Increasingly, tanners are experiencing the joys of sunless self-tanning rather than exposing their skin to the potential harmful effects of sun tanning or tanning with tanning beds. Although self-tanners in the past resulted in fake looking tans that were very easy to distinguish from the real thing, self-tanning lotions have come a long way. In fact, today's self-tanners are impossible to identify when applied correctly.
Getting Your Skin Prepared
Before applying a self-tanner, it is important to get your skin properly prepared. You can do this by taking a shower and exfoliating your skin. This will remove dead, dry, flaky skin while leaving behind your healthy, glowing skin. As a result, your skin will be better able to accept the special bronzing agents included in self-tanners.
There are many products currently available on the market that will assist you with this process. After exfoliating your skin the first time, it generally is not necessary to do again until about the fifth or sixth reapplication of the self-tanner.
Applying the Cream
When you apply self-tanning lotion, you should use only a little bit more than you would normally use when putting lotion or cream on your skin. In order to prevent streaking from occurring, you should apply the tanner with a circular motion until it is all rubbed in. Be sure to cover all areas of your body, including in your armpits and along your sides. At the same time, you should focus on just one area at the time in order to make sure each part of your body is properly covered.
Try to remember how natural tans look on the body. For example, jointed areas such as your ankles, knees and elbows do not tend to get as dark. Therefore, you should use slightly less tanner on these areas. The same is true for the top of your feet. Areas such as the palms of your hands, the bottom of your feet, and your hairline generally do not get tanned at all, so avoid putting self-tanner on these areas.
After you have applied the self-tanner, it is important that you avoid putting on clothes for fifteen to thirty minutes. This way, your clothes won't get damaged and the self-tanner will have plenty of time to get absorbed by your skin. It is also important to avoid letting water come into contact with the areas where you have put the self-tanner on your body. After applying your first layer, you should wait one day and reapply for a solid base coat. Then, you should be able to simply apply the tanner once per week in order to maintain your beautiful new color.
For days spent poolside or at the beach, or even for sessions at your local tanning salon, you'll want tanning lotions or tanning bed lotions that both speed up the tanning process and protect your skin. In effect, you want a lotion that enhances the UVA rays while shielding you from the effects of UVB rays. To this end, find a lotion that contains tyrosine, since it sends melatonin production into overdrive and allows you to accelerate the tanning process. Then, make sure your tanning bed lotion contains Vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that will prevent damage from free radicals, as well as nutrients like aloe vera or hempseed oil that will moisturize and rejuvenate your skin.
Many people find that, when it comes to achieving a quick and even tan, legs can be problematic. Most people's legs simply don't tan as quickly as other parts of the body, since there is less blood flow (and, hence, less oxygen) to that area. If this is a challenge in your tanning process, try a tingle tanning lotion. This special formulation increases the blood flow to the capillaries closest to your skin, increasing the oxygen to your legs and helping the tanning process along.
Some people become frustrated that they're not achieving the results they desire within the time frame that they had hoped. If this is a challenge you face, it could be because you're either not choosing the right tanning lotion or not properly applying your tanning lotion. First, you need to buy a high quality lotion. When you do, you'll achieve your desired results in a fraction of the time. The extra money you spend on tanning bed lotion, for example, will be more than offset by less money spent at the tanning salon.
Next, exfoliate before you apply your tanning lotion. It doesn't make sense to tan skin cells that your body is about to slough off. Then, apply the lotion about an hour before you hit the sun or the salon. Be sure to wear loose-fitting clothing so the lotion doesn't rub off. If you're going to the pool or the beach, make sure to select tanning lotions that are waterproof or water-resistant, and then reapply it throughout the day.
Finally, complete coverage is a must. If you don't have a friend handy to get to those hard-to-reach areas, invest in a lotion applicator so that you can reach all areas of your back.
For those who long for the healthy glow of a tan, but don't want to expose their skin to UVA or UVB rays, an indoor tanning lotion is the answer. A variety of excellent sunless tanning products are available that will give you the color you seek. Alternately, bronzers will give you a temporary tan that will easily wash off with soap and water.
When applied correctly, a great tanning lotion will help you achieve your tanning goals and look your absolute best!
Both Baxter Owens & Chris Robertson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Baxter Owens has sinced written about articles on various topics from Beauty Tips, Tanning and Watches Reviews. Baxter Owens is the developer of www.tantans.com, a premium website & vendor. TanTans.com offers premium tanning lotion at wholesale prices, including. Baxter Owens's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.