Melanin ℞

As a lot of females do, I love being tan. I think everyone looks so much better with a little glow (obviously I'm not talking dorito tan) - I know there's so much negative media and hype surrounding the topic of tanning, and I've been told by countless people that tanning is unattractive, or it's bad for you and I should stop, etc..

But I'm here to tell you... I DONT CARE. I love tanning, I've been tanning at a salon since around age 13 and I worked at a salon for about two years. Aside from the physical change in color of skintone, I'm a big fan of vitamin D and endorphins (the reason tanning can literally be addictive). Yes I'm fully aware of the health risks such as skin cancer, sun spots, and premature aging of the skin, etc. I'm an adult, I'm still going to do what I want.

So.. today I'm going to get into some tips/tricks/product recommendations for tanning. If you're not interested in tanning or feel like hating on this topic, please feel free to click away at this point in time :)

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Tips/Tricks for the Perfect Tan

- Exfoliate! Use a loofa or scrubbie in the shower before you go tan, sloughing away all those dead skin cells will help you get a nice even tan and will help your moisturizer absorb better and more quickly.

- Use a good quality lotion that is meant for indoor tanning. Scroll down to the recommendations to see what lotions I love to use! You can buy them where you tan, but most salons mark up their prices by 100% or more which is crazy as HELL. They'll tell you it's unsafe and unreliable to buy online, but I've been buying from an online seller for years and never had a problem. I buy from a seller called "GEOCORB" on eBay, click HERE to see their selection.

- Use good quality equipment. Obviously this will depend pretty much entirely on what salons are near you and what they have. Personally I tan at Palm Beach Tan, they have lots of locations all over the country. I use a variety of different beds, but here's an example of the kinds of beds I'm using. 

- Rotate your beds and lotions. Don't tan in the same kind of bed every single time you go, and don't use the same bottle of lotion every time. Your skin will assimilate to the ratio of UVA/UVB that a certain piece of equipment provides. Also, your skin will get used to lotion and it won't be as effective - think of how amazing your hair feels when you use a new shampoo/conditioner. It's the same concept here.

- Use a separate lotion for your face than you use for your body. The skin on our faces are completely different, a lot more thin and sensitive, than the skin on our bodies. I recommend a great face lotion down below!

- Don't tan every single day. Your skin needs time to react to UV light and too much exposure will hinder progress, rather than speed it up. I usually tan about twice a week, but if you want to be aggressive with it and build a nice tan quickly, go every other day.

- Try to wait a few hours, if possible, between tanning and showering. You want that lotion to really sink into your skin and do its job!

P.S. don't ever use a tanning salon if it's attached to a laundromat. DISGUSTING and totally unsanitary… just throwin' that out there!

Product Recommendations

Here are some great lotions that I love.. I recommend having at least one "bronzer" and one "intensifier" lotion in your arsenal!

Designer Skin - Bronze Camouflage

JWOWW - Natural Black Bronzer

Australian Gold - Jeweled

Designer Skin - Phoenician

Here's a great face lotion that I love:

Designer Skin - Luminary for Faces

To protect your eyes you NEED to wear goggles, I prefer to have my own set because you never know just how well the salon cleans them…

PODZ - these are so cute and fun, and you can put them on your keys so you won't forget or lose them!

You need a great moisturizer to use after you tan and after you shower - locking in that moisture in your skin will just help you get darker and stay dark longer!!

California Tan - Bare Science SMOOTH Moisturizer



Last but not least…
If you get acrylic nails, these will be a lifesaver for you! You just slip them on over your nails and it prevents them from yellowing.

"Nail Savers"



I hope you found this information helpful! I realize tanning might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for us girls (and boys!) who love to be tan…just remember, listen to your body, pay attention to how you feel and how your skin looks. Tanning is fun, but make sure to see a doctor if something looks or feels out of the ordinary. BEING HEALTHY and happy is the main priority. Have a good night y'all, XO