Let It Glow! Glam and Tan time.

With apologies to my East Coast fans caught in an April snow-storm, this blog post is on how to tan safely! It’s warm here on the West Coast and lots of folks are getting ready for Spring Break too! The only safe way to tan is to fake it. And I have the inside scoop on the best way to do that. While there are many options for self-tanners, don’t “overthink” this. It’s fairly straightforward, but it is a process. I get compliments all the time on my tan and people can’t believe its not real. Trust me, I’m into it and have done the research so you don’t have to. 

STEP 1: The number one key to getting a flawless sunless tan is exfoliation and moisturized skin. Think about it. Your skin is always, always trying to shed dead cells on the body. If your skin is dry and cracked with dead skin cells, the self tanner is not going to go on evenly or smoothly, and it won’t last as long, since “colored” dead skin cells will be shed soon. Prepare for your sunless tan by exfoliating in the shower the day before your tan. And if you have not exfoliated in a while, do it for 3-5 days first! Always apply a moisturizer after getting out of the shower. We’ve talked about this already. Now, the day of the tan, do not exfoliate or apply lotion within 4 to 5 hours before you apply the sunless tanner. 

I have two favorite product based exfoliators: this one from Rodan and Fields approved for both face and body. The exfoliating agent is a combination of salt and sugar in a high-glide, oil-free formula. The lack of oil in this formula is fabulous for self-tanners because anything that has a lot of oil in it can break down the tan applied later. There is barely any scent as well, in fact, I don’t smell any. It is also extremely concentrated. A little bit goes a very long way. I also like either one of these exfoliators from La Liscious - both have a scent (flowers or ”fresh”). This product only uses sugar as its exfoliator and combines it with Coconut and Sweet Almond Oil as a moisturizer, so you definitely want to wait at least a day to apply self-tanner if you are exfoliating with it. The La Licious product is too strong for the face - only use on the body. 

Make sure you are applying a great body moisturizer as well. I use one that is formulated to work with my sunless tanner. It’s a great prep and a perfect follow on after applying the tan, to make it last.

STEP 2: If Step 1 is to exfoliate, Step 2 is to apply the sunless tanner! There are many out there to choose from. I have been sunless tanning regularly for 10 years. I’ve used spray tans, lotions, towels, mousses - you name it, I have tried it or applied it on others. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are two general types of self-tanning products. The kind with makeup in them for an instant color and the kind without. I am sure you can guess that the type that gives you an “instant glow” is the kind that rubs off on your clothes, car seat, chairs etc. That’s the makeup rubbing off. If you want an instant glow, it’s only going to come from makeup. The second type of sunless tanner, is the one that does not have makeup in it. This type of product goes on clear. So if you are upset that your tanner is always coming off on your clothes, then switch to a clear formulation. 

Both types of products (makeup included and without makeup) stain your skin over the course of a few hours to give you a lasting tan. The products are considered safe overall on the skin because they are staining the dead skin cells that we all have, and we all slough off, and very little absorbs into the skin. As the product does it’s work, it can give off an odor, which is where the “smelly” reputation comes from. But I have to say the industry has made such strides in this area, that it’s easy to find products that barely have a scent if at all. 

A pro to the self applied tanners vs the spray tans, is that you don’t inhale any of the product while applying. A con however, is that it can be very difficult to apply to your back yourself, for example.  When it comes right down to it, the format is one of personal preference. I currently live and die by the Rodan and Fields Sunless Tanner. It is hands down my favorite and has been for a long time. There are so many pros to this product, I will simply bullet point them here:

• Mousse format means very little streaking and very easy to apply. 
  
• Barely noticeable scent.
• Beautiful light brown color. Not too dark. If you want it darker, simply apply two days consecutively.
• Dries down very quickly.
• No makeup so no rubbing off on clothes or sheets etc.
• Color develops over 2 to 4 hours.
• Tan lasts for 5 days.
• Formulated by a dermatologist and all ingredients are FDA-approved.
• Great price point at $26. I get 5 to 6 applications from one bottle. 

I use a mitt to apply the product and then I wash my hands. I then pump a quarter sized amount of mousse onto the backs of my hands and rub them together to finish up. ALWAYS GET YOUR MANICURE AND PEDICURE BEFORE SELF TANNING. This is key. You don’t want nail polish remover taking of the tan on your fingers and toes! 

While many self-tanners are approved for the face, including the Rodan and Fields one, I don’t apply any to my face. Why? Two reasons: (1) I clean and moisturize my face every night and morning with top of the line skincare products aimed at helping me eradicate dead skin and dullness. So any tan (be sunless or not) fades unevenly if you are taking care of your skin. (2) I have sensitive, and what can be acne-prone, skin. I don’t like to put any products on my face that might disturb the careful balance of good karma I’ve got going with it now! Every once in a while for a BIG occasion, I do use it on my face. And it does look awesome, but it’s definitely NOT a regular thing with me.

So what do I do since my body is tan from the sunless tanner and my face is not? I change up my makeup so it’s a bit darker than normal. Easy.

STEP 3: Making it last! As mentioned above, any type of oil based lotion or cream moisturizer is going to break down your tan, yet we want our tans to last. Oh, the conundrum! The best way is to keep up the moisturizer but without ingredients that can break down the tan. It’s more difficult than you might think to find the right product in this area. That’s why most companies will sell a moisturizer along with their sunless tanning product. The one I use during the day is formulated to work with a sunless tan and has an SPF 30 in it. I use it’s “brother” at night. 

Rather see a video on all this? Here’s a good one. It’s only a bit longer than 2 minutes and gives you a great baseline example of the whole process. 

Remember, the only safe tan is the sunless one!