Summer Top Tips

Top Tips for (sunless) Tanning

1. Exfoliate regularly – our newest find is the UR Body Oil Exfoliating System £15.00 250ml by Body Expert Joanne King. The oil and mitt combination removes old fake tan effortlessly and leaves skin soft and delectably smooth.
2. Wear gloves! To start put a glove on one hand and tan the other, let it dry and put the glove over the tanned hand, do your whole body, then remove the other glove and tan the last hand at the end.
3. Always apply body moisturizer to hands, elbows, wrists, knees, bikini area and armpits – then blend with self-tan to avoid dark patches. Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream £31.80 473ml is ideal.
4. Dihydroxyacetone is the active ingredient in self-tanning products and can make skin dry and parched, therefore, it is vital that you moisturise daily. Korres Fig Body Milk £11.50 250ml contains shea butter and jojoba oil that provide essential long-lasting hydration. If you are using a tan extender or a ‘gradual tan’ product on a daily basis, give your skin a break every 3 to 4 days.

Tan Killers

• Long showers or baths using soap - most soaps encourage the skin to exfoliate and can do real damage to your tan. We recommend Gamila’s Secret £15 cleansing bars that are nurturing and extremely gentle on skin.
• Body oil rips off your tan faster than you can say ‘Darling, give me a massage'.
• High UV protection sunscreens (30+).
• Swimming in highly chlorinated pools.

Tips to get rid of those pesky dark patches

• California Tan Corrector £19.99 60ml contains Sea Salt and sunless neutralizers help lift DHA from the skin to reduce the appearance of staining. Extracts of Rooibos and aloe provide additional skin conditioning benefits.
• Reach for your fruit bowl - lemon juice has gentle bleaching properties.
• Whitening toothpaste – let it dry and rub with a wet cloth.
• As noted above body oil strips self-tan. Be sure to apply carefully and use a small amount otherwise you may remove more than needed.

Common mistakes by sunless tanners

• Using an exfoliant with oils in it.
• Forgetting that they have moisturised that morning (moisturiser blocks the tanning solution).
• Applying lots of fragrance. It smells good but is disastrous if you apply just before you tan or or in the development time. A good tip is to mist your perfume into the air and walk through.
• Those white areas under your arms were because you left your deodorant on – use spray rather than roll on.
• Long baths or showers - your skin sheds more quickly as does your tan.
• Getting a massage using oil.
• Using high UV protection sunscreens.
• Eating sardines the night before – strange but true! They change the pH of your skin slightly, so tan will not take!
• Swimming daily in chlorinated pools.
• Forgetting to ‘patch-test’ a new product in case of allergic reaction. Lots of people are allergic to self-tans, so we recommend applying a small amount to an inconspicuous area and leave for 24 hours.
• Assuming that brand your best friend uses is also suitable for you. Everyone’s skin responds differently so a brand that looks perfectly natural on your friend might make you look like you’ve been Tangoed. There are so many good products on the market, experiment and find out what works best for you. Our favourites are: Lancaster Self-Tan Fast Dry Bronze Water Spray £16 150ml, UR Ultra Fast Tan £12 150ml and Guinot Summer Radiance Self Tan for Face £26,80 50ml

Sunbathing

With the correct preparation and products you can enjoy the sunshine and its mood-enhancing properties with confidence.

• Prepare your body – exfoliate religiously, and moisturize morning and night to rehydrate your skin.
• Take nutritional supplements to prepare from the inside-out. Proto-Col Collagen Capsules £29.95 help prepare the skin for sun exposure by boosting its defense and providing an antioxidant boost to protect against free radicals.
• Keep yourself and your skin hydrated by upping your liquid intake and be sure to avoid alcohol in the sun.
• Don’t forget to protect your hair - Kerastase Soleil Crème UV Defense Active £16.50 125ml is an excellent multi-protection crème with UV filters. If you do get caught out UR Afrodisiac Deep Treatment £8.95 200ml can transform sun-frazzled locks into soft shininess.
• Philip Kingsley Swim cap £16 is a must to protect your locks from chlorine. If your hair does go a pale shade of Kermit, apply some dispersible vitamin c or in extreme cases if there is a bib close by tomato ketchup will work wonders.
• Use a minimum of Sun Protection Factor 15 to protect the skin all over at the beginning of sun exposure. Depending on your skin –type you may gradually reduce the spy but use at least a spy 15 on your face always.