Table of Contents
Gradually to a tanned complexion
How do I best prepare my skin?
Just apply some self-tanner between the door and hinge – that usually ends with a chipmunk look. So be tactical. First you have to get rid of the old skin, i.e. loose horny skin. This works with a peeling, either in the form of a rubbing cream with plastic beads or ground natural kernels, or with a massage glove.
Shower instead of creams Tanning showers
tone your skin everywhere in a matter of minutes. Self-tanning showers are usually found in tanning salons (e.g. “Tantastic” at Sunpoint, approx. 25 euros). The airbrush gun that beauticians use works in a similar way. Your advantage: the tan can be dosed more precisely, with advantageous light and shadow effects.
Self-tanning creams, lotions or gels are best applied with special, fingerless gloves . If necessary, latex gloves also work – do not spread your fingers, but hold them together to avoid streaks. Always work your way from the outside in on the body and on the arms and legs from the bottom (ankles, wrists) up (thighs, shoulder blades). Important: spare your knees, elbows and feet for the time being . Then mix the self-tanner with some body lotion and apply this light variant to these areas with generous, circular movements.
Proceed in a similar way for the face: mix self-tanner with some moisturizing cream and first apply to the forehead, chin and nose, then rub in outwards from the center of the face – down to the neck. Then take off the gloves and stroke the already creamed thighs or forearms with the backs of your hands. That’s enough for tanning your hands. The anti-stain trick : Wrap a damp facial cleansing tissue around your index finger and run it over your nails, between your fingers and toes, soles of your feet, inside of your ears, belly button and eyebrows. Too much self-tanner often collects there, which can lead to unsightly shadows.
Products with pigments are practical: they tan immediately, not after hours, and thus show where the cream has already been applied. Reapply the self-tanner every four days. Daily moisturizer slows down flaking and the tan stays even longer. Long baths, saunas and steam baths have the opposite effect: the brown fades faster.How do I find the right shade?
Rule of thumb: spill, don’t spill. You can always refill. Some companies offer self-tanners for lighter and darker skin types in two different degrees of tint. Other products only sound very soft the first time. In this way, the tan can be increased step by step over two or three days in a row to the desired intensity. Body lotions that only contain a touch of self-tanner produce a particularly subtle tone.
Tan to swallow
Tanning capsules, a mix of carotenoids, tint the skin slightly yellowish-orange-brown. In addition, the natural dyes in the sun are said to stimulate the skin’s melanin production, thus improving its own protection and improving the tan. However, it does not work for everyone and does not replace UV protection.
Do self-tanners damage my skin?
Liquid bronzer
The application of the pigmented lotion is not very easy, but the result is convincing: a natural-looking touch of tan in no time at all. Those who dare have the choice between a watery consistency and liquid gel, with and without self-tanning properties. Some liquid bronzers are suitable for the face and body, others give the complexion (e.g. from Estée Lauder) or the legs (e.g. from Caudalie) a delicate bronze look with a soft-focus effect.
Liquid bronzers are applied thinly directly to cleansed skin.This works best with a cotton pad or a special glove. It is essential to work quickly, otherwise the tan will be streaky. The liquid bronzer dries on the skin within seconds, no longer stains, is waterproof and only dilutes again with soap in the shower. So that the bronzers not only tan the skin but also care for it at the same time, many products contain nourishing oils and moisturizing extracts.
No, compared to the real sun and the tanning bed, it is by far the healthiest way to tan. The principle: Harmless synthetic sugar compounds dock onto proteins in the upper layer of the skin and turn them brown. That takes around six hours. The only side effect: the tanning agent DHA can dry out the skin a little because it slightly reduces the water-binding capacity of the horny layer. Erythrulose is somewhat more skin-friendly. How much the skin dries out depends primarily on the DHA content. Standard self-tanners contain around two percent DHA, turbo toners even up to five percent. Anyone who tends to have dry skin should always mix self-tanning lotion with body lotion or use a self-tanning lotion with moisturizing care ingredients such as thermal water or vegetable oils.
Good to know: self-tanners do not protect against the sun’s UV rays, very few also contain a sun protection filter.What do I do if things go wrong?
If you notice while applying: Oh, here and there I used too much of the product – best to take a shower, wash everything off thoroughly and start over. SOS products help in the first four hours after a self-tanning breakdown: They stop the process in which the self-tanning agent combines with the skin’s amino acids (e.g. “Tan Remover” from St. Tropez, for example from Amazon). After that, all you can do is wait.
In the next three to five days, the tan decreases anyway, because the epidermis gradually rejects the stained, already dead horny cells. This can be accelerated somewhat with a daily, intensive exfoliation. What never works, on the other hand, is to compensate for tanning problems by applying self-tanning lotion again.
Better not!
Melanotan Injections. The synthetically manufactured substance is also called the Barbie drug. It is said to stimulate the pigment cells of the skin to tan without the sun. “The drug is still in the study phase for testing and has not been approved for tanning the skin,” says Dr. Marion Runnebaum, dermatologist from Jena. It warns of dramatic side effects such as nausea, vomiting and headaches and says clearly: “Hands off!”
Quick tip: bronzing powder
Anyone who used face powder used to give themselves away with a bright, orange-brown terracotta complexion. The new sun powders are different: Some offer up to four shades of brown in one powder stone – the lighter ones for the holiday touch of the whole complexion, the darker ones as blush. Others are specifically designed for very light skin. Also new: bronze powder with the finest mineral pigments – which is also tolerated by very sensitive skin.
Here’s how it works: pick up a little bronzer with a thick powder brush and tap it off on the back of your hand. Apply to the face with little pressure and circular movements. Important: A bronzing powder with lots of gold or copper pigments emphasizes wrinkles and bumps with its shimmer – so only wear it if your skin is flawless.
Products: Cream tan, spray on or powder
- Non-greasy self-tanning gel for sensitive skin: “Autohelios” by La Roche-Posay**, 100 ml approx. 15 euros
- Hypoallergenic: “Moisturizing self-tanning lotion” by Avène**, 100 ml approx. 15 euros
- Tinted gel for the face: “Sunific Autobronzant” by Lierac**, 40 ml approx. 25 euros
- Non-greasy self-tanning spray: “Sublime Bronze Express Pro” from L’Oréal Paris, 150 ml approx. 10 euros
- Dry in no time: “Fast Dry Bronze Water Spray” by Lancaster, 150 ml approx. 26 euros
- Selftan spray with nylon stocking effect for the legs: “Pedix Feet” from alessandro, 100 ml approx. 20 euros
- Tinted liquid self-tanner: “Bronz’Express” from Académie (e.g. at Douglas), 100 ml approx. 24 euros
- Self-tanning cloth for dark or light skin: “Capital Soleil Autobronzant” from Vichy**, approx. 2 euros
- Self-tanning body lotion with a mother-of-pearl glow: “Sunshine & delicate shimmer” by Dove, 250 ml approx. 4 euros
10. Makes legs divine: “Divine Legs” by Caudalie**, 100 ml approx. 27 euros
11. For a dream complexion: “Bronze Goddess Luminous Liquid Bronzer” by Estée Lauder, 30 ml approx. 35 euros
12. Terracotta powder in six color combinations, also for fair skin: “Terracotta 4 Seasons” by Guerlain, approx. 62 euros
13. Bronze powder for dark skin: “Sun Glow Bronzer” by Beyu, with SPF 15, about 17 euros
14. Tanning powder with mineral pigments and liquorice extract for sensitive skin: “Mineral Sun Glow” by Lavera, 3 shades, approx. 11 euros
** Pharmacy
