With today's tanning lotions, there's no reason that you can't keep your golden glow year-round. But unless you're immersed in the tanning culture, it's easy to get confused by the variety of products in the marketplace. Here, then, is a quick start guide that will help you find just the right product to suit your needs.
Indoor, Outdoor, or Sunless?
Tanning lotions can be broadly divided into three categories: those for outdoor tanning, indoor tanning lotion, and sunless tanning lotion. As its name implies, outdoor lotions are perfect when you're going to the beach or lying out by the pool. If you're going to a salon to get that golden glow, you'll need a tanning bed lotion. If you want to avoid the rays altogether, you'll want a sunless tanning lotion that you can apply yourself in the comfort of your own home.
Before you select a tanning lotion, it's helpful to think about your tanning goals. Would you like a tan for a special occasion, like your wedding day or a class reunion? Are you a committed sun worshipper who relishes the deep bronze color of a lasting tan? Or are you planning a week at the beach and want some color while avoiding ruining your vacation with a sunburn on your first day out?
Face, Body, or All Over?
Advances in chemistry and technology mean that we can find products that are specific to our needs. There are special lotions for facial tanning, for example, while others are developed just for the legs. There are bronzers, tingle lotions, and hybrids that contain both bronzing and tingling properties. There is also an abundance of sunscreens, from regular SPF lotions to lip balms to sunscreen specifically designed for tattoos.
Tanning Accessories
When you decide upon a tanning product, you may also want to purchase an array of accessories. These might include products that will protect your manicure and pedicure while you're tanning, a back lotion applicator, a shower cap (for sunless tanning), or a solar cap (to protect your hair color treatment from UV rays).
Go for Quality
Not only are there many different types of lotion on the market, but you'll find tanning lotions at a variety of price points. As with many things in life, to a great extent you get what you pay for. The designer product lines are generally made with better ingredients, have longer staying power, and are often used as part of a system. For example, a product line might have a three-part system where one lotion is used to establish your base tan, another tanning lotion is used to moisturize your skin and extend your tan, and a third helps darken your tan once it's been established.
Buying quality lotion doesn't always mean paying top dollar, though. There are online sources that offer a wide variety of tanning lotion - including the designer lines - for the same price you'd pay at the drugstore for a lesser quality lotion. The bottom line? It pays to shop around and buy great lotions at affordable prices.
The tanning lotion is truly a necessity and a must when you are getting a faux skin tan. As you all know, lotions are skin products that are designed and formulated to make sun exposure more ideal for conditioning and setting a good skin color. These days, having golden brown skin is considered a fashion statement itself, as many people and appreciators assert that having a golden brown glow in the skin further accentuates beauty, form and physical and aesthetic substance of a person.
Whether you choose indoor or outdoor skin tanning, you need to apply tanning lotion to your skin at both tanning procedures. Not because tanning is artificial and done indoors at tanning salons should make you skin applying lotion to your skin prior and during the tanning session. As a matter of fact, experts assert that indoor tanning all the more necessitates and requires the use and application of tanning lotions. Thus, there is a need to get more acquainted into properly and appropriately using different skin tanning lotions for your skin.
Choosing tanning lotions
Because skin tanning has been a popular practice for years now, it is not surprising that there are numerous skin tanning lotions available in the market today. You might be really surprised at how many tanning lotions there are currently. One advantage of this is that consumers basically are given more choices when considering taking and using tanning lotions. Thus, consumers these days have more power to choose the better and more appropriate skin tanning products for them.
On the disadvantage is the confusion brought about by the numerous lotions available in the market. Consumers are now basically more confused when choosing skin tanning lotions as specifications and features are hardy distinguishable. Also, not all tanning lotions can be used for indoor tanning. State legislations and tanning salon policies have it that the tanning salon itself would provide the tanning lotion any client would use as part of the tanning package. This action is aimed at helping salons prevent damages to surfaces and structures of tanning beds and other artificial tanning equipments.
Recommended practices and use of tanning lotions
There are several recommended guidelines you should observe for better use of tanning lotions.
1. As a cardinal rule, especially when tanning outdoors, you should use at least a couple of tanning lotions that have formulations appropriate to your skin type and needs.
2. It is advisable to alternate your tanning lotions for better results. That means when using tanning lotions, you should alternate two brands or products so that your skin would have a greater opportunity to breath and absorb nutrients necessary to aid skin tanning.
3. When choosing a tanning lotion, heed the recommendations and prescriptions of your dermatologist or skin experts. It is not ideal to choose and use just any skin tanning lotion available in the market. Your skin type and condition would have a greater accountability and role when choosing lotion. For all you know you might have very sensitive skin that calls for a more simple and mild tanning lotion. If the tanning lotion does not match skin type, there also might be problems over skin irritation and inappropriate and ineffective skin tanning. You should beware.
4. Make sure your tanning lotion is safe and is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Applying tanning lotion to skin
Before fully applying a tanning lotion to the skin, it would be advisable to first test safety of the lotion. Do this by applying the lotion first on a small area of the skin, probably at the wrist. Observe the skin for a few hours after application. If irritation does not exist, then proceed to using the tanning lotion to all other parts of the body. If there is redness or skin irritation, the lotion is not suitable for your skin type. Choose another lotion or consult your dermatologist about it. When applying tanning lotion to the skin, be sure to apply the product thinly and evenly on skin surface. You may use gloves when applying the lotion as some ingredients may accumulate in your palm and make it appear orange and tanned as well after the tanning session.
When applying tanning lotion, do so in a circular or swirling manner, instead of the usual up and down movement. Circular application of lotion gives a feel of a massage and helps improve circulation of blood beneath the skin. Also, this practice is more relaxing.
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