Generally, most people attribute having stretch marks to someone who is either overweight or had been pregnant. What they fail to realize is stretch marks on the skin may also occur during puberty, a time when an individual experiences rapid growth. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who incurred stretch marks through puberty. Because of this, I always felt self-conscious of my body.
Being young and naive, I was only a size 5 but always felt overweight because I had strech marks on my buttocks, inner and outer thighs, and even on my calves! I never wore shorts or anything shorter than capri lengthed pants and skirts. Not to mention, none of my friends (who happened to be heavier than I was) had stretch marks. This caused me to have a distorted body image; I was viewing myself as heavier than I actually was. My reasoning: if I had stretch marks, but my much plumper friends didn't have stretch marks, then I guess I must be bigger than they are. Otherwise, why would they not have stretch marks? Obviously, I know now that my reasoning was incorrect.
How unlucky it is to be a healthy size, never have been pregnant, yet have such hideous marks on my body? I couldn't believe that many of my luckier friends didn't know that one could get stretch marks just from puberty. For years, I hid my legs, embarrassed by my scars. I tried countless amounts of expensive creams, claiming to reduce the look of stretch marks, to no avail. One day, I decided enough was enough. No more hiding! I worked too hard at keeping my body fit and looking good to hide it from the world, just because of these hideous marks. I started wearing shorts and just didn't care anymore.
One day, I stumbled upon a Youtube video from Tonyatko proclaiming that she was able to rid of her stretch marks with a simple cream. She was nice enough to share this secret with us, which was actually quite simple and easy to replicate: unrefined shea butter and olive oil. "Unrefined" meaning the shea butter has not been stripped of all its nutrients. You can find her video on Youtube.
Despite my skepticism, I went out and bought olive oil and ordered shea butter from an online source (it was quite inexpensive, after all) and mixed my own formula, following her instructions. I diligently rubbed the stuff all over my legs everyday. To my surprise, after a few weeks, the stretch marks on my inner thigh had dimished. I wish I had taken photos before to show you the difference, but it actually worked! Of course, you can't get rid of stretch marks due to the fact that they are scars, but you can definitely diminish their visibility. Over time, I have modified the recipe to make it more effective. If you want to try this yourself, here is what you will need:
You can order your unrefined shea butter from an online source. Shop around to find the best deals. It MUST be unrefined shea butter. I order mine from this website called summitcraft-oh.com but you can get yours from anywhere. I buy from them because they are cheap and the product arrives quickly. I usually get 2lbs at a time. This amount lasts at least a year for me. While you're at it, you can also order a 1 or 2 ounce size of essence oil. You might not like the smell of the shea butter so using essence oil will help with the scent. I buy grapefruit essence oil but you can buy the scent that you like. You will also need a 16 ounce size frosted plastic or glass container. The container needs to be frosted to protect the cream from sunlight, which causes it to deteriorate and lose its nutrients faster. Lastly, you will need grapeseed oil. I have found that grapeseed oil is more potent than olive oil. This can be found at any supermarket or specialty store but I have found it at Costco for a great price. For the formula to be even more effective, you must exfoliate. You can use whatever you want to exfoliate with but I use a natural loofah. You can also order this online for cheap. Tonyatko sells them on her website but I have also found them even cheaper on Amazon. Here is how to create your cream:
Start a steamer pot on the stove. Get a glass bowl or measuring cup and put it on the steamer (ceramic will also do). I use a glass measuring cup with a wide mouth and narrow bottom because it's easier to measure the ingredients out and also keeps the water droplets from dripping into the shea butter. Take a few chunks of shea butter and place it in the measuring cup. Let it melt. The ratio of the shea butter to oil should be about 3:1. Meaning three parts shea butter to one part grapeseed oil. I usually melt one cup of shea butter and then add 1/3 cup of the oil. Once all of your shea butter has melted, take your glass off the steamer and turn off the stove. You can then add your grapeseed oil. This is also the time to add your essence oil (a few drops will do, don't overdo it). Pour this into your frosted plastic or glass container. You can mix it if you like but the pouring action pretty much mixes the ingredients up. Let stand for a few days. Do not cover with the lid until after 24 hours. Your cream should harden in about three to four days. The consistency should feel like body butter but if it feels harder than that, it will be fine. If after a few days, your formula still looks liquidy, just mix it with a wooden stick or something and give it a few more days. If after a week, it is still liquidy, it will be fine and can be used. It will eventually become harder after a few uses. To apply:
Remember to exfoliate with the loofah before every use to ensure optimum results. You can use the cream everyday but every other day is good enough. Just be sure to only exfoliate every other day. It's important to not overexfoliate. Apply liberally to affected areas and all over your body if you like. Just don't apply to your face or other areas that are prone to breakouts. I usually exfoliate in the shower, dry my skin with a towel and then apply the cream. After you apply the cream, you can get dressed. Don't wait for your skin to dry because it will take forever. You should see your stretchmarks diminish over time, depending on the size and severity of the stretch marks. Remember, this cream only dimishes the appearance of stretch marks. Stretch marks cannot be erased as it is a scarring of the skin.
If, by chance, you are too lazy or just don't have time to make this cream yourself. You can just go to Tonya's website and order it from her. I usually make it myself because it's much cheaper. Be patient because this takes time. Take a picture and then take pictures over time to see the changes. If you happen to be unlucky and this cream does not work for your stretch marks, at least you will still have soft, healthy, and glowing skin.
Good luck! Hopefully, this cream will work as well for you as it did for me. Tip: the shea butter is also good for healing sunburns, scars and other skin ailments. Just don't use it for acne. Remember to continue using this cream even after your stretch marks disappear to keep them away.
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