method of self-care, at Herbal Skin Solutions, we believe that making your skincare a sacred ritual enhances and elevates the experience so that it becomes a spirit healing and nurturing practice as well. 

These are the specific sacred skincare rituals I practiced during pregnancy that acted as a salve for my skin and spirit when hormones and feelings were rapidly shifting. 

  • Cryotherapy with our cold globes! - The elevated blood volumes during pregnancy lead to feeling hot all the time along with the hormone surge causing breakouts (this happened for me in the first trimester). In addition to decreasing inflammation during those breakouts, our cryo globes felt amazing for naturally contouring the face and jaw line and we’re even helpful for reducing inflammation when I developed mastitis during pregnancy (the cryo globes stay cold for the full 20 minutes needed to rotate between applying and removing cold compresses).
  • I’ve had melasma since I started my cycle as a teenager and it’s always been manageable with brightening ingredients, SPF, and quarterly micro-needling treatments. During the pregnancy-induced hormone surge, I noticed my melasma getting much more noticeable and decided to microneedle at 0.25mm. I healed well and the melasma was temporarily suppressed, but only for a short time. Since the results were not long-lived, I would not recommend micro-needling to correct the appearance of melasma until after the fourth trimester. Instead, regular nano-infusion with skin brightening ingredients (I chose our Vitamin C+ Enhancement Serum cocktailed with our EGF Cellular Activator Serum) on a monthly basis, helped me notice an all-over healthy glow.
  • Moisturizing - Something I have used for years in my daily A.M. ritual and bathed my body in during pregnancy is Centella Asiatica for its powerful and wonderous benefits in reducing scarring & photoaging! Our Healing Cream (daily + post care safe moisturizer) is dense in lipids, the same substance that compose cell walls, that have penetrating properties that give them the ability to carry other materials through the cellular membrane and deposit them in the cell itself. Essentially, they facilitate the absorption of the other key ingredients (CBD, Vitamin C, Arnica, etc) into the skin. Liposomes also carry additional moisture into the cells, which helps the skin's rejuvenation process!
  • 1X weekly masking with our Land & Sea Mineral Mask - Your body is electricity and water and minerals are conductors. If your body’s a house, your skin is the circuit breaker, and minerals are the conductors that direct electricity to all your skin’s functions. When you’re deficient in just one essential mineral, that may show up as accelerated aging, breakouts, and dull-looking skin. I applied Land & Sea Mineral Mask weekly to replenish my skin’s mineral content and put my healthiest face forward while baby borrowed most of my minerals. 😉

 

Music 

Music is such a soul-deep connection, it’s one of the best ways to bond with your inner self, and with the new little soul in your life. 

Here’s a collection of playlists to meet you where you are in your journey:



Nurturing Your Unique Path 

As we wrap up this list, a final love note on nurturing your path to all the women in our community in every stage of womanhood: 

To be a woman is to know motherhood in its many facets and feminine archetypes. 

Each woman's path toward and through motherhood, if that’s a path you are aiming to venture down, is unique and filled with its own set of challenges and rewards. 

On this Mother's Day, as we celebrate the influential role mothers play in our lives, it's essential to also think of those women whose yearning for motherhood is yet unfulfilled. 

To you, we extend our solidarity and love, and invite you and support you through your personal journey towards motherhood. 💓

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