Last
Friday I wrote about my love for being tan and I promised to share the
secrets of sunless tanning that I have learned along the way. Today
I'll share some of the dos and don'ts and prepping your skin for the
application. Next Monday, I'll tell you how to apply it. So without
further ado . . .
- Best application time: Morning after showering and exfoliating the skin.
- Despite
what the bottle says, sunless tanner always goes on better and absorbs
more quickly if you apply a thin layer of lotion first. Lotion needs to
be one that absorbs into the skin fairly quickly (I love Olay Body
Quench).
- It
will take 3-4 days in a row of application to build up to a deep glow.
Then you can maintain your glow by applying it every 1-3 days
(depending on how tan you want to be). I recommend doing a good
exfoliating of your skin once a week. After you do, apply the sunless
tanner for 2 days in a row to build back your tan.
- On the days that you are "tanning", apply it and wait as long as you can before getting dressed . . . 20-30 minutes at least.
- On
tanning day(s), select clothes that will help keep your lotion from
getting rubbed off and allow for maximum drying time. For example, wear
a sleeveless shirt/tank top and shorts or crop pants. If it's a chilly
day, go for a soft, loose fitting shirt and jeans/pants that won't rub
your skin too much during the day.
- Also,
make sure you are not planning to go and water plants or get splashed
pool side right after you've put on your sunless tanner. If you are
"tanning", and water splashes on the skin, it will wash a little of the
sunless tanner away in spots . . . not a good look unless you want to be
a cheetah :-)
- Remember
that once you are "tan", you will still need to protect your skin if
you will be out in the sun for long periods of time. It's easy to
think, "oh, I've got a good tan so I won't burn now" - wrong! This is
not that kind of a tan! You will still burn under your tan so cover up
or use sunscreen!