Whether you are a fan of sitting in the sun but want a bit of a protection, have sensitive skin and need an organic product or like to get the best results from indoor tanning, there is the best tanning lotion or cream perfectly suited for you.
Many people love the look of bronzed derma and it improves their self-esteem and confidence. Others need to spend a lot of time outside and must protect their derma from the effect of the sun. All of these variations of products we will be glimpsing at here.
Tanning lotion
There is a wide range of the best tanning lotions that contain ingredients, formulas and features that work differently with the skin. Therefore understanding what these benefits are can help you ensure you are getting the best lotion for your derma.
One important thing to look for when choose a tanning lotion is moisturiser. It has been shown that moist skins tan easier than dry skin does and also retains the tan for longer.
Moisturisers also help to replenish the skin cells and protect them against damage. Common ingredients in moisturisers include hemp seed oil, silicon, shea butter and vitamin E.
Another important ingredient to watch out for is aloe. The aloe vera plant has natural cooling properties as well as healing minor burns such as sunburn so if a tanning lotion contains this, it can help if you get too much tan.
This is particularly advisable for someone who has never used indoor tanning before or hasn’t used it for a long time.
There are some other elements in tanning lotions that have benefits for different people.
One such ingredient is a bronzer. This is a self-tanning ingredient that naturally darkens derma so added with tanning can allow for a darker tan in a short time. Bronzers can be things like DHA, vitamin A and beta-carotene and naturally darken the skin’s pigmentation.
Similarly, consider the mix of accelerators and maximizers. These help to build the base of tan and to increase the speed, which skin tans using amino acids such as tyrosine and psoralen as well as vitamin A to help the body create more melanin.
The more melanin, the darker the tan. Accelerators also have moisturiser in them so this stop dermis from drying out.
Finally look for tanning lotions that have a tingle. This is a chemical reaction in the dermis that increases the blood flow, which in turn speeds up the natural repair process in the skin. This means you tan quicker, with less damage caused to the skin.
Tanning Oil
Tanning oil is designed to work in a similar way to tanning lotion but uses natural oils with the chemical ingredients to make the skin tan easier. Common ingredients include coconut oil, aloe vera sesame oil and lanolin as well as vitamins and chemicals.
These generally result in the dermis being moisturised and also gives the derma a shiny and glossy look. Tanning oil works by increasing the tan on the dermis from the UV rays of the sun.
This means there is no UV protection in most of the products though there are some that have a low amount in, usually no more than SPF4.
Because of the speed that it works, tanning oil is not recommended for people that have fair derma or who are very sensitive to the sun’s rays.
It is also best to use when you already have a light suntan, otherwise there is an increased risk of burning. Tanning oil is not baby oil – baby oil should not be used for this purpose as it can lead to very bad sunburn.
Sunscreen
The aim of sunscreen is simple – to stop the ultraviolent (UV) radiation from getting to the skin. Both UVA and UVB radiation leads to damage to the skin including prematurely aging it and can also increase the risk of cancers.
UVB is the causer of sunburn while UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and causes wrinkling, sagging and other light induced aging (often referred to as photoaging).
The two together increase the carcinogenic effects of the UVB and are being seen as a chief cause of some types of cancer.
Sunscreen is measured in SPF, which means Sun Protection Factor. A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher does a great job of stopping the UVB radiation from damaging the skin.
It works like this; if unprotected body takes 20 minutes in the sun to go red, then by using SPF15 this means it would take 15 times longer to have the same effect – around five hours instead.
Another view of SPF is that it filters out the rays. The higher the number, the more rays it protects against. So for example, SPF 15 keeps out around 93% of the UVB radiation while SPF 30 keeps out around 97% and SPF 50 manages to exclude around 98% of the harmful rays.
This is relevant for everyone but especially for those with a history of cancer or who are particularly sensitive to the sun’s light.
The main downside with sunscreen is that it does need to be reapplied to maintain effectiveness. Generally, it is recommended to reapply the product every two hours to keep the sunscreen working to its maximum.
Who should use and what type?
Regardless of age and exposure to sunlight, everyone should use sunscreen when they are exposed to periods of sunlight. This is especially important for people who work outside for most of the day.
It is also recommended that children under six months old be not exposed to the sun’s rays at all, as their body is extremely sensitive to the radiation and also to the chemicals in sunscreens. Clothing and shade are the best ways to protect the youngest children.
There are many products that have a small amount of SPF included in them and these may be okay for short trips out in the sunshine.
Many after-shave lotions and moisturisers have an in-built SPF factor but it will be a low number and cannot do the job of a proper sunscreen.
There are also some water resistant sunscreens that are great if you are at the beach and going in and out of the water without washing off your body.
These water resistant variations can be great if you are playing sports on a hot day as they won’t drip and run when you sweat the way normal sunscreens do. However, they may not be suitable for every day use as tend to be stickier and also don’t work well with makeup.
How much to use?
The general advice is that you need around a shot glass full of sunscreen to apply an effective layer – around 1 ounce. Studies have shown that a lot of people use only around a quarter of this so they aren’t getting the full benefits of the SPF.
During the average day at the beach, one person should use between one-quarter and one-half of an 8oz. bottle, being applied 30 minutes before exposure starts and reapplied every two hours.
|
Product
|
SPF
|
Size
|
Rating
|
Price
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EltaMD SPF 50 UV Sport Waterproof Sunscreen, 3 Fluid Ounce
|
50 | 3oz | 4.7 / 5 | $$$ |
| Sun Bum Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 30, 6-Ounce
|
15 | 6oz | 4.3 / 5 | $$$ |
| Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive SPF 30+, 5-Ounce
|
30 | 5oz | 4.4 / 5 | $$ |
| Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen SPF 45 Twin Pack 6.0 Ounce
|
45 | 6oz x 2 | 4.2 / 5 | $$ |
| Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30, 8 Ounce
|
30 | 8oz | 4.2 / 5 | $ |
Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin
While the importance of sunscreen is clear, if you have sensitive body then the normal products may cause as many problems as they solve due to their irritation of the body. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have come up with some tips about what types of sunscreen ingredients will work for different types of skins.
Children
As mentioned before, children under 6 months old should not have sunscreen applied to them but for older children, sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have been shown to provoke less skin reactions.
Often sunscreens for kids come in bright colours and fancy packaging to convince the children to use them and this can be a good tactic while spray sunscreens can be an easy option.
However, it is recommended not to spray them directly onto children’s faces but put onto hands then onto faces to avoid problems.
Allergies and acne
If you are very prone to allergies or suffer with body conditions such as acne or rosacea than keep away from products that have preservatives in them as well as any that are fragranced. Also avoid anything containing PABA or oxybenzone as these are the most often shown to cause body reactions.
For those with conditions like acne, also avoid any products that have alcohol in them, though some gel based products containing alcohol have been found by some people to be less irritant.
Avoid ‘cream’ as these will make your skin even greasier unless you are using topical acne medication, in which case a light lotion or cream may combat the dryness caused by the medication.
Older people
Older people will have accumulated radiation exposure over the course of their years but using sunscreen is still important. There is no age limit to the development of cancers and the sun can still have an aging effect on older skin. Spray sunscreens can be a good bet for people with decreased mobility who cannot manage to apply a lotion to awkward spots.
Organic Sunscreens
Some people prefer organic products for a range of reasons; whether because it is what they believe in or they find that the lack of chemicals is beneficial to their body. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of sunscreens and sun protection products available that are organic.
One of the main names in this area is Badger, who have produced a range of sunscreens including a sports version, baby and kids products and even a face stick.
They are made from organic products, are sold at a reasonable price and offer a good level of SPF. They also produce an after sun balm that is great to soothe the body after sunshine exposure.
Lip Protection
If you have ever seen sports people with strange colors lips and wondered what they are doing, it is likely that they are using some type of lip protection.
This is because the skin on lips is particularly sensitive and can easily burn or get blisters on it that will be very painful and even lead to an infection. For this reason, there are whole ranges of special lip protection products.
These products comes in a range of different types but the most common, and perhaps easiest to use, is one that look like a lip balm or lipstick and is applied in a similar way.
There are some that are water-resistant that can be used when swimming without constantly reapplying, though they will need to be replied similarly to sunscreen.
Some variations also use natural ingredients such as mint or berry flavouring to help mask the smell when it is so close to your noise.
After sun
After sun products work in tandem with sunscreens and are a great product to help combat the damage caused by the UVA rays – the type that sunscreens don’t combat.
These are the rays that age skin and damage cells and while after sun cannot stop this, it can help ease some of the damage this does.
The other main job that an after sun product does is helps to rehydrate the body. Sunshine dries out the body and while some sunscreens have moisturisers in them, it never hurts to add extra moisturisation and many after sun products are idea for this.
Some also feature ingredients such as chamomile and calendula that are great for reducing redness in the skin while those containing vegetable oils and shea butter can help to nourish the skin and avoid it peeling.
Therefore, after sun has a range of benefits that mean it is always worth applying after a day in the sunshine, regardless of what type of product you have used during the day.
