7 TIPS THAT WILL GET YOU DARK!

1. MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE!

When it comes to your tan, there is nothing that can affect your results more than dry skin. Dry, flaky skin does not tan and can prevent your skin from absorbing up to 50% of the light produced during your session.

Dry skin is more susceptible to the breakdown of collagen and elastin which PROMOTES the aging process. That's why it's important to moisturize before AND after your tanning session in ADDITION to your regular routine (like before bed, upon waking up, or after a shower).

2. USE PROFESSIONAL SALON QUALITY PRODUCTS!

Lotions designed specifically for tanners replace the vitamins and minerals lost during the tanning process. They are also specifically formulated to intensify the tanning potential of the UV light using natural ingredients such as Taurine and Tyrosine to produce the best possible tan.

"Why can't I use this lotion I bought at Sally's Beauty Supply, it's much cheaper and says it's for Indoor and Outdoor tanning? Well, the simple answer is because it contains INFERIOR ingredients compared to the professional products we carry. Read on to learn the difference.

3. STAY AWAY FROM MINERAL OILS!

Most of the products that can be purchased at the drug store, beauty suppliers, and even high end department stores use a cheap, nasty substance as its primary ingredient called mineral oil. It goes by many names actually: mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum, white oil, and a few others.

Mineral oil is actually a by-product of the refining process where crude oil is refined into gasoline. It is then purified (purity level can vary) and sold to 'skin care' manufacturers to be used in their products for pennies on the ounce. Actually, it's less expensive for the oil companies to sell mineral oil than to dispose of it, which is why that bottle of indoor/outdoor lotion you may have purchased cost less than $5. Ultimately you get what you pay for in terms of skin care.

So why is mineral oil so bad? Well, mineral oil particles are actually too large to be absorbed by the skin, so they sit on TOP of the skin and instead of replenishing lost nutrients and moisture they only prevent nutrients and moisture from escaping the skin.

The DOWNSIDE to this is the skin also must release toxins from our body through the pores! So while mineral oil may be locking moisture and nutrients in, it's also preventing toxins from escaping the top layer of skin! This causes our skin to exfoliate (or shed) UNEVENLY which will lead to an uneven, spotty tan.

So, if you're using the 'cheap stuff' and you're not happy with your tanning results or the uniformity of your tan, now you know why ;)

4. BUST OUT YOUR LOOFA!

So, we've exhaustively covered how bad dry skin is, it's time to tell you how to get rid of it. Find your favorite body wash and your best loofa and give your body a good scrubbing next time you're in the shower. This will remove the dead skin cells and stimulate your body to produce healthy cells. The result is the PERFECT canvas for developing the PERFECT tan!

BUT, there can be TOO MUCH of a good thing. Exfoliating too frequently will significantly shorten the life of your tan. Tha's why it's important to PREVENT dry skin with quality after tan moisturizers.

5. DON'T BURN, DUMMY!

Sorry, you're NOT a dummy, the fact of the matter is we've just been taught the WRONG way to do things by uninformed and uneducated salon owners and employees. It's time to set the record straight:

YOU DON'T NEED TO BURN TO TAN! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE RED BECAUSE THAT'S A BURN, NOT A TAN! BURNING DAMAGES THE SKIN AND SHORTENS THE LIFE OF YOUR TAN! STOP BURNING!

I can't be any clearer. All too often I encounter clients who insist that they need to burn before they can tan. This is NOT true. If you can't develop a tan without burning then you should NOT be tanning. I've also heard requests that a tanner wants to be a little 'red' after tanning. Redness that lasts for more than a couple hours after your tanning session is considered over exposure and may be a sign of a sun burn. Please avoid this.

6. GTL IS BAD!

If you're asking, 'What's GTL?' then you're probably a lot like me having never watched an episode of America's favorite New Jersey reality show. GTL is an acronym for Gym, Tan, Laundry. Okay, so it's never really a bad thing to do laundry I suppose, but going to the gym and then immediately going tanning (or vice versa) is NOT recommended.

Now I'm just being really compulsive about this whole tanning thing right? Not really, consider this: At the gym you sweat, releasing toxins and other impurities from the body through the skin. In the tanning bed, the same thing happens. When the skin repeatedly dries and becomes sweaty, bacteria forms. It's this bacteria that causes'sun spots' on the skin, or, areas of the skin that stay 'white' and don't tan like the rest of your body. This primarily occurs on pressure points in the tanning bed but can also appear on the inner arms and thighs and look like little white circles.

It's not dangerous or anything, so don't be alarmed, but you definitely want to bathe between tanning and going to the gym to prevent these sun spots.

7. VISIT VIP TANNING!

All of our professional tanning consultants are Smart Tan certified and can assist you in making the best possible decision regarding your tanning goals. Don't hesitate to call or stop in for some tanning advice. Even if you don't currently tan with us, we want to make sure you're doing right by your skin, please feel free to call us with any questions and we'll be happy to help you get the tan you deserve!