When my Mum was having me my granddad passed on a bit of advise to her in order to avoid stretch marks, he said that if she was to rub lotion into the effected areas everyday she wouldn't suffer with them, she did this everyday for the whole 9 months and never had a single stretch mark at all, now I am expecting my first baby she has in turn passed this advise on to me. I have always been one to use various different moisturisers for my hands, face and body, especially during the winter as I find my skin gets particularly dry however when shopping the other day I noticed that Palmers do a special massage lotion for stretch marks, the last few weeks I had just been using one of my many pots of body lotion I have but decided that as this was designed specifically for this job I would give it a go.

Packaging
The Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion comes in a tall while plastic bottle, it has a white label stuck on both the front and back of it to give the impression that all of the product information is printed direct onto the plastic. Right at the top of the label is the Palmers logo a bright orange oval with the word "Palmers" written inside it in dark brown, just below this is a large brown rectangle with "Cocoa Butter Formula" written inside it in white. The description of the product is written towards the middle of the bottle and states "Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks". There are various other statements about the lotion written on the front of the bottle including "with Vitamin E, Collagen and Elastine and Shea Butter", "All over body lotion", Dermatologicaly Tested" and "Helps improve appearance of stretch marks". The rest of the bottle is taken up with a pinkish coloured box and the outline of a pregnant woman drawn inside of it, the front of the bottle is quite busy and contains quite a bit of information, although it is all clear to read and follow. The back of the bottle contains more information about the lotion, some of which is a repeat of what is on the front of the bottle but in a bit more detail, it also contains warnings, directions for use and the ingredients, this information is repeated in a couple of other languages. The bottle has a large white pump on the top of it, similar to that on bottles of hand wash, this allows the lotion to be easily dispensed.

The Lotion
The Massage Lotion is white in colour and also of a thick consistency, although not so thick that it is hard to pump out of the bottle, I usually pump it into my hands first and then apply it to my skin, it has a soft creamy feel to it however when rubbed into your skin it does not feel greasy, which I thought it would as it contains Shea Butter and for some reason associated this with being a bit on the greasy side. When rubbed into my skin I can feel a slight stickiness from the cream but this only lasts for a couple of minutes while the lotion soaks in fully and wears off quickly. I expected the lotion to have a slight chocolaty smell to it, I can detect this very faintly but the lotion is not overly perfumed and does not really smell of much, however the fragrance is not unpleasant and I quite like the fact that it is not over powering.

Products Claims
The Palmers Massage Lotion claims to help with the appearance of stretch marks as it contains Cocoa Butter, Vitamin ", Collagen, Elastine and Shea Butter, these ingredients help to moisturise the skin and help it to maintain its elasticity. The lotion is designed to help with dryness associated with pregnancy and also smooths stretch marks due to weight loss.

Directions
The back of the bottle states that using circular motions massage the lotion into areas prone to stretch marks morning and evening. Personally I apply the lotion once a day before bed as I'm not sure I would like to apply it and then have to get dressed for work, whilst the lotion is not greasy I don't really like the feel of applying cream to my skin and then putting clothes over the top, this is just my personal preference.

Warnings
The label suggests that sensitivity is heightened during pregnancy and that your should test a small amount of the cream on the inner arm 48 hours before use, obviously if irritation occurs then discontinue use, it also suggests that if irritation continues then to seek the advise of your doctor. The lotion is dermatological tested, however they still suggest doing a test first. I have to admit I did not do a test before using the Palmers Lotion, I didn't even read the back of the bottle I just used it the night I brought it but if you are in any doubt as to whether you will be sensitive to the product it is sensible to do a test first, luckily I had no reaction to the cream at all.

Price
I brought my Palmers Massage Lotion from Tesco, a 250ml bottle cost me £3.46, I was quite pleased with the price of this product, I thought that it would be quite expensive as it is for a specific purpose, but it actually turned out to be the same sort of price as regular body lotions, Palmers do regular lotions and the one for Stretch Marks was no more expensive compared to these. I find that you do not need a huge amount of lotion at a time making it long lasting and definitely worth the money.

My Opinion
So far I have been pleased with my Palmer Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks, it leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft without leaving a greasy coating over it, there is a slight stickiness straight after using it but this quickly wears off. The lotion feels creamy on your skin which makes me think it must be doing some good, the fragrance is very delicate and in no way overpowering, personally I cannot really smell it once I have applied the lotion. I think the product is very reasonably priced and that one bottle will last me a long time as you do not need a huge amount at a time. I cannot really comment on the stretch mark part as yet but I am hoping it will be successful if I continue to use it everyday but it certainly is an extremely good body lotion and one I would recommend.