The Essential Guide to Self Tanners and Sunscreen

What Are They And Do I Need Them?

Summer is on the way, and one thing that all beauty junkies have to think about in the hot weather is our skin. From how you’re going to protect it, to how you’re going to get the summer-time glow even if you’re nowhere near a beach, the warmer months bring their own beauty challenges.

The most important thing that we’ve all been taught is that tanning – whether naturally or in a bed – is not healthy for the skin. Tanning is the number one cause of skin cancer, and can also lead to premature aging. Which leads us to two popular summertime products: self tanner, and sunscreen. In this essential guide to these two warm weather must-haves, we’ll discuss why you need them, how to use them, how to choose the right one for your skin, and so much more.

Self Tanner: What is it and do I need to use it?

We all look forward to having that bronzy glow when the sun starts shining, but options for getting it are limited if you aren’t the kind of person who tans naturally with just a few moments of exposure to the sun. If you want to avoid the negative impact of UV rays, tanning outdoors or in a bed won’t be the right choice for you. Which is why the cosmetic industry invented self tanner. This is a UV-free way to get that beachy tan, and there are two main ways to self tan.

The first is to get a spray tan, which involves having a pigment sprayed in a fine mist over your skin. This essentially “stains” your skin the color of the tan, and wears off over time. It can be done at home, but most people who choose this option go to a salon to have this done. The second way to self tan is to use a topical cream, mousse, or lotion. These interact with the top-layer cells of your skin, and that chemical reaction creates the tan, which also wears off over time.

Do you need to use a self tanner? Maybe. If you want an instant tan without the skin damage of UV ray exposure, or if you are very fair and don’t tan naturally, they could be a great option. Here are a few pros and cons to consider:

Advantages of Self Tanner

• No UV ray damage is done to your skin.
• If you decide you don’t like the tan, it wears off relatively soon.
• You can customize the shade with more or less self tanner.
• You get a tan right away.

Disadvantages of Self Tanner

• It isn’t long lasting, and will have to be reapplied consistently if you want the same tan all summer.
• Some self tanners, especially spray tans, can stain your clothing.
• Beginners may find that they get blotchy areas with tanning lotions, especially on the palms of the hands.
• Some people may have skin reactions to self tanners.

How to Choose Self Tanner?

If you are having a difficult time choosing between the spray tan, or the topical self tanners, you are not alone. There are definitely great things and some not-so-great things about both options. But in order to help you decide, let’s dive into how each works, and how to apply each type of the self tanners. In the end, it all comes down to which you find works best for your skin type, and how you prefer to apply it.

A spray tan…

A spray tan is sprayed all over the body in a mist. It can be done at home, but it makes a pretty big mess, spraying all over the area around you, and it’s hard to get your entire body coated evenly. In a salon, you stand in an enclosed shower-like space and your entire body is coated evenly. This is the most popular option. However, choosing the mist pigment is similar to choosing a makeup foundation. The color matching is not always perfect, and it can turn out too orange or too ashy at times. Finally, spray tans can be more expensive, and are also known to stain clothing.

A topical cream or lotion…

Topical cream or lotion self tanners interacts with your skin chemically, and it is the most natural way to self tan. Because the reaction happens with your skin cells, the color matching will be the best that it can be. However, this option tends to take longer to develop, and it’s a little harder to customize since you don’t see the results right away. You may go a bit darker than you intended by mistake by applying too much before the full tan develops. It’s also common to get patchy or dark areas on the palms of the hands where you apply the self tanners. On the other hand, these products are often made with ingredients that are good for the skin, and that protect the skin from UV rays.

As you can see, it’s totally up to your preference. You can choose to have the top layer of your skin stained a specific color with no mess and little effort – but it may not be perfect; or you can choose to have the top layer of your skin cells chemically altered to give off a very natural-looking tan, with a bit more mess and a little more patience required.

Related: The BB Creams Basics

Sunscreen: What is it and do I need to use it?

The next part of summer time skin concerns is protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. Sunscreen is a combination of ingredients that create a barrier on the skin so that UV rays can’t damage skin cells. This helps prevent signs of aging (like dullness and wrinkles), but more importantly, helps reduce your risk of skin cancer. About 90% of all cases of skin cancer are directly related to UV ray damage, so don’t take this summer essential lightly. Everyone over the age of six months old needs sunscreen, every day – even on overcast days. Here are some of the top benefits of sunscreen:

Benefits of Sunscreen

• Your chances of skin cancer are reduced.
• You’ll look younger.
• You won’t get sunburnt!
• Many sunscreens are also hydrating, or contain other ingredients that are healthy for the skin.
• The tone of your face won’t appear as blotchy or uneven.
• Many sunscreens can double as foundation primer, so you can eliminate part of your daily routine.

Is Sunscreen Harmful?

Lately, there has been some talk in the cosmetic industry about sunscreen being unhealthy. The problem is that there are some chemicals in sunscreen that fall into a category labeled “GRAS”, or “generally recognized as safe”. These chemicals, especially oxybenzone, have been the focus of many studies over the past few years, as scientists try to work out if these chemicals could be more dangerous than originally thought. There was a study in which very high doses of this chemical caused hormonal changes in rats, for example.

However, these studies are still very inconclusive. Meaning, no one has proven that these chemicals are actually bad for humans.

In the meantime, the studies that show that sunscreen helps to reduce cases of skin cancer by over 25% across the country are rock solid. There’s no question that the use of sunscreen is helpful against one of the leading causes of cancer – in fact, for melanoma specifically, using sunscreen cuts your chances of developing it in half. Even if we do find out in the future that the chemicals aren’t the healthiest for us, the long-term effects of these chemicals don’t outweigh the fact that this product could be saving your life – and probably is. It’s best to choose a sunscreen that works for you and stick with it.

A Quick Primer on SPF

In order to help you choose the sunscreen that works for you, we first have to discuss SPF. SPF is the measurement of how well the sunscreen protects you from the UV rays. The number itself (SPF 15, SPF 50, etc.) is supposed to represent how long you could stay in the sun without getting burnt compared to how long you could go without getting burnt with unprotected skin; however, no sunscreen is actually formulated to last longer than two hours without reapplication anyway, due to evaporation and skin absorption.

So, the best way to think of it is in percentages. SPF 15 protects you from about 93% of all the UV rays from the sun during the two-hour active period before it has evaporated or been absorbed. SPF 30 will filter out 97%, and anything that is SPF 50 or above will filter out 98%. No sunscreen can filter out 100% of UV rays.

How to Choose the Best Sunscreen

Now that you know how to choose the right SPF for you (generally, anything that is SPF 50 or over will offer the best protection), it’s time to consider how the sunscreen may interact with your skin type. Children and those with sensitive skin should look for zinc oxide or titanium dioxide-based sunscreens, rather than sunscreens with oxybenzone, since that ingredient can irritate sensitive skin.

If you have anything such as rosacea, acne-prone skin, or skin that frequently reacts to topical products, choose a sunscreen that has no preservatives and no fragrances. Look for sunscreen that doesn’t contain alcohol if you have very dry skin, or sunscreen that is a gel for those with oilier skin.

If you have a darker skin tone, it’s still important to use sunscreen to prevent UV rays from damaging your skin cells. If you don’t like the chalky cast some sunscreens can leave on the skin, try a sunscreen with oxybenzone rather than zinc oxide.

How to Apply Sunscreen

Did you know that most people do not apply the correct amount of sunscreen? Many people simply put a pump or two in their hand, rub it on their skin, and off they go. But if you read the instructions, you’ll actually see that you’re meant to be using much more.

If you are using a spray-on sunscreen, you should apply it until you see a shiny sheen on the skin. If you are using a cream or lotion, most sunscreens require that you use a full ounce to cover all your exposed skin – to put that into perspective, an ounce of sunscreen fills an entire shot glass! The reason that it’s so important to use the correct amount is this: the protection advertised on the sunscreen as the SPF is calculated based on the full “dose” of sunscreen applied. If you apply less than is suggested, you won’t be getting the full SPF.

Another important fact about sunscreen application is that it must be reapplied every two hours, or after getting wet. Sunscreen isn’t meant to last more than two hours simply due to evaporation and absorption, no matter what the package says.

Finally, be sure to get the sunscreen all over. There are many areas of the body that are frequently missed, such as the ears, behind the knees, the tops of feet, the hands, and the scalp. For people with hair, there are gels and sprays that can protect the scalp from UV rays without making your hair a gloopy mess.

Self Tanners and Sunscreen

The last thing in this guide to self tanners and sunscreens is the answer to this very common question:

If I use self tanners, do I still need to apply sunscreen?

The answer is, yes. Self tanners may have sunscreen in them, but not always. Having a tan is not protection from UV rays – even those with naturally dark skin can get skin cancer from UV-damaged cells. No matter what color your skin appears at the moment, it needs protection from these harmful rays. If your self tanner includes a sunscreen, don’t forget that you still need to be applying a regular sunscreen every two hours to keep your skin continually protected.

Use this guide to help maintain healthy, cancer-free skin for your entire life, even when the sun isn’t shining.

Related: How Does Sunscreen Work?