Let's face it...we all get them at some point or another. Despite popular believe, stretch marks can attained by weight loss just as much as they can be from rapid weight gain like at times of pregnancy. They can come about from even a small amount of weight gain or loss, growth spurts, increased hormones. They are genetic and affect as much as 90% of women ( WebMd 2010 ), but can affect men as well. I have lost quite a bit of weight twice in my life and while my faint stretch marks aren't noticeable to anyone but me or those I point them out to, they are still worth trying to reduce or prevent in the future. I have not yet had children, but the better you take care of your skin now, the better it will treat you later. That is the main goal of this salve...to prevent stretch marks by hydrating and soothing the skin. If you have new stretch marks that are pink, red, or purple hews this will probably work much better for you. If your stretch marks are old, and have faded to a slightly lighter shade of your skin tone, those are most likely permanent and won't be reduced with this salve. Prevention is key however and this balm makes me feel less anxious about losing weight and will help expectant mothers reduce the consequences that their blooming belly may do to their skin. It has other uses as well though!

Being a balm and oil based, this is a thick solid salve. You can have the jar tipped over and nothing will come out. When you rub your fingers on the salve it easily transferred and melts a bit with the body heat to smooth out. It does feel slightly oily but given time to absorb, it will feel smooth. It has the consistency of a light lip balm. Since this salve can be used pretty much anywhere, remember that oil based products are not safe for use with latex condoms/toys.

The ingredients are as follows: Organic Olive Oil, Wildcrafted St. John's Wort Infusion, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter, Pure Ylang Ylang Essential Oil. These are natural non-chemical ingredients that are safe for the body.

After my experience with the pee smelling vulva balm, I was bit scared that this didn't come in flavors to choose. I wanted to avoid getting the same one. While this doesn't smell like pee-THANK GOD!- it also doesn't smell great either. However, it is lengths better than smelling of urea. I'm pretty good at explaining specific smells so I hope I am hitting it on the nose when I say this smells like wood chips that have been soaking in honey. It has a very earthy smell to it which I'm sure some will like better than others. If you don't like it, you'll be pleased to know that it doesn't linger long. This isn't meant to be ingested but it tastes like petroleum jelly if you happen to taste it.

I know that the light stretch marks that I have are probably permanent since they have been there since I started to go through puberty at age 11 or 12, but I swear that after three weeks of using this, they are even less noticeable to me. I think this is due to the skin being hydrated due to the salve. I didn't get this to remove those though, they really can't be seen that well, but I did want to prevent more. I have been getting back in shape and I know that one of the worst things you can do for the appearance of your natural breasts (and other curves) is to yo-yo diet. It can flatten them out, cause stretch mark, and make them lose shape. Now, I have not been going up and down with my weight but losing weight will make my breasts slightly smaller and I don't want them to get stretch marks because of it. While using this, I have been applying it to my hips, inner thighs, and breasts mostly since those are the places that shrink the most and fastest when I get in shape. I have not noticed any stretch marks and my skin feels great!

You just rub a few fingers over the salve and then apply in short strokes. Then rub in by making small circles. It took a while to get this to cover all the areas and a bit more time for it to dry/absorb, but it is totally worth the wait. This also doubles as a heal (or other rough areas) softener and a healing serum. Just be cautious if you are going in the sun or tanning, this can cause photosensitivity.

The packaging is actually what drew my eye to this line of products in the first place. It comes in a very nice glass jar with a plastic screw on top. It is about as wide as a Cover girl powder compact and about twice as tall. The jar contains 3 fluid ounces which is plenty for someone like me who wasn't using this daily or to prevent stretchmarks from a pregnancy. But if someone wanted to use this to term, they might want to get more than one jar which might get expensive.

The jar itself is easy to open and close. Unlike the Vulva Balm that i have this one has a wider opening so it is easily to get on the fingers. The jar is discreet with a pumpkin orange label that has the name of the product, the ingredients, and how to use instructions/cautions. It will likely go unnoticed amongst other beauty items. The slave doesn't leak out, but the jar is heavy since it is made of glass so it isn't ideal for travel, but is safe to travel with.

I really feel like the Vulva balm and this Blooming Belly Balm are basically the same thing. I had wanted the Breast balm but figured that the Blooming Belly would do the same thing for $5 less...I'm pretty sure I'm right. I think they can pretty much be interchangeable.

I am giving this balm 4 stars, a star above the Vulva since the experience was the same. The product worked and the smell was much better! This won't perform miracles but it will help keep your skin hydrated and those tough spots smooth. It would make an excellent gift.