Eye Protection While Tanning
You should always wear goggles over your eyes when tanning in a tanning bed. The Food and Drug Administration make wearing eye protection mandatory and will ask to see your protection before allowing you in the bed.
The good news salons will offer, either for free or sale, various forms of eye protection. Tanning salons also often offer various designs so you can choose the type you want. Many people don't like wearing goggles with an elastic band because they cause tan lines. The goggles without an elastic are fine for when laying down in a bed, though some people are still bothered by the tan line that could appear across their noses. An option to remedy this is the globe shaped goggles, which are two separate cup shaped lenses that you place over your eyes, eliminating all chance of tan lines.
Beware of salons that claim their beds are so innovative that you don't need eye protection. Also, closing your eyes, wearing sunglasses, or placing cotton balls over your eyes should never be substituted for tanning bed eye protection.
Tanning Tips
Whether you are tanning on a home tanning bed or a commercial tanning bed, you need to take some precautions to avoid damaging the tanning bed components. This may include the tanning bed bulbs and acrylic.
Your skin should be free of cosmetics, tanning oils, or other body lotions prior to tanning. Only use those specifically made for use with tanning devices.
However, you should not remove natural body oils by bathing or showering immediately before tanning. It is better to wait a few hours before taking a shower. Ask a tanning professional about this.
Your hair should also be free of gels, mousse, sprays, or other hair products. As an alternative, you can wrap your hair in a towel or wear a shower cap to keep treated hair away from tanning bed surfaces.
Moisturization is Essential to the Perfect Tan
It is extremely important to keep skin moisturized any time you are tanning. Moist skin tans much better than dry skin. Moisture will also make skin softer and will keep it from forming wrinkles as quickly as dry skin.
A good moisturizer will not only add moisture to the skin, but it will also add some oils to the skin. If you have severely dry skin, a moisturizer with additional oils will be best for you. However, some people don't like having a greasy feeling on their face and body so make sure you purchase a product you feel comfortable using.
Moisturizers should also include sodium PCA, or sodium pyrollidone carboxylic acid, which is an efficient natural moisturizing factor that includes a lot of water to keep your skin soft. Other moisturizing factors that are not natural include sodium isethionate, glycerin and panthenol.
Vitamins are also important to the health of skin. Without vitamins, you skin will be susceptible to oxidative damage from pollutants that can deplete the antioxidant system. Moisturizing lotions that include vitamin E or tocopheryl acetate are the best to fight this damage. Vitamin C is also included in good moisturizers because it works together with the vitamin E. Scientists have actually found that these vitamins are more powerful together than alone.
There are many important ingredients that should be included in a moisturizing tanning lotion so you can get the best possible tan and keep your skin as healthy as possible. It is always a good idea to use a moisturizing lotion while tanning and also to apply it throughout the day.
Tanning Body Stickers
Fun and handy accessories to use while in a tanning bed are tanning body stickers. These stickers serve two purposes for tanners. Not only can the customer see how well the bed is working to darken their skin, they can also have a little fun.
The stickers come in many different shapes and designs and can be placed anywhere on the body. These stickers act as a sun block and prevent UV light from reaching the skin. Therefore, when you're done with your session in the tanning bed, you can remove the sticker and see how tan your skin got by examining how clear the sticker's image shows up.
Also, many people use the stickers as a way to decorate their skin. They're cheaper and less permanent than tattoos and there is a wide variety of designs to choose from such as hearts, bunnies and short phrases. The stickers are pretty cheap to purchase and some tanning salons even give them away free to customers.
What is tanning?
Truth be told, there's no such thing as completely safe tanning. We can aim for a healthier tan though, and that involves following specific guidelines and never taking the easy way out.
Tanning is, by definition, the skin darkening as a reaction to sun exposure. UV rays, unless approached correctly and with certain precautions, are dangerous and have been linked to skin cancer. Thus, its important to not overdo it, recognize the difference between a burn and a tan, and to wear sunblock or sunscreen every time you are out in the sun.
Tanning is addictive, and the results can be beautiful - but start slow and build on your time. As with the rabbit and the hare, slow and steady indeed wins the race, and saves you from problems down the road.
Know when to tan.
The sun is at its hottest from noon till 3 p.m, so during these afternoon hours, avoid the sun or take extra precautions.
It may be tempting to pinpoint the hours where the sun is at its strongest, but remember, that's when you are in the most danger of burning and sun damage!
During these hours, it is wise to consider hats, sunglasses, and t-shirts. Perhaps it's not as sexy as your new bikini, but it will offer protection during these extra dangerous parts of the day. You can always work on those tan lines during the hours that the sun isn't as potent.
Heed Your Skin
If you are among the fair-skinned or freckled, be very careful when exposing yourself to the sun. This also applies to those with moles, children, or the eldery. And especially be wary if you already have a history of skin cancer.
Your skin, if you are in these categories, is more susceptable to the sun's risks and thus extra precautions are necessary to assure that you are engaging in safe tanning. Make sure to wear high-SPF sunblock and reapply often. And if your skin is too sensitive for the sunscreens or sunblocks you've already tried, be sure to ask your pharmacist for hypoallergenic varieties. This will be able to protect your skin without the risk of causing it to break out.
Lather on that sunblock.
Many of us are wise and cautious enough to put on that initial coat of sunblock, fewer know that danger lies after that moment. Tanning skin care begins before you even leave your house and head to the salon or beach, and must be heeded.
When in water, not only can your sunblock wear off, but the cooling effect of the water gives a false sense of security even as the sun reaches through and penetrates your skin. Be wary and be sure to apply a waterproof block before and after water exposure. Many companies create waterproof or sports sunblocks for this specific reason.
At the same time, protect your lips! This is among the most sensitive parts of our body, and a good lip balm or lip screen is essential, just as sun screen is elsewhere.
Tanning at the Salon
Many people choose to tan in the salon versus at the beach or other outdoor sun posts. This is an excellent way to maintain a tan year-round under controlled circumstances.
When tanning at the salon, or with a home tanning bed or canopy unit, you can control the depth of your tan completely by the machine you use and how long your session is, coupled by how often you go. While salon-tanning, you will be given the option usually of UV-free tanning (via a spray tan booth) or a tanning bed (which uses UV lights). Both of these sunless tans have the potential to give you gorgeous results!
Using a tanning bed used to get a bad rap as unnatural and dangerous, but that's not accurate - it is actually safer, and if used correctly, can get you better results than the natural way!
Cosmetic Bronzing options
Some may argue that tanning beds are fake tans. However, they still involve the use of UV lights. There's an even simpler sunless tanning alternative out there that - while more temporary - is the choice of many.
Bronzing powder is the easiest way to tan that one could ask for. All you do is apply a blush-like substance as if it were face powder and watch your skin darken. Be careful, though. While bronzer is affordable and easy to use, if you go too dark, it will make your skin look dirty. The best idea is to start out with a shade close to your natural skin color and then consider building from there.
Choosing a self-tanner
Self-tanners are a growing industry, and come in many different forms.
Wash-off tanner creams and lotions are at the forefront of just about any drug store, and self-tanning pills can easily be found if you do a quick internet search for sunless tanning options. These products are all meant to instantly simulate a tan without any UV exposure. Most of these options include DHA, which when exposed to the skin turns it a brownish tint. They often don't last more than a few days, but it's perfect for that special occasion or weekend getaway.
Preparing your skin for a tan
Whether you self-tan, salon-tan, or natural-sun tan, how to tan is closely related to how you ready your skin for the experience.
Before going to a tanning bed or applying any self-tanner, you should make sure to exfoliate your skin thoroughly. This gets rid of any rough or dead skin that is left on your surface and has yet to naturally slough off and is an important part of tanning skin care.
If you skip this step, especially with liquid or spray tanners, you could end up with a blotchy finish. Then make sure to apply lots of body lotion. Beautifully tanned skin is healthy skin, and when skin is well-hydrated and supple, it looks its best.
Applying your tanner.
Your first interaction with a bottle of tanning lotion can be frightening. You may have flashbacks to commercials filled with orange-skinned girls and find yourself too scared that you will apply it incorrectly.
The important thing to remember is to cover everything evenly. Runny or blotchy tans are a dead giveaway that your tan is not natural. Also, make sure the tanner you are applying is not too dark for you. If your natural color is Casper-white, you do not want to buy a dark tanner. As you would with a bronzing powder, purchase something just a shade or two darker than your natural color. Then, as your tan builds, you can decide to darken from there.
Perhaps most importantly, after you are done tanning, be sure to wipe off the areas that you don't want tan. Natural tans tend not to include areas like soles of feet, fingernails, and armpits. Talk about the ultimate bad tan line! Make sure your personal tan doesn't either!
Be patient.
Whether you sunless tan in a DHA spray booth or apply a lotion at home, most sunless tans will take a few hours to fully appear.
Be patient! It would be a terrible mistake to think your tan isn't dark enough and reapply too soon. You'll end up either unnaturally dark, or uneven and blotchy. DHA works when it is soaked up by the skin's cells, turning them brown when exposed to oxygen.
This is a chemical reaction! So the "tan" will take a few hours to appear and will fade as the skin cells naturally slough off over the coming days.
