How I'm Staying Tan this Summer Without Worrying About Sun Damage

Happy Thursday, friends! For the past couple years, I’ve started to get in the habit of spending less time in the sun and more time protecting my skin. Saying this, I definitely did not want to give up being tan in the summer! Trust me, I am scary-white when I don’t have a tan and wanted to feel just as tanned as when I was tanning. Ive gotten into a bit of a routine when I’m wanting to look a little bit tanner, so I thought I would share it!

I use these three different tanners depending on what I need. The Jergens Instant Sun is more of a stain and I love using it when I want an instant look. This is a really strong tan, so I typically only use it on my legs (which usually need something a little stronger rip).

My favorite all-around tan is the Banana Boat Light/Medium fake tan. This one has a really great color, but you need to give it a while to develop! I usually sleep in mine over night and shower in the morning. One thing I do really love about Banana Boat is that they have a really great smell. Self-tans usually don’t smell incredible but this one is definitely bearable.

The final one I use is the Jergens Natural Glow. I never put normal fake tans on my face. I really don’t like the orange look on my face, because I find that my face is a little more pigmented than the rest of my skin. I will, however, use this Jergens Natural Glow. It has just the slightest amount of color, and builds over time the more you use it. I just need it once or twice a week and it gives me the perfect color on my face!

The first thing I do in my fake-tanning routine is completely exfoliate my skin. I’ll first shave and then use these exfoliating gloves to remove all dead skin! When I get out of the shower, I’ll then moisturize any spots that get super dry, like my ankles, knees, and elbows. This helps so that the tan doesn’t take more in these spots, which would make them look a little orange!

A top I always give people when it comes to self-tanning is to get a tanning mitt. I use this one by St. Tropez and it works perfectly. My sister recently recommended this one to me, and she says she loves it because it’s black so it won’t stain like mine will. These mitts are so great because a) they protect the palm of your hands from being stained orange and b) I find they give a smoother finish. I hate it when my tan comes out streaky and I think these mitts really help!

Thats pretty much how I tan! I will sometimes tan two days in a row if I want to look a bit darker or if I notice any imperfections. Just don’t exfoliate while you have the tan on because it will pull it right off, since exfoliating pulls off the top layer of your skin. I would also definitely recommend moisturizing every day since dry skin will cause the tan to fade faster! Thanks for reading, guys!

Much Love,
​Vikka