Bio Oil Review

Another review for you today! If you are unfortunate enough to have the same skin type as me, which is when stretched due to sudden weight gain such as in puberty or pregnancy develops undesirable stretch marks, I feel for you. 

My story is pretty simple, when I hit the age of about 13 and I suddenly developed hips and a bum out of nowhere, I was left with awful red stretch marks all up the top of my thighs and hips. Now some people may not think of these as an issue as these parts of the body are usually hidden, but even though they did fade to a lighter colour over the years, every time I went on holiday I was really embarrassed about my imperfect and marked skin. I hated how the texture of my skin felt too. Whats more, once tanned the stretch marks stood out even more when contrasted with the tan on my skin! But last summer, after working hard for a bikini body I decided something needed to be done about this problem before I went on my two holidays. This is where Bio Oil stepped in.

*Quick disclaimer: obviously I haven't photographed my stretch marks, when I began using this product I didn't have a blog, and also I don't think I'd feel quite comfortable posting those pictures! I hope the description does the product adequate justice without :).

I had read a lot of good reviews about Bio-Oil, however if I'm honest, I didn't think it would really work. I didn't think anything could cure stretch marks since they are such a defined mark on the skin. I think I bought my Bio-Oil from Boots, I got the 60ml which costs £8.99 incase I didn't get on with it.

The claim: 

"Helps improve the appearance of new and old scars

Helps prevent formation of stretch marks during pregnancy and helps improve the appearance of existing stretch marks

Helps improve the appearance of uneven skin tone

Helps smooth and tone ageing, sagging and wrinkled skin on both face and body

Helps replenish the skins natural oils, stripped away by factors such as extreme weather, water with high chemical content and the drying effects of central heating and air conditioning"

Bio-Oil itself does not claim to be perfect. It says "helps improve" not "gets rid of" so I wasn't expecting a miracle.

So here's how I used it:

I followed the instructions and applied the oil twice a day, once in the morning after I had showered, and once just before getting into bed. I applied a couple of drops over the areas with stretch marks and massaged this in using circular motions, towards the heart. I think this is what it says on the instructions. I did this well so it was fully worked into the skin. I should mention I also used body butter on a daily basis as this may have helped my skin too.

Even if the Bio-Oil doesn't do much, it undoubtably makes your skin feel beautifully soft, and it is a relaxing routine before bedtime too as it smells nice and the massaging motion is relaxing for your body.

Bio-Oil recommends you use the product for at least 3 months. I soon got through my 60ml and bought another one, cheaper I believe from Home Bargains, although I don't remember the exact price! 

The Results:

I was majorly impressed with this product. I wasn't expecting much, and to be honest my stretch marks probably weren't even that bad compared to others' and had already faded over time, but now they are hardly visible at all! I used Bio-Oil for 3 months I think. I did stop using it when I had been on my holidays, but I felt so much better wearing a bikini! Although you could still see them slightly, they were so much less visible and the texture was a lot smoother too. 

Now, if your stretch marks or scars are really, really bad, I don't want to get your hopes up and please don't expect a miracle! But I really think this does help speed up the natural healing process and it will definitely make your skin lovely and soft. If you know you are going to put on weight, for example if you're pregnant, I would definitely recommend using this during pregnancy to prevent any stretch marks from occurring, rather than waiting until you already have them. 

I think I will definitely repurchase Bio-Oil again soon, as it's not only good for stretch marks, it's lovely to add a couple of drops to your bath, or just to rub into your skin if it's feeling really dry!

Although Bio-Oil is rather pricey, it's well worth it if you have skin that you're insecure about and want to help, or if you just want super soft skin!

If you plan on purchasing Bio-Oil, I wouldn't from Boots. I would try Home Bargains, or Amazon currently have 200ml for £9.99 here, absolute bargain! However, if you want to try a cheaper alternative, Re-Gen cream is also meant to do a similar job! I haven't tried this on any stretch marks, but it's great as moisturiser and you can buy this at under £4 from Home Bargains again I believe? Or for £4.97 here at Amazon (gotta love Amazon!)

Have any of you tried using Bio-Oil? I'd love to read your thoughts!