Everyone looks better when they have a bit of a tan – the skin is shinier, with a nice glow, the clothes fit nicer and you need less makeup to effortlessly look beautiful.
In addition, if done correctly, the sun exposure improves bone health and brain function, prevents some kinds of diseases, eases depression by increasing the serotonin levels and improves sleep quality.
Although excess sunlight contributes to skin cancer, tanning safely can prevent some types of cancer. Artesian Tan has, hence, compiled a list of ways to safely tan, to make sure you are both healthy and beautiful this summer.
Here are our ten tips on how to tan safely.
1.Stay away from sunbeds
We cannot stress out this enough! Tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer and give you the tan in the unhealthiest way possible – they mimic the effects of sunrays, exposing you to UV light, damaging your skin in the process.
2.Choose the right sunscreen
It is utterly important to use the sunscreen while you are exposed to sunlight, to avoid burns or worse. Many people may not know that the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is actually the indicator of how often you should apply the sunscreen. It is the ratio of how long it takes the protected skin to burn and how long it takes unprotected skin to burn. This means that SPF 50 would provide your skin 500 times longer exposure without burning.
Pale people are advised to take higher protective factors, while people with darker skin can use lower factors.
3.Reapply sunscreen. Reapply and reapply!
Sunscreens with a higher factor should be applied less often, but keep in mind that the SPF 50 should still be applied every 2 hours for pale people.
4.Hydrate
Do not forget to drink a lot of water to keep yourself and your skin hydrated and healthy. If your skin is properly hydrated, it will retain the color longer.
5.Get a tan gradually over time
Do not try to get a tan in one day. It will not have an effect and you will only end up with a sunburn.
Getting a breathtaking tan takes time.
Gradually start exposing yourself to the sun, increasing the exposure time from day to day.
6.Suntan in the shade
It is a common misconception that you will not tan in a shade, but you will.
As black objects absorb the light, sand, which is mostly, white reflects it. Moreover, sunbathing on a sandy beach will give you a nice uniform tan, due to the grainy structure of sand which causes better reflection.
Be especially careful near water bodies as water reflects and refracts the sunrays and can make you burn faster if you’re chilling next to the pool or if you are inside the water.
7.Apply oil
You can speed up the tanning if you apply a thin layer of olive or coconut oil on your skin.
The refractive index of skin is 1,55 due to a thin layer of dead scales, which reflect ultraviolet rays off the skin. The refractive index of these oils is 1,44-1,46 and applying a thin layer of oil on skin will lower the refractive index and allow more light to penetrate.
This will also hydrate your skin.
8.Eat “skin superfoods “
“Skin superfoods“ contain a very potent antioxidant called carotene, which naturally warms up your skin tone. The antioxidants can boost the sun protection by 33% so munch on carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.
9.Protect your eyes, hair and lips
Always wear sunglasses, chap stick with SPF and a hat or a hair-protective product.
10.Cheat a bit
Another healthy alternative to getting a natural-looking tan is to get a spray tan or use self-tanning lotions. Neither include any kind of radiation, making them safe and easy to use.
Artesian Tan offers a variety of high-end equipment products for the perfect, healthy tan.
11.Bonus tip
Before getting exposed to the sun or getting a spray tan, scrub and exfoliate your skin and apply a lotion. After sun exposure, do not rub or scratch your skin, just gently tap it when using a towel. This will ensure an even, long-lasting color.
We hope our 10 pieces of advice on how to safely tan will keep you safe and ensure you a bronze glow that turns heads.