One of the biggest concerns for pregnant women is the ever looming idea that they will get stretch marks or “stripes” as some call it. Some women will spend hundreds of dollars on products promising the prevention of these lines from covering your abdomen. Of all the products that are advertised today, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, can be a saving grace from these "love lines".

If you have your own bottle, feel free to take a look at the ingredients. How much of this product is actually ‘cocoa butter?’ You will see that it is mainly water, other chemicals, some various oils, and a hint of cocoa butter. What are you really buying? This product will hydrate your skin temporarily but you will need to reapply as needed, depending on how dry your skin already is. Skin comes in all different types and levels of health, which is why cocoa butter may only work for some women and not others.

You are not getting the full benefits from cocoa butter if you use the type that is bought from generic stores. Cocoa butter is mostly solid at room temperature, quite like a stick of butter you would use for your toast. If you are able to get your hands on a bar of this amazing product at your local market, it is highly suggested. If not, there are many options for ordering online. It is not much more than a bottle of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter and you get plenty more of the raw product. It comes in bar form, usually raw or deodorized. It does not matter which type you buy as you will get the same benefits. Now, it will remain a solid, unless you find a way to whip it with a natural lotion base. You have the option of melting it down in a double boiler, whipping it on its own, and then turning it into something that looks like a soap bar or putting it in a jar. It will harden again, but it will be much softer. You can use your hands to grab a clump when you want to use it or use a spoon to scoop it out. It has the consistency of table butter and should melt upon rubbing it on your skin.

Another great thing about pure cocoa butter is that you can mix it with other oils in order to get maximum benefits. Two oils that are frequently used on its own to prevent stretch marks are coconut oil and sweet almond oil. You can even puncture some Vitamin E pills into your mixture for its healing properties. The best part of this is that it absorbs so quickly into your skin that you will not have the oily residue on your stomach that you may get from store brand lotions.

Pure cocoa butter is great for stretch mark prevention, when combined with slow weight gain and proper hydration. It can easily be bought for long time use. You will be saving money and your skin at the same time. May you never look at commercial stretch mark creams the same way again!