The weather is so nice that it’s ideal to lie in the sun and get a tan. Of course you should always protect yourself from the sun with sunscreen, but there are also a few handy tricks and tips to get a tan faster. These are all safe and the effect is guaranteed! But of course you want to enjoy your color for a long time, I give you tips!
Tips for getting tanned faster:
Take a refreshing swim
A day at the beach is not such a bad idea, put on lotion and go in the water! You’ll tan much faster in the water than on dry land. Of course you can also just go to a swimming pool, as long as it’s water!
Sun protection with a bronzing effect
You see them more and more in commercials. Sunscreens that are supposed to make you tan faster. A few years ago Nivea (I think) was the first to come out with a protect and bronzing sunscreen. Now all brands have such a variant sunscreen. I have one from Kruidvat, but whether it is really effective I do not know.
Scrubbing
Before you go out into the sun it might be a good idea to give your body a good scrub. By exfoliating your body you remove the dead skin cells and you have a nice smooth skin that is ready for the sun to take on a nice tan. And you also don’t have the chance of the old skin cells turning brown and they quickly come off again with your tan.
Short periods
If you immediately go out in the sun for a long time and get a nice tan, it will disappear much quicker than if you go out for an hour every day. So go lie in the sun for an hour every day instead of lying in the baking sun all day every now and then. This way you will retain your tan much longer.
Carrots and tomatoes
No, we don’t want to look carrot orange from the wrong foundation or tomatoes red from burnt skin. But what we do want to do with these veggies is eat them! Eat them? Yes, eat them! Carrots and tomatoes contain carotene, this is a substance in your body that makes your skin browner. So if you make a sandwich in the morning, put some extra tomatoes on it and drink a nice carrot juice in between, you will be fine if you eat this every day!
Oil
A bizarre tip that I have heard people say is that they rub their bodies with olive oil or sunflower oil. You really shouldn’t do this. It is extremely dangerous because there is no protection for the skin and you burn really fast. Nowadays there are plenty of oils on the market that do offer good protection for your skin. Just walk into a Kruidvat and you will find plenty of oils that do protect your skin in the sun and you will also tan faster.
Insmore
Perhaps the biggest myth ever is that you do not get a tan from sunscreen. This is true, but your bandage does not. Of course, the effect is much greater when you look in the mirror when you’re bright red instead of a little tan touched up. But after the red you get a tan and in the end you are just as tanned as if you had rubbed yourself in. So just rub yourself in!
Self tanner
These days I do sneak around a bit, my legs are not nicely tanned so I just grab a self tanner. I spray it on and suddenly my legs are much browner than they were a few hours ago. By the way, if I lay down in the sun with self-tanner my legs get even browner than they were.
Do you need a mirror?
You’ve probably seen it in plenty of movies, when they’re lying on the beach and using some sort of mirror for their face. This does indeed make you tan faster because of the reflecting light you get on your face. Don’t feel like holding a mirror? Then you really should get on a plane and travel to a white pebble beach, because this also works perfectly as a mirror.
Aftersun
After sunbathing you really should apply an aftersun immediately, even if you are not sunburned. This will restore the condition of your skin and make sure that you don’t peel and lose your tan. After sunbathing you should always apply an aftersun!
That way you will stay tan longer:
Actually it’s already a little bit the same as above, but I sum them all up again, because of course you want to enjoy your tan for a long time! Scrub your skin well before sunbathing, because your skin renews itself every 10 days. Scrub off the old layer so the new skin can pick up the tan. Rub yourself in well! A burned skin gets a quick tan, but if you peel you’re just as white as before, so with a sunburn you will eventually tan because you do not peel! Even if you are not sunburned, it is important to moisturize your skin. Your skin really needs the moisture now, so apply an aftersun or body lotion! Do you have a sunbed or do you have one at the gym? Do you have a nice tan and would you like to keep it? Then go once a month under the sunbed, you will keep your tan.
So, these were my tips, I’m off to enjoy the sunshine again with a book and work on my tan in a sensible way! Are you also enjoying the beautiful weather?