We all know the dangers of getting too much sun and I wrote about both how to get rid of a sunburn as well as the danger of getting too much sun.
Today I wanted to live out a bit of a dream and write about how to get your best suntan ever.
Why get the best suntan possible? Well as Chris Stephens, the DJ on the television show Northern Exposure once said
“Sometimes you have to do something bad – just to know you’re alive.”
My Suntan History
Back when I was 15 to 20 I tried every Summer to get the greatest suntan ever and I used to tell my buddy Darin White and I would one day write a book about how to get the best suntan.
Well, this is not a book but it is an opportunity to spill everything I ever learned over the years about how to get the best suntan.
I believe that there are 10 steps and then I will end with a bunch of tips of what I think are important tips on how to get the best tan this summer that you have ever had.
Here are the 10 steps first that you will need to do in the first place to get a good tan.
Lufa and Exfoliate
Exfoliating your skin is a very good idea. When you are getting a suntan the color that you get is a result of the skin reacting to the sun.
If you have dead skin on top of your good skin then it will be blocking the sun.
When exfoliating your skin be sure not to scrub hard, you may want to get the dead skin off but you do not want to hurt your good skin underneath so be sure to just lightly scrub your skin.
Lather on the Suntan Lotion
I know that you may think that using suntan lotion may be against the idea of getting a dark tan it is really a requirement.
First of all, choose a suntan lotion that has a lot of moisturizer in it.
What I would recommend if you want to get a dark tan is to make sure that you have about an SPF factor of 8 or 10 and make sure that you spread it all over, do not miss any spots.
The good thing about wearing a suntan lotion is that it allows your body to gradually get a tan instead of tanning very quickly and then getting a burn.
You want to go slow getting a great tan as it will last longer and be easier to get dark without burning. Remember that suntan lotion does not do anything for about a half an hour so you must but the sun tan lotion on a little while before you go out.
Tan For Only One To Two Hours Per Day
You do not need a lot of hours of sun but it is important if you want a good tan to make sure that you get one to two hours a day EVERY day as the consecutive days are going to give you that good tan not the number of hours in one day.
The important thing in your suntanning time is to make sure that you are getting your whole body tanned. Do not miss any spots and make sure that you follow this for at least a few days so that you body can gradually get color.
Tan Your Whole Body
If at all possible get some kind of reflective blanket to lie on when you are suntanning so that your sides, as well as the insides and outsides of your legs, get a tan.
The sun comes from above and the most impressive tan is one that is smooth and even around your whole body.
It is easy enough to get your front and back tanned but how about your sides and the back of your arms?
When tanning your front have your arms up and your head slightly back so that you can tan under your arms as well as the back of your arms and get your neck tanned as well.
When on your stomach keep your arms out as well so that you are tanning the tops of your forearms and shoulders. Flip every 15 minutes to half hour.
Shower After Your Suntanning Time
Do not over shower. This means that if you have a shower in the morning and then suntan in the afternoon have only a very quick shower to wash off the suntan lotion.
If at all possible do not have a shower in the day until after you have had your suntanning time so on the weekends perhaps you can tan in the morning instead of the afternoon.
Also, when you shower never use soap except on stinky areas such as your underarms I say no soap on your skin as soap will dry your skin and may peel off some of that skin that are getting color.
Moisturize Day and Night
Moisturizers are very important for keeping your skin healthy. Use a good moisturizer when you get up in the morning as well as after your sun tanning session and then at night before you go to bed.
The more moist that your skin is the more radiant is look and feels and the longer that you will be able to keep your tan as your skin will stay alive and healthier for longer.
Drink lots of water
Sun tanning is all about the outer layer of your skin so make sure that skin is healthy. One of the best things that you can do for your skin is to drink a lot of water.
Water will keep your body hydrated and therefore will keep your skin hydrated as well.
Do not just drink water while you are out in the sun working on that tan but make sure that you start your day with a big glass of water and drink water throughout your day.
Tan for consecutive days
One day of sun will not do a lot and a long day of sun will just lead to a burn. Have you ever noticed that when people go skiing in the winter and get a suntan or sunburn that it goes away in just a couple of days?
The important thing to do to get a deep tan and to have it last is to get suntanning time for as many consecutive days as possible.
If you tan one day and then again a couple of days later then that first day’s base tan has been wasted, this is why most people can not get a deep tan, all they do is get suntime on the weekends and do not try to get sun during the week.
Never get a sunburn
A sunburn is a condition that will kill the skin cells that you are trying to get color for. Never ever let you skin get burned as you will need to wait for this skin to naturally lose its color and then start your consecutive days of sun again.
I have failed at this point time and time again by not being patient about my suntanning and by being careless with my suntan lotion. Don’t make that mistake, it is really up to you to be careful.
Stay Away From Extra Sun
You have a plan that you can follow for getting a suntan and on the weekends what will happen is that you will have plenty of opportunities to get extra sun and this can and will inevitably lead to getting too much sun and a sunburn.
The best way to avoid this extra sun is to plan ahead. Have a very strong SPF 30 suntan lotion that you put on often, wear a hat, wear well covering but loose fitting clothes and of course sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Some Extra Sun Safe Tips to Remember
Now that you have the 10 point plan to get a good suntan I thought I could get a few tips in that do not really fit into those ten points for suntanning but nonetheless are important anyway.
When tanning cover your head when tanning your back. This is important because when you tan your face it gets enough sun. When you are tanning your back you do not want your face to get yet more sun.
The most sensitive parts of your body are the neck, backs of legs and on the face are the nose, forehead and under the eyes, make sure that you always have a good layer suntan lotion on theses spots so that you can get a tan before these areas would burn.
Watch your waistband. Try to make sure that you legs and waistband are in the same spot in each of your tanning sessions, this way you will have a pronounced tan line and will also be able to tell how tanned you have got.
I know some people that will let the waistband move an inch up or down on consecutive days so that they can tell how today is tanning compared to yesterday.
Your full tan will not show up for four hours or more. When you are out in the sun do not get too concerned about how little color you are getting, the bulk of it will show up four to six hours later. As you probably remember from the past if you get a burn that sunburns will not sometimes show up or will definitely get worse in the evening after you were out.
I hope these tips all help you this year to get your best suntan ever.
I think one of the most important things to getting a great tan ( and I have one 🙂 ) is staying away from excess sun after you’ve spent your first hour or two tanning, after all you don’t want to burn. However, who wants to sit inside when the weather is nice outside, especially when you’re a fitness guru? As an athlete and an avid lover of the outdoors I was turned on to this stuff called “Kinesys Performance Sunscreen” by a girlfriend of mine. I went to their website and ordered a bottle (about $15 dollars) and tried it out,..the stuff is outstanding. I’m big into cycling and volleyball so in order to keep my tan from turning into a burn I have to wear sunscreen, which I usually hate because of the grease and the fact that it can run into my eyes when I sweat, but I haven’t had any of those problems with this Kinesys stuff. I remcommend it to all fellow fintness fanatics and lovers of the sun.
but we should know what is your type of skin, some people can stay all day long on the sun and wont get sun burn, my type of skin is really white, but i went to sun tanning two times i used whose lotions which has bronzants and stuff and my tan looks really perfect, still it isnt the tan i want, maybe i will try use your tips:) thank you
Great tips 😀 … but i like my way which is:
apply baby oil all over your body at about 7am then let it dry in abit and at about 10am go out in the sun and sizzle all day till the sunsets and make sure you are drinkin plenty of water in the process.
always works for me 😀 x
thanks for the great tips……you know every time i want a great suntan (bronz)i get darker than it
if i wear sunglasses i wont get a suntan on my eyes so i don’t really know what to do 🙁
the sun lotion i have is Malibu it is a spf 15 is it good?please tell me
wow im 15 and going to california soon and i was gonna use spf 10 and stay in the sun all day….thnx for saving me from sunburn and a bad tan…and how tan will i get in a week??i also heard there are oxidizers that help keep color in your skin, oxidizers are like lotion
All day in the sun with an SPF 10? Are you crazy? Staying in the sun all day is dangerous. If you need to stay in the sun all day wear a much higher SPF. If you are concentrating on getting a good tan then limit your time in the sun and wear a lower SPF.
Sorry, I know nothing about oxidizers.
The key with a good Suntan is to NOT burn. What I do is early in the summer I start off useing an SPF 25 then I gradually work down to an SPF 8 by mid July. I find this is a good way to get dark and not burn. I am a huge fan of the Caribbean Solutions brand suntan lotion. The quality of the product is great and you don’t feel oily and gross after you put it on like most suntan lotions. Here is a list of all of the diffrent SPFs they sell.
http://www.evitaminstore.com/shop/catalog/Brands/Caribbean-Solutions/Caribbean-Solutions-p-1.html
Whatever you do if your not naturally dark stick with an SPF 25 to start then work down. I have been doing this for years along with moisturizing and it works well.
Finally someone who can give simple advice!
I tan really easily and go full on dark but just wanted a few tips
Thanks 🙂 cant wait for the summer now..
good tips 🙂
here in Melbourne (Australia)
it is 40 degrees everyday
so hot!
Hey, really great tips! im going to Mexico in a couple of days and wanted to come back with a great tan rather than a burn and since i am an impatient person when it comes to sitting still, i was considering using sun tan oil to get the tan quicker. But thanks for all the tips, im going to go buy myself sunblock instead! Again thanks alot!!!!!!
Great tips! You were spot on about how to get and keep a great tan. Moisturizing is key!
http://www.tanningsalontan.com/ has a great guide that lets you select what you are looking for in a tanning lotion, whether it be, hemp, aloe, bronzer etc.. It then spits out different lotions that have what you are looking for. Take a look its pretty neat.
This is advice for people that want to get the most out of a tan, not really for people to come on and tell us not to sunbathe.
Hiya, i agree not to sunbathe HOWEVER.. i think its vitamin D that the suns rays carry in them, playing in the sun with sun cream is very good. obviously dont be silly.. drink plenty of water and have rests, and also dont stay in the sun for too long. its sunbathing that causes skin cancer but playing around in the sun and constantly moving is a good idea.
John – sunbeds will get you used to the uv rays so may help, if you want a nice tan before you go somewhere hot tho.. expose your body more while your walking the dog or something – this gets your skin used to the outside, i used to never wear shorts or skirts, so went away and didnt tan atall on my legs, after a year of wearing shorts when ever i could i went away again and got great tan! Thats why its more common to get sun burn on your arms/shoulers/neck/chest, its the most exposed bit of skin on your body.
Hope this helps some people. and i agree with the gradual tanning that was said at the beginning. happy tanning people! 🙂
hey every one dont sunbathe its bad for u make sure your yousing lotion at all time so beware the sun getts realy hot and if you have youngsters make sure they have got plenty of lotion on
will using a sunbed before you go abroad enhance your tan or not.
Yeahh sun bed will increase your tan because you’ll have a base tan & your body will be used to harsh sunlight before you start exposing your self to it all at once, build up a light tan on the sun beds then you’ll get a killer tan on holiday.
I think you should proof read better to correct the numerous spelling and grammar mistakes that were made. Excellent info though.
Speaking of sunburns¦ with the skin cancer rate skyrocketing don’t forget to protect yourself this summer! We have a great line of rash guards and dry shirts that will give you SPF 150+ protection in and around the water. A new weapon to add to your skin protection arsenal. 🙂
http://www.BeachTrading.com
That is great advice. All this talk about sun tanning is making me sad thinking about the harsh Canadian winter upon me 🙂
Maybe I will have to take a trip somewhere sunny?
what suntan oil or ltion is better to use, the spf 2 or spf 8
So once you reach the level of darkness you want. How would you go about maintaining that tan?
—- Just make sure that you are getting some sun for a a bit of time every day or two instead of the longer amounts that you have been getting to get that great base tan
bill
Thanks for the info im goin to cuba this weekend and hope to get a nice tan =)
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COMMENT:
i disagree with spending consecutive days in the sun, that may not be such a good idea maybe every other day. Ideally it typically takes about 4 exposures to develop a base tan and DO NOT use lotions that have no spf like tan 2 max made by a brand i won’t mention but its cheap and you can get it at walmart so everyone thinks it’s right, don’t use it in a tanning bed or outside, that stuff eats the acrylic of the tanning bed, what do you think it’s doing to your skin? anyways ideally you want to get something like a sunblock from your local tanning salon because the sunblock for your local drug store does not contain ingrediants that activley tan you look for brands like california tan and australian gold! also if you wanna boost it tan at your local tanning salon maybe 4 times to get the base you need before you head outside with your lotion and your reflective blanket!!
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COMMENT:
I agree with some of what was said but I feel it is important to note that some areas of the body are particularly more at risk then others, mainly the facial area.
Are faces are constantly exposed to the sun’s UV rays as we walk around in the sun to and from the beachh for example. Because our face is exposed so much we must give that area extra protection. This should be the first area we apply sun screen to and the area we should apply sunscreen to regulary. there is a new sunbathing accessory on the market called Cush’n Shade which is portable sunshade for the face. It was only launched on the market in July 2006 and is becoming extremely popular. It can be bought from http://www.cushnshade.com and costs $29.95.
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COMMENT:
I agree with some of what was said but I feel it is important to note that some areas of the body are particularly more at risk then others, mainly the facial area.
Are faces are constantly exposed to the sun’s UV rays as we walk around in the sun to and from the beachh for example. Because our face is exposed so much we must give that area extra protection. This should be the first area we apply sun screen to and the area we should apply sunscreen to regulary. there is a new sunbathing accessory on the market called Cush’n Shade which is portable sunshade for the face. It was only launched on the market in July 2006 and is becoming extremely popular. It can be bought from http://www.cushnshade.com and costs $29.95.
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COMMENT:
Thanks a lot – I was surfing the web for a good site that would tell me how to get a good tan, and this sounds like it’ll work really well – I’m off to Maui in a couple weeks, and will try your ’10 steps’:). Again, thanks for sharing.
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COMMENT:
yeah im really glad that you put these 10 steps up, i have tried to get really tan my whole life, but i would only get tan in the summer and then it would go away around december, im out to tan this 4 day weekend and hope i will come back to school with a great tan, thanks a bunch hope this works
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