Summer is coming quickly! (Yay – for family time, vacations, and relaxation! Ugh – for hot sweatiness!) The thing on my mind lately has been how to get a healthy glow. I like the look of a tan for a lot of reasons. It reduces the appearance of uneven coloring and cellulite, makes legs and stomach appear thinner, and I feel more confident with a little color. As I get older, I see more and more evidence of the damage that the sun has done to my skin. Each time I find a new spot I think of how much more damage is there that I can’t even see. This is where my thoughts have led me to research how to keep my skin healthy, but get the color I desire.
Natural sun tanning and tanning beds are out for me. I use SPF on my face everyday and if I will be outside for any prolonged time, my whole body gets some. Here is some info on SPF you may or may not know:
- Not all sunscreens protect against UVA and UVB rays. Check the label!
- Sunblock is made to block all reaction from the sun and sunscreen reduces some of the exposure to rays, but still allows your skin to react and tan, while hopefully keeping you from getting burned.
- Everyone’s skin is different and you know from experience what type and level of SPF works for you. If you want some guidance, ask your doctor/dermatologist or an informed sales specialist.
There is the option of spray tanning. This is where you go and get sprayed with a dye that gives your skin color. There are some natural formulas for this which is better than putting a bunch of chemicals on your skin… which are then absorbed into your body. The main concern with this method is the inhalation of the mist.
My preference is at-home sunless tanning products. There are very few products of this type that have healthy ingredients. I turned to our favorite esthetician, Breanna from Healthy Skin AZ, to get her opinion on the best products to use. I am super excited to find out that she is currently working on her own sunless tanning products that will be available soon! She wants to create products that are skin friendly and aren’t itchy, won’t cause breakouts, pr have strong odors. I cannot wait to try these products out! In the meantime, here is Breanna’s favorite self tanner.
It uses a natural sugar derivative to provide a tan in as little as three hours. This product can be used on the face and body and does not leave a strong smell like most other self tanners.
Do you have a certain way you like to get tan? Or do you embrace your natural skin?
Photo Credit (Headshot) Dream Photography Studio