How To Get Tan

By: Helen Rogers

Break Studios Contributing Writer

You probably want to know how to get tan because summer is just around the corner, and you want to show off a little bit of color. Luckily, there are multiple ways that you can get the best tan of your life. Additionally, if you do it right, it won’t take long at all. Stop wasting money on self tanners, and get the real thing!

To get tan, you will need:

  • Sun block
  • Tanning bed lotion
  1. Start out by purchasing a membership at a local tanning salon. Usually, unlimited monthly memberships are the best deal for those who want a serious tan within a small amount of time. Be sure to purchase tanning lotion there as well. Anything between $30 and $60 is a safe bet.
  2. Always lather yourself with the tanning lotion before tanning. Many lotions contain ingredients that help your body stay cool in the tanning bed, and they will also help get your skin dark quicker. Never miss out on a day of using lotion because you may be not get any results. Also, you may get very hot in the tanning bed very quickly.
  3. Begin tanning daily starting out around seven minutes. Face it, if you aren’t tan, you aren’t going to last long in the tanning bed without burning. Start out in a reddening bed for six to seven minutes only, and examine your skin afterwards.
  4. If you are burnt, skip out on the next day or back your tanning time down a few minutes. Most people won’t burn from six to seven minutes in the tanning bed, but those with very fair skin have a high chance. Any time you burn, you should never go longer the next day. If anything, you should skip the next day or go for a short period of time. Always take care of yourself and remember that you need to give your time skin to recuperate if it’s burnt.
  5. If you did not burn, switch to a bronzer bed the next day and bump your tanning time up a minute. Bronzer beds are great for helping your skin become browner, but they should not be solely relied on. Using a bronzer bed consistently from day to day can turn your skin orange.
  6. Keep alternating between reddening and bronzer beds every day. Also, keep tanning a minute more every day. This will help your skin get very used to the tanning bed and it will also help you get tan more quickly.
  7. On days that you have to be out in the sun, bring sun block. Since you are already tanning, you may get burnt from being out in the sun for too long. It’s a good idea to just use sun block for those days that you need to spend time outside. You may even get a little bit more of a tan from spending time outside too.
  8. Keep tanning. The key to getting tan is to keep spending time in the tanning bed. Skipping too many days may result in your tan getting lighter. Once you’re as dark as you want to be, go every other day.
Posted on: Mar. 29, 2011