Sun tanning lotion

The varieties of sun tanning lotion available on the market today run into the thousands, all with their own special formulas and ingredients. Whether you're looking for the perfect fake tan that doesn't involve actual UV rays, or want a tanning lotion to help you with sunbathing outdoors, or indoors with a tanning bed, there will be plenty sun tanning lotions for you to choose from.

Although available in many retail stores, pharmacies, heath shops and spas, the internet is a great place to look if you want information to help you locate the right sun tanning lotion for you. However, although you will find plenty websites listing a large variety of lotions to buy, before knowing which one to choose, you will need to know more specifically what you intend to use the lotion for and how it will suit you.

Sun Tanning outdoors

Acquiring a tan while outdoors enjoying the sunshine can be an extremely rewarding experience. Feeling energized and kissed by the sun rather than sun burnt will make all the difference to how you feel at the end of the day. If you know your skin's capability to turn brown before burning, then you can identify the best sun tanning lotion to help you get that tan.

A sunscreen with an SPF of 8 provides relatively little protection, but if you have a naturally darker skin then it should cope without burning, as long as you take care to reapply often. At the other extreme, if you are very fair skinned with the classic blue eyes and you know you don't tan very easily at all, then you need to choose a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30, which will provide 97% protection from the UVB rays and you need to make sure to reapply every hour.

In all cases, you will need to manage how long you stay outdoors and not getting sun burnt by responding to how well your skin manages to tan. I have seen too many tourists arrive at a seaside resort and languish in the sun, not apparently having seen it for at least the whole of winter, and by the end of the day were a very sore sight for the eyes to say the least! If they just took it slowly and helped their skin with good sun protection, as well as quality skin nourishment and antioxidants, they may just have achieved a great suntan!

Lastly, make sure the sunscreen you choose has very high UVA protection and not just SPF, (or UVB), protection. If you choose a sunscreen that uses Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide you are more likely to have high UVA protection.

Fake tans

If you want to get a great tan but don't want to put yourself at risk by sunbathing in the direct sun's UV rays, you can choose a sun tanning lotion that doesn't require you to go out under the sun. Known as fake tans, this type of lotion uses special ingredients that react with the top most layer of your skin to create a new shade of color.

These vary from ones that will create an almost instant tan, it happens so quickly, to slower ones that are gradually applied over a few days. The first requires experience in application so as not to get an uneven tan and orange hands or such! They also seem to work better with naturally darker skins than a very pale skin. ie. not with a skin type 1 or 2. You can also control how deep the shade is more efficiently by applying the right amount over a period of time.

Once you stop using the product, the fake tan will slowly fade back into your natural skin color over a period of about 2 weeks. Finding the exact shade right for your skin may take a little experimentation though. There may be samples available for you to try a small part of your skin a few days beforehand. Otherwise, try and find some good recommendations from people with a very similar skin type to yourself.

Indoor tanning

There is also tanning lotion that is used for indoor purposes, such as in a tanning bed under UV ray lamps. These lotions work by helping to increase the amount of melanin in your skin, which results in a darker tan very naturally. Their ingredients usually include moisturizing oils and skin health boosters such as Aloe Vera or Aloe Ferox and organic antioxidants to allow the skin to counter the drying effects and potential free radicals created through use of the tanning bed.

As with fake tans, these tanning lotions come in different concentrations and some will provide a very deep, dark color quickly, where others will produce a milder version and may require a slower, more gradual path to the deep tan you require.

So, in general, when looking for a sun tanning lotion, it helps to know what will work with your natural skin color best, what ingredients are good for your skin and your skin type, as well as how to apply it and how often.