Saturday, July 19, 2008

Tip of the week: applying self-tanning lotion

Years ago when QT was the only self-tanning product on the market, I tried a tester. I swear I wore a stain of that stuff on the inside of my wrist for years.

So, since then despite the warnings about the dangers of natural tanning and the plethora of self-tanning products on the market these days, I’d been keeping my distance. Well, until this year...

My son’s Bar Mitzvah was in May and I didn’t want to wear pantyhose with my suit during the morning. My party dress was white, so my pale legs needed some help.

My sister and a couple friends told me I needed to get a hold of a self-tanner and fast! Which one? They unanimously offered up Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer. It was also the least expensive at my local drugstore. Only problem was, I had less than 12 hours to get ready and I needed 3 days for the product to take effect. So, I took a chance and picked up Jergens Natural Glow Express instead.

I applied it as soon as I got home and first thing the next morning. I ended up with just enough colour. I also ended up with a bit of streaking on my legs and dark splotches between my toes. The problem areas would have been hidden had I kept my sandals on all night. About 2 hours into the party, I dislocated my hip and had to remove them. Oh no, the spots on my toes were there for all to see.

My sister gave me some tips:
Exfoliate and remove all dead skin in the shower first
Mix your self-tanning with your own moisturizer before applying (I used equal amounts of each).

Not being one to give up, I tried it again.

The results:
Much better, no funny dark spots and a much more even fake tan with a bit of an orange tinge.

My take:
I’m a bit concerned about what these chemicals are doing to my skin. I’m not so crazy about the orange-tinged skin either but I have been using the self-tanning lotion two consecutive days a week. Check out “How do sunless-tanning products work?” for more info.

One final tip:
Self-tanning products are NOT sunscreen. Be sure to apply sunscreen before you go outside.

Do you use a self-tanning product? If so which one and do you have any helpful tips to share?

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:15 am

    Awesome tips.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:30 am

    It is really amazing how far the sunless tanning lotions have come over the years. Gone are the days when you turn bright orange from using a sunless tanning cream.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:25 pm

    The sunless tanning lotions were the best thing since sliced bread.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It took me a long time to before I became a fan of sunless tanning lotions, until my sister gave me the Solerra to try for a production that I was in that required me to have a tan. It was so great and convenient to use the Solerra rather having to go to the tanning booth. The color was terrific! I even used it on my children as they were in the production with me, and they love it too! Now I use it regularly and in fact am able to go without foundation because of the wonderful color it gives me, which sure saves time in the morning!

    ReplyDelete

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