Happy Thursday Everyone!!
I am still at the beach having the best time! I hope you are having a great week too!
Luckily I was born with skin that tans very easy, but a lot of people weren’t. Today I will show you everything you can do to achieve a really nice summer tan! Keep reading.
For the first initial steps you can do this with any type of tanning such as outdoor, tanning bed, or self tan. Whatever your vice may be. I personally like tanning outdoors because it is the most natural looking tan. This may not be a post that everyone is interested in and that’s fine, but I personally feel better and look better with a tan. Plus I’m getting lots of Vitamin D. :)
Step 1. Prepare your skin for the best tan by exfoliating in the shower or dry brushing before you shower (find out how to dry brush here). I either use a loofah that you can literally get for like 50 cents or a really nice sugar scrub. I personally love all different types of sugar scrubs but at the moment I’m LOVING the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Tropical Mango… it smells so so good. This is a really abrasive scrub so if you have sensitive skin this might irritate you. You can also make your own scrub by clicking here. You would need to shave before exfoliating.
Step 2: Moisturize your skin with your favorite lotion, nothing too heavy though. You want something that will quickly absorb into your skin. Well hydrated skin will tan much better than dry, dusty skin. Doing this before self-tanning will also help smooth out the area and end up leaving it less streaky.
Step 3: If you are tanning outside please put on sunscreen and you know why, but also it prevents against pre-mature aging. Plus your tan is going to stay around a lot longer if you apply sunscreen regularly like the standard 45 minutes. This will protect your skin from getting burned. Use whatever SPF you are comfortable with, you know your skin. I always use a different sunscreen for my face because I want something that is specifically designed for faces. I don’t have time for it to be clogging my pores and breaking me out.
Step 4: This is optional but I love to use a browning lotion to intensify my tan. I’ve never been a huge fan of tanning oils because I feel all gross after applying them, and I feel like once you get in the water all of that comes off. I found this really cool Browning Lotion from Maui Babe and I absolutely love it. I mean this was made in Hawaii, those people are tan right? Haha. But it’s an all natural “locals secret” type of product. It smells like brown sugar and cinnamon and once it’s rubbed in you are good to go. It doesn’t leave any residue or greasiness. And I love the fact that you can use SPF before you use this so you are still being protected. This is the outdoor formula but they make it for tanning beds, and self-tanning as well. This can be found at Ulta.
As you can see it goes on brown but when rubbed in it just gives your skin a nice glow and doesn’t look weirdly fake or anything.
Step 5: Make sure you are turning over. If you want an even tan then you have to turn over and lay on your stomach, and sometimes lay on your sides too. I’m obviously not talking about self-tanning anymore haha.
Step 6: Once you are done tanning for the day take a shower and wash off all the sweat, sunscreen, and other products and hop out of the shower and moisturize again. Your tan will not stick around if your skin is dry because it will just flake right off and you will be left with what you started with. I use one specifically made for “after sun exposure”. If you got burnt use one with Aloe Vera in it to help heal and cool down the burn. I’m not really picky with brands but I found this Australian Gold Moisture Lock Tan Extender last year at the beach and I like it. I really want these types of lotions to smell beachy and it does.
And that is all I do to keep a nice tan all Summer long! My main tip is definitely to exfoliate, moisturize, and protect your skin.
If you tan do you prefer tanning outdoors, indoors, or self-tanning?
Have you entered my GIVEAWAY yet? You still have a few days to do so, so head on over to enter! (Click here)
I stick mostly to self tanners these days, especially on my face, but when I’m on vacation I’m definitely spending more time in the sun. I love those tree hut scrubs, they smell so delicious and work really well for being so inexpensive!
Oh I know I love those! They have so many really great scents!!
I am one of those people who cannot tan. I’ve just accepted I’m going to be white and wear sunscreen to keep from getting burned : )
Haha aww well at least you know that you don’t really tan so you can protect yourself with a good SPF!
I want to try that browning lotion! I am not a fan of oils either, and I don’t want to have a fake-looking tan. It takes my skin forever to tan, but if I am out in the sun on a consistent basis I build up a pretty good tan during the summer. It’s nice being a nanny because we can play outside.
Yea you should definitely try it! Especially since you live close to the beach! I love that it’s a natural product and not bad for your skin so you can feel a little bit better about using it! I’ve used it all week this week while at the beach and I think it’s made a big difference!