During postpartum, you’re craving a sense of normal. The right postpartum skincare routine can restore balance to your skin, helping you feel a little more grounded when everything around you is changing.
In postpartum, moms navigate new shifts as hormone levels balance out. Sleepless nights, postpartum hair loss, pelvic floor changes, and dry skin are completely normal, but we don’t always talk about them.
The truth is, you might feel a little lost in your own body during postpartum. Becoming a mom is transformative, but it’s isolating, too. If you’re looking for ways to feel more like yourself, you’re not alone. The right postpartum skincare routine can restore your glow and bring a little normalcy to the chaos of newborn life.
Postpartum Skin Concerns That Are Completely Normal
You’re prepared for late-night feeding and a six-week recovery time. But a lot of women don’t know that their skin can change during postpartum, too. Hormonal acne, dryness, and hyperpigmentation are all completely normal.
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Hormonal acne
Breakouts are frustrating and might make you question your self-care routine, but they’re very common. During postpartum, your estrogen levels need time to rebalance. This can mess with your skin, but it’s temporary.
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Fine lines and dryness
Ever feel like pregnancy and birth has aged you a little? You’re not imagining it, but fine lines and dryness are often just a sign of dehydration. Get more electrolytes in your system and expect your glow to return after breastfeeding.
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Dark circles
Those sleepless nights are catching up with you. Pop your gua sha stone in the freezer and massage your face with it when you first wake up. Remember, dark circles are temporary, and so are those sweet newborn cuddles, so soak them up.
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Hyperpigmentation
You might notice hyperpigmentation during pregnancy (around 90% of women experience it). Dark spots often stick around during postpartum until your body has time to readjust to normal life. A cell-nourishing serum can help even out your skin tone.
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Changes in oil production
As your hormones shift, you might notice patches of both dry and oily skin. The T-zone tends to break out, while your cheeks and jaw might feel more dehydrated. You can use an oil cleanser to even out your skin as it works to rebalance.
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Skin barrier changes and sensitivities
If your skincare routine suddenly stops working during postpartum, this could be a sign of skin barrier changes. Skin sensitivity and dryness are a sign that you need more nutrients — both in your diet and in your skincare.
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Stretch marks and spider veins
Stretch marks and spider veins might bring mixed feelings. They’re a sign of how much your body has accomplished over these last few months, but they often also bring feelings of self-consciousness. The best way to support your body is with self-love and restorative habits, like dry brushing and using tallow balm and body oil.
What Your Skin Needs the Most During Postpartum
Think nourishment and self-care. Your skin needs products that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to rebuild cells and collagen.
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Deep hydration
Breastfeeding is so dehydrating. It’s important to get enough electrolytes in your diet to nourish your cells well. On the skincare side, don’t be afraid to keep a tallow moisturizer by your bedside table and use it multiple times a day.
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A nourishing serum for hyperpigmentation
The truth is, it takes a while for pregnancy and postpartum hyperpigmentation to resolve on its own, so skincare is helpful. We love helichrysum oil in a nourishing serum for skin cell regeneration and lightening dark spots.
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Skin-building foods
Food is more than half the battle when it comes to your skin’s performance. Prioritize skin-building foods, like vibrantly colored fruits and veggies (for polyphenols), collagen and gelatin (which supply amino acids for skin structure), and ancestral superfoods like organ meats and seafood.
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Prioritize what’s easy
Let’s be real, you don’t have time for a multi-step skincare routine during postpartum, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to create one. Postpartum skincare is all about what’s easy and doable during this season of life. You have total permission to use minimal products and leave them on your bedside table to apply while nursing.
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Choose clean beauty
If you considered clean beauty before pregnancy, you should be obsessed with it now. Caring for a tiny human makes you more aware of what goes on inside your body. It’s essential to prioritize recognizable ingredients and brands that are transparent about sourcing.
Postpartum Skincare Products to Hydrate and Balance After Pregnancy
What postpartum skincare products do you really need to have on hand? Our essentials are cleanser, serum, tallow balm moisturizer, and body oil.
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Cleanser
The right cleanser is a must-have for your postpartum skincare routine, even if you don’t use it every day. We love the Seabuckthorn Cleansing Oil, especially for moms who experience changes in oil production and their skin barrier. If you just want something easy, the Activated Charcoal Face Bar helps remove dirt, blackheads, and unclog pores.
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Serum
Since serums are nutrient-dense, the right serum can really change how you feel about your skin in postpartum. The Glow Serum is our favorite for hyperpigmentation, dry skin, and skin barrier changes. We also love the Reparative Serum for fine lines and dark under eyes.
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Tallow balm moisturizer
If you don’t have time for any other postpartum skincare products, prioritize your moisturizer. A nutrient-dense moisturizer like grass-fed tallow balm is a multi-purpose skincare product that targets common dryness and helps restore skin cell health.
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Body oil
Target those stretch marks and spider veins with a moisturizing body oil. The ingredients in ours help the skin to stretch while delivering nutrients to build collagen. If your showers are less frequent during newborn days, body oil provides a gentle scent that helps you feel fresh longer.
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Dry brush
Gentle exfoliation can help resolve stretch marks that have already started, and it’s a great way to tighten and firm loose skin, too. Try a dry brushing routine to get the blood flowing and boost your energy. Dry brush before hopping in the shower, and finish with a tallow balm or body oil to build collagen and firm skin.
Be the First to Enjoy Postpartum Skincare in a Bundle
Once you’re in the newborn stage, everyday tasks feel challenging. We know you don’t need the extra work of researching a new postpartum skincare routine. That’s why we created it for you. It’s all our favorite mama-nourishing products combined with a handful of baby hygiene products, so you can both feel pampered in the early days of motherhood.
Many of the women here at Toups and Co have babies and toddlers of their own, and we uniquely understand the needs and challenges that come with postpartum. Mom to mom, we created this gift set with that in mind.