You may have noticed that manning tanning lotions and sunscreens contain moisturizing lotion. While having a moisturizer in your lotion is great for helping your skin look healthy, you may not realize that moisturizing your skin also helps you achieve a better looking tan that lasts for a longer period of time.

The reason moisturizing your skin helps improve your skin is quite simple: healthy, moisturized skin stays in place longer and keeps your tan with it. Simply put, when you get a tan, the top layer of your skin changes color. If your skin is dry or unhealthy, this layer of skin will flake off and it will take your tan with it.

This is not to say that moisturizing will completely stop your skin from shedding. After all, shedding skin is a normal and natural process. At the same time, you can prolong this process by keeping your skin healthy and moisturized.

When you apply a moisturizer to your skin, it helps to reduce the amount of water that is lost through the top layer. While this does not help to reverse any damage that may have been caused by the sun, it does help to prevent further drying of the skin. Therefore, it is important to use moisturizers throughout the entire tanning process rather than trying to use them to reverse the drying effects caused by sun exposure.

As a tanner, you want to make even more effort to make sure your skin stays moist. Even if you have oilier skin, it is important for you to moisturize if you spend time in the sun because of the sun's natural drying properties. Therefore, it is best to look for sunscreen that contains a moisturizer. At the same time, you should purchase a separate moisturizer that you can apply even when you aren't tanning.

The best time to apply moisturizer is after you have washed your skin. This way, there is nothing in the way as your moisturizer tries to go to work. In addition, this will help trap additional moisture in your skin. Keep in mind that, unlike sunscreen, it is better to apply small amounts of moisturizer at a time. As with sunscreen, however, it is best to reapply moisturizer throughout the day. In addition, although you may not be tanning in the winter, you should continue to take care of your skin with moisturizer throughout the year. This way, your skin will be healthy and ready to soak up the rays when the summer months roll around.