Sunless Tanning: Tips For A Safe, Gorgeous Tan

Tanning products, both sunless and sun, work on the epidermis, or the outside layer of your skin, and not the dermis or inner layer.

When you apply a tanner or tanning lotion, cr?me, spray, or towlette by gently rubbing the product into your outer skin layer, those that are most effective (the ones that list dihydroxyacetone or DHA as an active ingredient), begin to work within around 40 minutes to an hour.

DHA reacts with amino acids in the epidermis, producing a natural pigment called melanoidin that bonds with proteins in skin cells. The results are a change of color that can last up to about seven days.

Here are some tips to get the maximum benefit from your sunless tanning products.

Apply Your Self-Tanning Products At Night

Since most self-tanning lotions have no sunscreen for protection outdoors, the best time to use self-tanners is at night before going to bed.

If done earlier, allow a minimum of two hours and test for staining before putting back on your regular clothes. Use sprays or products that contain extra coloring formula earlier in the evening, or when you have more time to "dry" after applying.

Tanning How To's

1. Choose what you want to wear for tanning lines, whether it's a swimsuit or undergarments. Choose old clothing, especially without nylon, and not loose clothing.

2. Take a washcloth to exfoliate your skin, soap, moisturizer, your self-tanning lotion, disposable clear gloves, a nail brush, a ball cap, hair pins or accessories to keep hair from your face, a sponge roller brush or paintbrush if you apply product to your back, and access to a clock.

3. If you are not going to use disposable gloves, you should to wash your hands and scrub your nails about every minutes while applying the tanning product so that they don't stain orange.

4. Start with a shower or washing to remove dead, flaky and dry skin. Wash with your washcloth or exfoliation sponge, gently going in a circular motion. Dry yourself thoroughly and get hair up off your neck. Let steam out of the room.

5. Gently rub moisturizer into knees, ankles, elbows to prepare for the self-tanning solution. Some apply this to the face and neck areas, too.

6. Suit up and apply your tanning product. Beginners should practice on small areas first.

7. Begin by applying the tanning product to your legs. Work with one leg at a time, applying in a circular motion from top to bottom. Don't rub it in thin. You want a good even coating. For feet and ankles, go ahead and apply a little thinner coating.

8. Now start on your upper body. Continue applying product upwards in circular motion. Most prefer to cover the torso first, using the roller brush or paintbrush on the back, then continue with the arms.

9. Time to finish up with the neck, face, ears, nose, cheeks. "Go thin" is the motto for these areas.

10. Now it's time for drying. Wait at least 30 minutes before coming into contact with anything. Stand and read or sit on the edge of a chair and enjoy computer games, television, a friendly phone chat or something.

11. After the 30 minutes, you can wear loose clothing. Skip the jeans and other tight clothing to allow for around one to two hours. Check your specific product instructions for guidelines.

12. Keep in mind different products have different drying times, so don't get wet, even by sweating, for at least three hours.

13. Depending upon the tanning product and your skin, you may need to wash, exfoliate the dry, flaky, dead skin cells and re-apply product every few days or so. Check your product for guidelines and monitor your skin for any rashes or other irritations that could develop.

From start of application of the tanning product until complete drying time or about three hours, you can have a sunless tan that can last all week.

The chemical makeup of tanning products as well as how they interact with different parts of your body can affect tanning results. Some areas may show color variations and the tan may last longer.

Where Did My Tan Go?

Dead skin cells rub and wear off the epidermis, resulting in the fading or losing of the tan. Roughly once a month or a period between 35 to 45 days, the epidermis is regenerated.

In order to keep a tan going long-term, many companies recommend that you reapply their sunless and self-tanning products every three days.

For more tips on getting a gorgeous, long-lasting tan check out the Sunless Tanning Guide.

About the author: Priya Shah is the owner of a health portal on Natural Herbal Health Remedies

---

Beauty Tips: 10 Steps for Radiant Skin

When it comes to a glowing complexion what we put into our bodies and how we treat our skin and ourselves has a huge impact on how we look ? no skin care... Read More

How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon

Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is a very popular subject these days. Make a search on the internet for cosmetic or plastic surgery and you will get millions of results - web sites of... Read More

Choosing The Right Cosmetic Colors For YOU!

The first thing you need to do before picking out colors is to decide if you have a Warm, Neutral or Cool skin tone. One way to do this is to take a... Read More

Tips For A Glowing Skin

Do you know how and where to moisturize? Here are some helpful hints?MOISTURISING our skin is essential to maintain that 'young, beautiful' look. On another note, is it necessary to moisturize all areas... Read More

Make Your Pores Behave

Smooth and soft skin, even tone, rosy glow, pores invisible to the naked eye... Perfect complexion. Isn't that what we hope to see when coming to the mirror?But the reality is harsh and... Read More

Are You Happy With Your Hairdresser and Salon?

How many times in your life do you think you will go to a salon to get your hair cut or styled? Let's see, if you start when you're about 2 years old... Read More

Combat Frizzy Hair With These Essential Tips

Frizzy hair doesn't discriminate. It plagues both the thin and thick haired alike. If your hair has even the slightest wave or curl, it's susceptible to frizz. This article details the six critical... Read More

Your Skin can Speak Volumes

Everyone dreams of having skin that is healthy, smooth and radiant. This state of skin perfection would have to derive from proper and attentive care. Your skin could convey its wishes, its needs... Read More

Colored Contact Lenses - How to Choose the Color That is Best for You

You want colored contact lenses but you aren't sure which color would be best for you? Here are some tips that should help you select your best color.First of all there are two... Read More

Plastic Surgery Advancements

First the definition of Plastic Surgery is: Surgical repair of congenital or acquired deformities and the restoration of contour to improve the appearance and function of tissue defects. Development of this specialized branch... Read More

Why Tanning Saloons Are The New Beauty Destination

Tanning is so much in fashion that tanning saloons are mushrooming everywhere. Young men and women frequently visit tanning saloons and use their tanning beds much more often than they did earlier.Due to... Read More

Safety With Essential Oils

Essential oils are highly fragrant, volatile oils that are extracted from the flowers, leaves and other parts of plants. Essential oils generally go by the name of the plant from which they were... Read More

Unique Fun Contact Lenses - How To Stand Out In A Crowd

Unique fun contact lenses are what will make you stand out from your friends. Since special effects contact lenses are created for cosmetic purposes, they come with a power of 0.00, which means... Read More

Want to Try on That New Hair Style Before You Get It?

Hair Styles Cuts And Dos Review:Description: Hair Style Editor, Photo Uploading, Hair Style Gallery with 3,950 photos of short, medium, long, and updo photos for women.Subscription Price: $9.99Subscription Term: AnnualPayments Accepted: Visa, Mastercard,... Read More

Mexican Living: Haircuts, Doctors, and Things

There is a universal, absolute, immutable, infrangible, and inviolable fact of the universe (like gravity and bad breath) that one rarely considers: No matter what you tell your haircut person (notice how nonsexist... Read More

Beating Dry Skin and Dandruff the Natural Way

For most of my life I've struggled with dry skin and dandruff. I've gone through every cream and shampoo available on the market without any acceptable results. I started to look to diet... Read More

Help Prevent Wrinkles Through Dieting

How many times has your mother told you, you are what you eat? As you probably know, Mom knows best. So it's no surprise that what we feed our bodies does affect what... Read More

Being a Beautiful Bride

Everybody wants to be a glowing beautiful bride on that special day. Taking care of your skin will make it appear more flawless when the makeup artist will apply the foundation.Drink plenty of... Read More

Non Prescription Contact Lenses Are the Best Way to Alter Your Look Without Altering Your Sight

Today's world has a staggering 75 million contact lens wearers, with 31 million living within the United States. Though it might seem as though this is an awfully large number of people who... Read More

Rejuvenating Technology for Skin and Body!

Currently, tremendous interest and research are being focussed on anti-oxidants and their role in helping to reverse... Read More

Permanent Cosmetics

What is Permanent Makeup?Permanent makeup is a state-of-the-art form of cosmetic tattooing. The specialized techniques used for permanent cosmetics are often referred to as micropigmentation, micropigment implantation or dermagraphics. The cosmetic implantation technique... Read More

Dry Skin - Causes and Solutions For Great Looking and Feeling Skin

Dry skin, also referred to as xerosis or eczema or asteatosis, and erroneously as icthyosis, is a multi-faceted condition which periodically afflicts most of the population regardless of race or sex at one... Read More

Natural Anti Aging Formula to drive you Nuts!

The beauty world is going nuts this season. From coconut in your moisturisers to almonds in your lip balm... nuts are everywhere. Nut and seed oils such as sesame and grape seed are... Read More

A Guide to Beauty Salon Equipment

Beauty salon equipment is a broad term that applies to various pieces of equipment all having uniquely different functions within the beauty industry. The type of beauty salon equipment found within a salon's... Read More

Hair Stylist - Record Holder

Have you ever seen hair stylist cutting hair with Fire & Blindfolded or Glass or a paper-cutter? Imagine, Stylist burning your hair with fire, and sometimes that too blindfolded? Scary isn't? but its... Read More

Treating Ingrown Hairs -- Product Comparison

Ingrown hairs occur when hairs that have been waxed or shaved or otherwise removed grow back without exiting the follicle. These hairs coil under the skin and create unsightly and painful bumps or... Read More

Home Tanning Beds Are A Great Investment

If you're like many of us and just have to have that suntan whether it's August or January then you should seriously think about buying a home tanning bed. Home tanning beds are... Read More

What the Peat Bog People Can Tell Us About Beauty

Over the past centuries, remains of many hundreds of people-- men, women, and children--have come to light in peat bogs in northwestern Europe, especially in Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and... Read More

Mineral Cosmetics from the Dead Sea

Does the idea of using chemicals and preservatives on your skin concern you? Many cosmetic products and skincare products include all sorts of chemicals, preservative and things that you can't pronounce. Pure, natural... Read More