Deepening & Prolonging the Life of Natural Tan

As summer seems to be officially here, I thought I would do a post on natural tanning. I'm definitely a fake-tan-free kind of girl, although I have been thinking about it more recently, but I still haven't caved. As I have olive skin, I tan very easily, so my main challenge is prolonging the colour. I haven't really been out in the sun properly for years (due to health reasons) so this year and on my holiday I'm making the most of the sunshine, especially as I look super ill with pale skin!

PROTECT YOUR SKIN

It is so important to protect your skin from the sun, even if you don't burn. The sun can really damage your skin, cause ageing and even skin cancer so I think it's really important that you use the correct SPF for your skintone and where you are in the world, also check out the star rating on the back of your sun cream bottle to check out the protection it gives you from other rays.

For the UK, I use a Factor 20 spray and that is enough protection for my skin tone. For my holiday in August, I have bought Factor 30. My BF however, is very white and needs more protection.

When your skin burns, it really damages the skin and doesn't leave you with a darker tan. It may be darker for a few days, but will quickly fade. You also really don't want that irreversible damage.

EXFOLIATE!

To deepen your tan, all you need to do is exfoliate. By constantly removing that dead layer of skin, you tan has a chance to deepen and darken without being "shaved off". If the dead skin cells aren't removed, they will come off when you shave, which will slightly remove your tan.

For everyday, I use a gentle everyday exfoliator from Sanctuary Spa. For a couple of times a week, I use a very scrubby scrub from Superdrug. It's probably one of my favourite things I've bought recently, as it leaves skin incredibly smooth and soft thanks to the added oils.

AFTER CARE
For my time in the sun in the UK, I only use after sun if I've been in the sun all day at work. Otherwise, I just mosturise as normal. But for my holiday, I will be using after sun everyday, and everyday once I'm back home. After sun helps sooth and repair your skin from being in the sun, whilst helping the colour last that bit longer.

MY TOP TIPS FOR NATURAL TANNING

- Always use an SPF that matches your skin tone, Boots have a good quiz on what sun cream you need depending on where you are and your skin tone. My general rule is the paler you are, the higher SPF and the hotter it is, the higher the SPF.

- Exfoliate for a deeper and longer-lasting tan

- After sun and moisturiser to help look after your skin, soothe and repair it

I hope these tips help!

Ellie x