Well
ladies summer’s nearly upon us, so now’s the time to start thinking tan. When
talking about tans most women will head off to the local shopping centre and
browse the beauty shops and grab any brand name tanning oil. Some women will
even head off to their nearest tanning salon and paying copious amounts of
money on expensive spray tans. If this is you, then this article is for you.
You’ll learn how to make yourself and your friends the envy of the beach!
The
following recipes will give you a beautiful even tan with healthy colour and
keep your skin healthy as well. Some of the oils you can use already have
natural SPF in them so you won’t need to smother on too much sunscreen causing
your skin to absorb less vitamin D, which you can only obtain through sun
exposure. When you’re out enjoying the sun for about 10-15 mins a day there’s
no need to have any SPF on your skin as this also blocks your skin from
absorbing enough vitamin D.
With
all this talk about SPF, some of you might ask what is SPF? Well SPF stands for
Sun Protection Factor. This means the amount of time you can stay in the sun
without getting sunburnt without any protection on your skin. For example, SPF
15 means you can stay out in the sun 15 times longer than you could without any
sun protection. So in saying that, depending on how much SPF you need will
depend on which of the following oils you want to use.
- Raspberry Seed Oil: SPF 25-35
- Carrot Seed Oil: SPF 30-40
- Sandalwood Oil: SPF 30
- Avocado Oil: SPF 4-15
- Olive Oil: SPF 2-10
- Lavender Oil: SPF 6
- Wheat Germ Oil: SPF 20
- Coconut Oil: SPF 2-8
- Macadamia Nut Oil: SPF 6
So
you need to also consider your skin type as well when picking which oils to
use. For example, those of you with naturally darker skin, olive and avocado
oils would work best for you as they have a lower SPF. It’s a fact that people
who come from the Mediterranean have traditionally used olive oil for tanning
as it gives them an exquisitely dark tan. In saying that ladies with naturally
olive skin may wish to use a higher SPF oil such as Raspberry or Carrot Seed
oil.
When
picking your oils be conscious of only obtaining the best quality oils you can,
this makes all the difference when it comes to making your tanning oil. The
better quality oils, the better the SPF for each oil. You can also add a
bronze mica powder to your tanning oil to give you a beautiful bronzed look.
Here’s
two examples of Homemade Tanning Oils to help guide you.
Dark
Tanning Oil
You’ll need:
¼
cup of Olive Oil
2
Tablespoons of Avocado Oil
½
Teaspoon Raspberry Seed Oil
½
Teaspoon Carrot Seed Oil
Optional
Ingredients
8
Drops Sandalwood Oil
8
Drops Lavender Oil
1
Teaspoon Bronze Mica Powder
Method: Combine all the Oils well with
the Bronze Mica Powder (optional). Store the oils in a dark coloured container.
Before use be sure to shake the container before application. This tanning oil
is recommended for mild sin exposure.
Light
Tanning Oil
You’ll need:
½
Cup Wheat Germ Oil
½
Cup Macadamia Nut Oil
8
Drops Lavender Oil
5
Drops Sandalwood Oil
2
Drops Carrot Seed Oil
Method: Combine all the Oils well.
Store the oils in a dark coloured container. Before use be sure to shake the
container before application. This tanning oil is recommended for mild sin
exposure.
Now
you’ve made your oil here’s some quick tips and need-to-knows about your
natural homemade tanning oil.
1. 1. Your
homemade tanning oil should not be used as sunscreen
Remember
your tanning oil is just that a tanning oil. It should not be used for anything
but a mild sun protectant. When choosing your oils remember to test a small
patch on your skin to find out which combination works best for you.
2. 2. Sunburn
should be avoided
Having
sunburn hurts and is not healthy. So put simply avoid getting burnt. Don’t
spend long periods of time out in the sun, especially if you have sensitive
skin. Test your skin by starting at 30-45mins a day. The important thing to
remember is that everyone is different.
3. 3. Your
tanning oil isn’t magic!
This
just means unless you can tan then your tanning oil won’t magically give you a
tan.
4. 4. Always
Keep your tanning Oil in a dark Container
Some
of you will be wondering why the homemade natural tanning oil recipes state to
put your tanning oil in a dark container. The reason for this is that natural oils
oxidise, which means the oil loses some of its medical qualities.
5. 5. Oils
Attract the Sun
Obviously
the idea of having tanning oil is to tan but beware that the oils will attract
the sun more which means there’s an increase of burning faster. Following
guideline number 2 will help with this issue.
So what are you waiting for?
Ladies is time to tan up the natural way for gorgeous looking tanned skin for
the summer months with not nasty orange appearances or expensive and sometimes
toxic spray tans. Be the envy of the beach!