The Two Types of Sun Lotion and How to Use Them

What types of sun lotion are there? And how should you use them? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine what you need to buy to either get a tan or prevent your skin from getting sunburned.

First of all, let's look at the protective kind of sunning lotion. This is generally called sunscreen and comes in several different levels of protection. Let's see how that protection works.

Each sunscreen comes with an SPF indicator, such as SPF 15 or SPF 30. If you know how long it takes before the sun burns your skin, you'll know how to multiply how strong the lotion is. For instance, if your skin burns after 10 minutes of being out in the sun, then multiply that number by the SPF indicator on the bottle. The number you get indicates the number of minutes you can stay out in the sun before needing to reapply lotion.

Now not all sunscreens are made the same. Some are runny and drippy and tend to make a mess all over your hands. The more expensive kinds sometimes come in the form of a cream, rather than a lotion, and stay more contained. Still others come in a clear gel formula, which drips and makes less mess.

Now let's take a look at a different kind of sun lotion -- sun tanning lotion. This lotion helps attract the sun and speed up the process your body goes through in darkening the melanin in your skin. This type of lotion often comes in fancy bottles with even fancier labels that entice you to pick them up and pour them on your skin.

Not so fast, however. Such sun lotion cannot be used by itself. You need to apply a protective coating of sunscreen over top of the tanning lotion layer in order to keep your skin from burning. However, the rays of sun that you do get will more quickly brown your skin with the help of the tanning lotion. Applying the two together will help you ward off the burn while still getting an even tan.