Sunless Tanners for a Summer Time Glow

As the summer quickly approaches and you put on your new bathing suit for the first time, it becomes painfully obvious just how pale your skin has become over the winter. Now is the time to get in shape and work on your summer ready bronze body. As for toning up, well, your on your own; however, you tan is another story.

There are many ways to get that healthy glow you desire, unfortunately, some of the ways we tan these days may not be so healthy. They can leave your skin thirsty for moisture and permanently damaged. The most unhealthy way to tan is to subject your skin to direct sunlight. In other words sunbathe for hours on end in order to bronze your skin. Tanning beds are not much better, soaking the skin with massive amounts of damaging UV light.

Of course the healthiest way to go is to use a sunless tanner. Now I know what you are thinking; a streaky orange tan is not for you, but the ones on the market today are not the same your mother used! New formulas and creative ways to apply them allow for the color you desire without the streaky mess. After trying a plethora of different products for my own skin, there are a few sunless tanners I can recommend.

(1) Loreal Sunless Tanning Gel: This product glides on smooth and evenly with a light scent. It contains moisturizers to keep your skin soft before and after applying the product and the finish color is light and even. My only problem with this product is the drying time. Unfortunately for all the perks of this product the gel takes a few hours to completely absorb into the skin, leaving the user with a stick uncomfortable feeling. I would recommend this gel to be used the night before, go to bed with the tanner on, when you wake up in the morning the gel will be completely absorbed and your color will be developed.

(2) Neutrogena Sheer Body Tint: This product can be used when you are looking for immediate results without the overnight (or three to four hour wait). Sheer Body Tint is a tinted mousse that once applied to the skin, gives immediate color. This product comes in a few different shades to accommodate your specific skin color. There are two problems I had with this problem however. The first being that the mousse dries exceptionally quick, while this may sound like a great thing, it actually is not. The product dies so quick that is hardly gives you time to apply the colored mousse to your entire leg (or arm, or whatever). Which can make a slight mess if you do not apply the mousse in sections. The second downfall is that the product washes off with plain soap and warm water, so you do not want to let water drip on your skin when using this product. The upside to an easy wash away is you can instantly correct any mistakes you make.

(3) Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam: This is my favorite of the sunless tanning products I've tried and is my favorite for a number of reasons. The Sunless Tanning Foam is just what it says, a foam. But unlike the Sheer Body Tint above, this foam is a lot lighter and color free. This product glides on beautifully and gives plenty of rub in time to allow for a streak free tan. I highly recommend applying this product after a warm shower, your skin tends to absorb things better at that time. The Sunless Tanning Foam completely dries in approximately ten minutes and develops in a few hours. This product, like Sheer Body Tint, comes in a few different shades to accommodate your skin tone.

These three products can help you get a beautiful summer glow, while still keeping your skin healthy, burn free and moisturized. As always experiment with the tanners that seem promising to you and give the products listed above a chance to show you what they have to offer. You may be surprised by how natural these sunless tanners can tint your skin.