There are tons of tips to get you the best looking possible tan and actually keeping it. Today we’ll go over a few of these and give you a better idea of how indoor tanning beds work.
Most of us want to tan everyday and get our tan within a week; this is not a very good idea and could heavily damage your skin, ultimately leaving you looking like a lobster or over drying your skin. You need to build up a base tan before you can go tanning regularly. Building up a base could take anywhere from five to ten tan sessions, depending on your skin type. If you are fair skinned, your skin tends to dry out quickly or easily, you should not visit the salon anymore than once every other day. Also, one of the most important parts of tanning is keeping your skin moisturized with a good moisturizer. Keeping your skin moisturized keeps your skin from over drying, and even helps extend the life of your tan.
Another good tanning tip is the maintenance of your tan. Once you have a good base tan built, you should still continue to tan at least twice a week. With a base tan, you will not get burned and continuing to tan will ensure you have that everlasting, golden glow. Some avid tanners like to switch between low intensity and high intensity beds once they have a base tan built up as well. Switching between tanning beds could even save you a couple bucks from not using those often expensive, high intensity beds every time but allowing you to keep your tan.
If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you look into an accelerating lotion. For those of you with dry skin, accelerating lotions can boost and enhance your tan. Please note that indoor tanning products differ from outdoor tanning, be sure to choose the right lotions. If using an accelerator, you want to make sure it contains a good moisturizer to keep your skin nourished while improving your tan.
Believe it or not, what you eat and the soap you use can affect your tan as well. Surprisingly enough, after you have your base tan, eating foods loaded with beta-carotene, such as; carrots, radishes, tomatoes, citrus, celery, broccoli, parsley and even lettuce can extend your tan even longer. The key behind this is balancing your consumption since too much can cause you to burn. As for soaps, certain soaps such as Coast, Zest, Irish Spring, Lever 2000 and other deodorant and ivory type soaps will cause your skin to dry out. When you tan, you should stick with moisturizing soaps such as Dove or Tone.
Some body parts such as the breasts, stomach, buttocks, etc. are not often tanned while wearing a swimsuit or clothes. Taking your time and gradually increasing your tan time will ensure that these sensitive areas do not burn. Be sure to pay attention to these areas when moisturizing. You could wear your swimsuit while tanning but this will leave you with tan lines that could potentially show in certain types of clothing.
The final and most important tanning bed tip is wearing eye protection. You must ALWAYS wear eye protection while tanning indoors. Not wearing goggles while tanning can cause severe damage to your eyes in the long term which may include intense pain and burning. There are many options and different types of tanning goggles. Make sure which ever set of goggles you choose or the goggles your salon provides fit you correctly and cover your eyes entirely. You are also not advised to wear contact lenses while tanning.
Tanning or building your base tan can be a lengthy process and should not be rushed. You risk the possibility of severe injury from burns if you tan too quickly or too often. If you want a quick tan, there are other alternatives to tanning beds such as Spray or Airbrush Tanning.
You can also check with any of your local indoor tanning salons and ask them any questions or concerns you may have or you can visit our Tanning Forum to ask one of our experienced members!
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