The times when aristocratically pale skin was considered beautiful are long gone. In the 21st century, a body covered with an even bronze tan looks most attractive. In this regard, many people are concerned about how to maintain a tan for a long time.
Preparing your body for tanning
One of the important conditions for obtaining an even, beautiful, and most importantly, lasting tan is preliminary preparation of the skin through mechanical peeling. During the procedure, dead epidermal cells and impurities will be removed from its surface. However, do not forget that after peeling the skin becomes very vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, so sunbathing should only be started after a few days.
In addition, before tanning, you should not peel with acids, as this can subsequently lead to the formation of pigment spots on the body. Cleansing the skin should be done using a scrub and massage mittens. But it is necessary to carry out this procedure, since maintaining a tan after the sea in this case will be much easier.
Preparing your face for tanning
Since the face, unlike the body, is subjected to a much larger number of different cleansing procedures every day, the tan disappears from it quite quickly. Therefore, before your vacation, you should take the time to prepare your face for the caressing rays of the sun, since you can maintain your tan for a long time by taking care of it in advance. Before tanning, you should not subject your delicate facial skin to serious traumatic procedures; gentle peeling with finely ground oatmeal will remove surface impurities and at the same time will not deprive the skin of its natural protection. Such a light cleansing procedure will be quite enough to obtain an even and lasting tan.
How to tan properly
The biggest mistake many people make in the sun is mindlessly lying on the beach for hours on end under the scorching rays. Of course, you will get a tan faster this way, but the likelihood of getting a serious burn is very high. In addition, a tan obtained in this way will probably quickly leave its owner when the injured skin begins to peel and peel.
It is important to know how to tan, since you can maintain a tan after the sea for a long time only if it is obtained correctly. In the first days of vacation, it is better to reduce the time spent in the sun to 30 minutes, and only after the skin acquires a light chocolate tint can this time be increased. However, you need to pay particular attention not only to the time spent in the sun, but also to what time of day is chosen for tanning. The ideal hours for sunbathing are before noon and afternoon. This is necessary in order to protect the skin from exposure to too much ultraviolet radiation and not get burned.
Tanning products
During the first few days of rest, you should not use products aimed at increasing exposure to ultraviolet rays. During this period, the skin needs serious protection, which creams with a protection factor of SPF 50 can provide. This product will help the skin form its own defense and protect itself from sunburn.
To obtain a lasting tan, you need to reduce the level of protection gradually. After 3-4 days, you can switch to a cream with an SPF of 30, and after a couple of days - with an SPF of 20. Thus, only after the first week of rest can you start using products whose main task is to enhance your tan. This scheme will protect the skin from injury and allow you to get an even, stable golden color.
After sun products
Since you can preserve a sea tan by fixing it well, it is important to choose the right one. In most cases, the main task of such creams, lotions and oils is to moisturize a sun-dried body. However, there are so-called prolongators, which, in addition to nourishing and saturating the skin with moisture, enhance the effect of exposure to the sun and help preserve it for a long time. Thanks to the application of these products, the tan appears faster and is fixed much better.
Nutrition for maintaining a tan
Everyone knows: tanning is nothing more than the body’s protective reaction to exposure to ultraviolet rays. In order to avoid skin damage, the body begins to produce melanin, under the influence of which this seductive chocolate shade appears. Scientists have long proven that there are a number of products that have a significant effect on the production of this hormone due to the content of certain substances in them. Thus, one of the possible solutions to the pressing question of how to maintain a tan after the sea would be proper nutrition.
The first on the list of substances that ensure smooth skin is vitamin A. It significantly accelerates the production of melanin and helps the regeneration of skin cells. Next on the list of products that have a beneficial effect on the skin during and after tanning are protein, B vitamins, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
In order to fill the body with these important substances, it is necessary to include in the diet more red and orange vegetables, as well as foods containing healthy fats (nuts, avocados, fish, etc.).
Tanning intensity without sun
How to maintain a sea tan longer away from the beach and sun? Thanks to inventions such as solariums and self-tanning products, the answer to this question becomes obvious. A small amount of dihydroxyacetone cream will help return your body to its beautiful chocolate color. By reacting with skin keratin proteins, this substance triggers the production of melonoidin, which gives the skin a beautiful shade of natural tan. Such products, when used correctly, do not cause any harm and give fairly quick results.
The sessions cannot be called an absolutely harmless procedure, but the skin tone obtained in this way will be as close to natural as possible. And since just a few minutes under the lamps a couple of times a month will help you maintain your tan after the sea, there won’t be much harm from visiting a solarium.
Folk remedies
How to maintain a southern tan and not harm the skin, but, on the contrary, bring it additional care and concern? The best way is to take baths with various additives. So, a bath with the addition of chamomile decoction will not only help maintain a pleasant golden color to the skin, but will also make it silky. And if you add a certain amount of strongly brewed black tea to the water, then, in addition to maintaining a tan, you can tone and soften the skin.
A pleasant bonus to a beautiful skin color can be the rejuvenating effect that baths with chocolate will give. To do this, you need to melt a chocolate bar and dilute the resulting mass with water (1:1). You need to pour the mixture into the bath.
Additional intensive hydration of the skin will prevent it from peeling, which means it will help maintain a beautiful tan for a longer time. If you pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into the water while taking a bath, your skin will receive an incredible amount of nutrients and intense hydration that no lotion can provide.
Since you can maintain a tan for a long time only by taking care of your skin, do not forget about daily care. However, you should avoid products that have a whitening or brightening effect, and then a beautiful bronze skin color will delight you for many months after your vacation!
Almost every woman, basking on the beach in the summer, dreams of a beautiful and even tan, with which she can surprise her friends for a long time. And women themselves, frankly speaking, enjoy a dark skin tone. However, unfortunately, over time, any tan begins to lighten, fade, and as a result, no trace remains of the dark shade. Therefore, women worry: how to maintain a tan longer, how to make it more durable?
To begin with, it should be noted that the duration of the tan is affected by where exactly you got it: in the country, in the village or in the south, near the sea. It is known that sea tans tend to fade faster than northern tans. A tan that is properly formed within fourteen days lasts on average about 60 days on dark skin, up to 45 days on light skin, and only 20 days on almost white skin. Of course, the intensity of tanning also varies depending on skin type. But in any case, there are some methods for preserving it.
Basic rules for maintaining a tan
Add vitamin A to your diet
Due to sun exposure, the skin becomes dry, so it needs to be nourished with vitamin A from the outside and inside. To do this, after a shower and bath, it is recommended to use various body oils and apply a drop of retinol palmitate internally on a piece of black bread daily (you will find this remedy in almost any pharmacy).
Watch your diet
The menu should include eggs, milk, carrots, spinach, beef liver, apricots and various vegetables and fruits in red and yellow colors. Be sure to increase your intake of beta-carotene, which stimulates melanin production. Beta-carotene is one of the strongest natural tanning activators and fixers. Make it a rule to drink one glass of carrot juice every day, starting before sunbathing - this will help the tan “lay on” your skin more intensely and last longer.
Don’t forget about nourishing your skin with a sufficient amount of fats contained in food - for this you should eat fish (especially tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines), as well as vegetable oils. In addition, these products also contain tyrosine, an amino acid that maintains dark skin pigment.
Provide skin with hydration and protection
Be sure to apply moisturizer to your skin. As a rule, after tanning, the skin becomes very dry and therefore begins to peel, as a result of which you can forget about tanning. Moisturized skin retains its tan longer.
If you are interested in how to maintain a tan after the sea, use special after-sun products. They are used immediately after sunbathing, but you can continue to apply them after vacation, as they help to maintain a long-lasting tan.
Also, prolongators, or simply fixers, will come to your aid - special cosmetics that fix the tan and preserve it for as long as possible. As a rule, these are rich moisturizing complexes that restore and tone the epidermis, and also provide a skin rejuvenation effect. Some prolongators contain special components that give the skin a seductive shimmering shine.
Don't forget about gentle peeling
Over time, your skin tone becomes less attractive, which means it's time to update it. Of course, you want to constantly maintain and improve your tan, so many people resort to using a solarium. However, visiting it too often leads to dry skin. For this reason, it is better to lightly exfoliate a few weeks after your vacation and apply a moisturizing lotion with a toning effect to your skin - this will help your tan look fresher and your skin well-groomed.
Refrain from visiting the bathhouse
You should avoid visiting the sauna and bathhouse for a while, since the tan “comes off” from steamed skin very quickly. Also refrain from using scrubs.
As for the bath, it should not be taken for very long. A bath with vegetable oils and sea salt will be especially beneficial for the skin, and in particular for tanning.
Folk remedies for maintaining a tan
There are a lot of effective recipes for those who are looking for an answer to the question of how to maintain a tan for a long time using traditional methods. One of these is rinsing or rubbing the skin with tea or coffee. Tea, moreover, perfectly moisturizes the epidermis and tightens pores.
Another way to maintain a tan is to rub the skin with chamomile or chamomile infusion. Pour 8 tablespoons of dried flowers into a liter of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave for 2 hours. This product is recommended to be used daily during morning procedures.
A carrot mask will also help maintain a dark skin tone. Grate the carrots on a fine grater or squeeze out a small amount of carrot juice and mix with olive oil, apply to the skin for 20 minutes, and then rinse. But it is necessary to take into account that such a mask is contraindicated for skin that is too pale - it may not acquire a dark tint, but turn yellow.
Freshly brewed coffee crab will help cleanse your skin of impurities and maintain a tan.
A tomato mask will help prolong the temporary darkening of the skin. Mash two tomatoes, mix with one tablespoon of olive oil and four tablespoons of full-fat cottage cheese, apply to the skin for 20 minutes, and then rinse off first with cold and then warm water.
Cucumbers, lemons, and milk should be temporarily excluded from the diet, as well as the list of products that help take care of the skin, as they whiten the skin.
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After a pleasantly spent vacation at sea, I want to keep for a long time not only the memories of a wonderful time spent, but also the brown-chocolate tan that the gentle sun on the sea coast gives us. To do this, it is enough to know a few secrets of the technique of proper preparation and care of tanned skin.
During a week at sea, even people whose skin is distinguished by aristocratic pallor have a chance to acquire a fairly even and lasting bronze tan. But for naturally dark-skinned people, it is enough to simply spend several hours a day in the sun to achieve an excellent coffee-colored skin tone.
The main principles of a beautiful tan consist of only three rules: preliminary cleansing of the skin, good protection during tanning and sufficient nutrition and hydration after exposure to the sun.
Proper preparation
In order for the tan to be good and, most importantly, evenly applied to your skin, it should be cleaned first. It is best to use special products: scrubs and peelings. However, there are several nuances here. You should not use products based on fruit acids, because if you cleanse your skin with such a scrub immediately before tanning, you risk getting a skin burn. Because they enhance the effects of sunlight.
For the best effect from peelings and scrubs, preparatory cleansing procedures should begin at least a week before the long-awaited vacation. During this time, you will prepare your skin well enough for tanning. To avoid allergies to purchased products and save your budget, prepare a homemade peeling or scrub yourself.
Recipes
- With coffee. Coffee intended for brewing is best suited for this scrub. It is natural, well crushed, but at the same time has a hard grain structure that exfoliates and cleanses the skin well. In addition, coffee gives an additional brown tint. To make a coffee scrub at home, just take 200 grams of ground coffee and mix it with 1 teaspoon of any natural oil. For example, olive, burdock or castor. You need to apply the scrub using massage movements, working well on every part of the body. Thus, you not only cleanse your skin, but also make it firmer, tighter and smoother. Because coffee scrub is the number one remedy in the fight against subcutaneous fat and “orange peel”. For those with a sweet tooth and chocolate lovers, this scrub is complemented with 1 bar of dark chocolate melted in a water bath.
- With sea salt. Thanks to sea salt, the upper layer of the epidermis is cleansed of all toxins and harmful substances. And honey softens and nourishes the skin very well, both during the procedure and after it. To prepare this miraculous mixture for the whole body, you will need 200 grams of crushed sea salt without dyes or additives and 100 grams of liquid honey. This scrub should be applied carefully over the entire body in a thin layer. For the mixture to work effectively, hold it on your body for 5 minutes and then rinse the scrub off your skin with massaging movements.
Important advice. Before using any body scrub, first check whether you are allergic to any of the components of the home remedy. To do this, apply the prepared mixture in a small amount on your wrist and wait 7-10 minutes. If there is no reaction (itching, redness), then feel free to use a self-prepared scrub.
The frequency of such procedures will depend on your skin type. For normal skin, it is allowed to cleanse with scrubs 2 times a week, for oily skin - 3 times a week, and if you have sensitive and dry skin, then it is better to use scrubs no more than once a week.
Tanning safely
The sun gives us positive emotions, vitamin D and charges us with positivity. But, unfortunately, this is not the only thing the sun’s rays can give us. If you sunbathe without knowing the limits, there is a chance of getting burns, premature skin aging and even skin cancer. Therefore, when going to the beach, always follow a few simple rules:
- Immediately before going to the beach, you need to take a shower or bath at least 2 hours before. And don't use regular soap. Because it greatly dries out the skin and strips it of its natural oil coating, which protects the skin from severe sun exposure and burns. It is better to use a soft gel with a neutral pH.
- Just like before visiting a solarium, you should not apply cosmetics to your face. This way the tan will apply evenly and there will be no irritation on the skin due to mascara or lipstick.
- Use sunscreen or special oils containing panthenol and bisabolol. These components reliably protect the skin from burns and at the same time promote a uniform and beautiful tan. All products should be applied in a thin and even layer half an hour before going out into the sun.
- Arrive in the sun at a safe time, before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Since the rest of the time, solar activity is at its peak and the rays penetrate the skin quite quickly and deeply, causing serious burns, even when using protective creams.
Moisturizing after sun care
One of the important conditions for a good and long-lasting tan is sufficient skin hydration. If it is dry, then with prolonged exposure to the sun it will burn rather than acquire a beautiful tan.
In order to maintain your newly acquired tan, just rinse your skin with warm water after being on the beach and moisturize it. The best means for this are creams containing panthenol, aloe vera or biofin. Thanks to such components, the skin is restored, toned and receives additional hydration. And in order to consolidate and maintain a tan in the future, use sea buckthorn oil for the skin, it nourishes the skin with vitamins and gives it an additional golden color. Many cosmetologists also advise strengthening the durability of a tan by eating fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene. It is found in carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes, red peppers, persimmons, apricots, melons, black currants and peaches.
Our tips will help you not only maintain a beautiful tan for a long time, but also properly protect your skin from the negative effects of sunlight.
by Notes of the Wild MistressA southern tan gives the body an incomparable attractiveness, so many people ask the question every year: How to maintain a tan after the sea for a long time without harm to health? There are many time-tested methods.
Proper nutrition
Saturating the body with nutrients, especially vitamins A and E, will help to maintain a tan. They not only eliminate the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation (such as the production of free radicals), but also stimulate the activity of melanocytes to produce melanin, the dark pigment of the skin.
You can take special vitamins, but it is better to diversify the menu with natural products rich in essential nutrients. These products include: liver, butter and vegetable oil, dairy foods, cheeses, broccoli, seafood, carrots, apricots, any vegetables and fruits of yellow, orange, red color. It is advisable to add a little vegetable oil to vegetables: this way fat-soluble vitamins are better absorbed.
Intense hydration
After a beach holiday, our skin often suffers from a lack of moisture, so its cells die and exfoliate faster. To keep the upper layers of the epidermis strong and elastic, you need to additionally moisturize the skin. The best option is to use milk or cream with a moisturizing effect after each sunbath.
When returning from vacation, you should also apply moisturizer regularly. Often these products include aloe vera and plant extracts - horsetail, arnica, witch hazel, and citrus essential oils. These aromatic oils have the ability to retain moisture in the skin, thereby protecting it from drying out. You should wipe your face with moisturizing tonics, for example, based on rose water. You can wash your face with green tea, milk, and wipe your skin with cream.
Skin nutrition
The body needs vitamin nutrition not only from the inside, but also from the outside. Homemade nourishing masks made from oatmeal, eggs, and honey have a positive effect on the skin: they saturate the cells of the upper layers of the epidermis with nutrients, protecting them from damage and harmful toxins.
There are also special masks that will help preserve the skin pigment in an unchanged state for a long time, at the same time coloring the body in a dark shade.
Face masks to maintain your tan
1. Tomato mask. Ingredients: cottage cheese (10 g), chopped tomatoes (10 g) and vegetable oil (5 g). Keep the mask on your face for 20 minutes, then wash off with water. For use on the body, you need to proportionally increase the number of components. You can also do the procedure in the form of a wrap, which is much more convenient.
2. Carrot mask. Use carrot essential oil or carrot juice, as well as olive oil and yolk in equal parts. It is recommended to do this mask twice a week. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes. This will help maintain the brightness of your tan.
3. Coffee grounds mask. It is used in the same way as the previous ones, but very finely ground coffee should be applied so as not to create a peeling effect.
4. Mask with oregano. Grind the leaves and flowers of the plant, combine with honey and egg yolk (100 g in total), apply to the body for 20 minutes.
5. Tea washes. You can not only wash your face with tea, but also freeze the drink in the form of ice cubes and wipe your skin daily. Cool tea baths are given to the body. Baths with the addition of henna and cinnamon have a similar effect.
In order to nourish and moisturize the skin, you can use any masks or wraps, the main thing is that their components do not have a whitening effect and do not contain large particles that can damage the top layer of the skin.
Solarium
Perhaps the most reliable way to maintain a tan after the sea for a long time is to visit solarium. If, a month after returning from the sea, you perform artificial tanning sessions for 5-6 minutes once a week, the skin will retain the color that was brought from the southern countries.
In order not to be upset about the instability of the tan, you should properly prepare for a beach holiday. It is recommended to thoroughly clean and exfoliate the skin with peeling before going to the sea, preferably in a beauty salon. First, the skin is steamed and each area is thoroughly treated with products containing abrasive particles.
A tan obtained this way will last longer: you need to stay in the sun for a very short time, and then relax on a lounger in the shade. Under a light tent, the skin also absorbs ultraviolet radiation, but the procedure is less harmful and its effect is more lasting.
There are also special cosmetics that prolong the beautiful skin tone - so-called intense tanning lotions, but they are used specifically during sunbathing. These products are sold in any cosmetics store.
Upon returning home, you should not abuse hot baths, saunas, or steam baths. Of course, water procedures are good for the skin, but for tanning they are enemy number one. After vacation, it is better to take a contrast shower and not rub your body too hard with a washcloth.
Good for those who live near the sea. It is doubly good for those who have a warm sea, and the surrounding climate is ready to provide sun 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. What about everyone else who sees salt water no more than once a year? And even then, if you’re lucky with a vacation... Of course, a couple of weeks in warm countries can even turn Snow White into a Dark Girl, but only for a while. Unfortunately, a southern tan is short-lived: it quickly sets on the skin, but without proper care it doesn’t last long...
Moisturizing, nourishing and softening the skin are the three main pillars of a long-lasting tan. Skin that has been exposed to the sun is more dry than usual. The drier the skin, the faster its top layer dies off, which means the tan fades. Accordingly, in order to maintain a tan after the sea, the skin needs to be at least moisturized.
Moisturizers are applied to clean skin. However, taking a hot bath or going to the sauna after solar treatments is not recommended. High temperatures and humidity have a detrimental effect on the tan, leaving it no chance of preservation. It is best to wash off sea salt and street dust with lukewarm water in the shower using gentle body gels. It’s also better not to use soap – it dries the skin too much. Scrubs and peelings are also prohibited. Whitening cosmetics and natural products (cucumber, pumpkin seeds, lemon, dairy products) are the worst enemies of golden brown skin.
Warm tea and coffee baths, as well as tomato and carrot masks, which can be done both for the face and the whole body, help maintain a tan after the sea. Tomato mask is prepared from ripe tomatoes, cottage cheese and olive oil. It is applied to the skin for a period not exceeding half an hour. A carrot mask is made from essential carrot and olive oil and egg yolk. Instead of essential oil, you can use fresh carrots, passed through a fine grater. It is recommended to use a carrot mask no more than once a week. It is applied to the skin for a period not exceeding twenty minutes.
Proper nutrition also helps to maintain your tan. Brown skin color lasts longer in people who actively consume vitamin A. The latter is found in large quantities in apricots, carrots, spinach, eggs, milk, cheeses, fatty fish and liver. What’s interesting is that you can start eating right even before the start of the summer season. Red and yellow vegetables and fruits, as well as carrot juice, consumed before, during and after getting a tan, retain the latter much longer, since they begin to exert their effect on the skin in advance.
Intensive fluid consumption - at least one and a half to two liters per day - allows you to moisturize the skin from the inside and extend the life of the tan for some more time.
How to maintain a tan after a holiday at sea?
The southern sun quickly falls on the skin. A tan acquired in warm latitudes is darker and less durable than the one our body gets in its natural climatic conditions. Accordingly, in order to maintain a tan after a holiday at sea, you need to try to use your sun. It will fix your existing tan and add to it a new, less dark, but more lasting shade that can last for several months.
If you can’t sunbathe in natural conditions, you can turn to a solarium. You are allowed to visit it just a few weeks after your vacation at sea. You can go to the solarium once every one to two weeks, depending on your skin type and the intensity of the tan you receive. Before visiting the solarium, it is recommended to thoroughly cleanse the skin of dead cells. In this case, the use of scrubs and peeling is allowed, since, in addition to preserving the old one, the skin will also receive a new tan, and it can only lie on new, clean cells. People with fair skin can spend about five minutes in a solarium, while people with dark skin can spend seven to ten minutes.