Safe Tan

Kimenem

Kimenem

Cathlete
I'm looking for a GOOD self tanner and after getting a spray tan last week that left my feet and hands orange because the spray settled there :mad:, I find myself STILL looking. I'm also worried about all those chemicals. Anyway, I did some reading and found a product called safe tan that doesn't have all those chemicals and is SUPPOSED to work really well. Just wondering if anyone has tried this and what the results were. Sorry if this has been discussed already but I'm leaving for work and didn't have time to look at past posts.

Kim
 
Tan Towels do give a nice color, but they're kind of difficult & messy to use.

I've had the best luck with Neutrogena's Gradual Tan & Jurgen's self tanner. They both give a very natural color. But I really despise self-tanners. They're all so messy & tough to apply. And of course you have to be careful around the wrists & ankles b/c it ends up looking all spotty & weird. :confused:
 
Jergens Natural Glow is pretty good.

I like St. Tropez self tanning creme, it's tinted so you can see where it has been applied and areas that you've missed. Also, it doesn't seem to smell quite as bad as some of the others. It's definitely not an orangy tan...I've got fair native american skin which tans copper, so most cremes turn extremely orange. It also tans fairly dark, so I generally use the Jergens for about a week to build up a tan so it's not quite as much of a visual shock.

I've heard the key to good self-tanning is proper exfoliation.
 
Kimenem,

I kid you not, I was going to post the exact same question today! I met a friend for lunch yesterday and wore shorts and couldn't get over how white my legs were but I refuse to go to a tanning bed or lay out. And the rest of this week will be mid to upper 80s so I need to get some color.

I have used Neutragena and like it OK. It doesn't smell and doesn't darken you too fast. But I have to apply it maybe 3 times (on 3 consecutive days) to acheive the color I want. Then it seems on the 5th day it starts wearing off in blotchy places so I look streaked.

I"ve used Loreal Gelee (?) and it was horrible for me. It goes on dark so you can see where you apply but it just streaked all over me and was brown (not even the expected orange-y color). Even though I rubbed it in until I saw no streaks.

I used one years ago that I liked. It went on dark to see where you are applying but for the life of me, I can not remember what it was! I used it all summer on a regular basis and didn't use it for winter. Then the next summer came along and they must have changed the packaging because I couldn't find it or remember the brand.

I've used spray on (Sally Hansen) and toweletts (don't remember brand) and neither worked for me since it was too messy.

I use it only on my legs on a regular basis and sometimes on my arms. I never use it anywhere else. My entire body is very white since I am always wearing SPF from head to toe. People jokingly make fun of how white I am but I also don't have wrinkles or sun spots!

Over the years, I have come up with ways to get the tanner to look better on me. I do fully exfoliate in the shower 1st (St Ives body scrub). I do not shave my legs 1st - for some reason if I shave and then apply the tanner, it irritates me and I get hives. I then apply dots all over my legs/arms (1 arm or leg at a time) and rub in one section at a time. I do not rub any in my ankles or knees or elbows or wrists. But once I am done rubbing in my legs and arms I do one "swipe" over the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists (without applying new tanner - just using the tanner already on my hands). Then I get a wadded up tissue and lightly rub/blend around the joint areas. I haven't had a problem with the joint areas since doing that.

I tried applying with a glove before, but that didn't work well.

So I am also interested in any recommendations for tanners since I'm not that happy with the current one I use.
 
I'm rather pale myself so I use self-tanners frequently from late April/May until September/October. In college, I had to take a health class and the professor commented that people with light color hair, blue eyes, and freckles were most prone to getting skin cancer...I felt like I had a big arrow over my head pointing directly at me! I guess for some reason the image has stuck and, as a result, I tend to avoid the sun. :)

Anyway, I usually get a spray tan once a week at Sun Tan City using its VersaSpa sunless tanning booth. I get great results! Sun Tan City only has salons in a few states (mainly east of the Mississippi) but if you can find a salon that uses the VersaSpa sunless tanning booth in your area I highly recommend giving it a try. I find if I exfoliate before getting a spray tan and apply lotion with a little bit of sunless tanner every evening my tan will last for about a week.

If I don't feel like getting a spray tan, I use L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Mist at home (I hope I got that name right). Candidly, I think the company recently changed the formula because it isn't quite as good as it used to be, but I still like it a lot. I find if I apply a lotion with sunless tanner every night and just use the Sublime spray every 2-3days I get a good color without streaks. Of course it is not perfect, but if I screw it up one week I just wear pants that week!

Over the years I have tried soooo many self-tanning products and have yet to find any that work perfectly. I guess that's the nature of self-tanning. :confused: HTH!
 
My favorite self tanner is xen-tan. Gives you a natural color and doesn't stink. It also doesn't rub off on clothes like other self tanners i've used.
 
Okay, keep in mind this question is coming from someone who used to be the "queen of tan". When I was younger, I would tan religiously. I would get very dark. I shudder to think of the damage I did to my skin back then.

I applaud you guys for realizing the danger of tanning and going to the spray tans and self tanner instead. Good for you.

Here's my question.... what in the world is wrong with white skin? Whenever I see someone with that pretty, creamy white skin, I think to myself how gorgeous that is. Why must everyone tan? Why change the color of your skin?

I sure wish I had felt this way 25 years ago. It seems that it took until I was about 30 years old to realize there is nothing wrong with pale white skin. Thank goodness I quit tanning at that point.
 
JeanneMarie,

Oh I agree with you! I really don't mind having such white skin, but I hear comments All. The. Time. (yes, what other people say shouldn't bother me...). It is odd because people always remark how pretty and creamy white my face is but then I hear comments how white my legs are. They are the same color, IMO. I don't hear comments on my arms, which are also the same color.

For me, I think it is the fact I live in a very hot climate - wear shorts/skirts almost year round and since I wear SPF, I don't get a tan at all whereas everyone else here does. So I stand out. I also think it is because I am not blonde hair, blue eyed therefore am "expected" to be a bit darker.

My whiteness doesn't really bother me that much until I wear a black skirt and black shoes - then even I think I need to add color.

A few months ago I went to my yearly dermatologist appointment to check for any moles. I am sitting on the table with nothing but underwear on when the dermatologist walks in, looks at me, and says "Well, I see you don't get out in the sun much!" I replied "That's a good thing, right?" It was just odd he remarked the way he did. I thought it was funny.
 
My problem with lotions usually is that they tend to get an orange tint. It seems like I did find a couple that i had to order but they gave me a rash. Plus, you're still putting all those chemicals on your skin. Safe tan is supposed to be just that: SAFE.

At any rate, it's on order so I guess we'll see. Thanks for all the responses. :)
 
Gobias said:
JeanneMarie,

Oh I agree with you! I really don't mind having such white skin, but I hear comments All. The. Time. (yes, what other people say shouldn't bother me...). It is odd because people always remark how pretty and creamy white my face is but then I hear comments how white my legs are. They are the same color, IMO. I don't hear comments on my arms, which are also the same color.

For me, I think it is the fact I live in a very hot climate - wear shorts/skirts almost year round and since I wear SPF, I don't get a tan at all whereas everyone else here does. So I stand out. I also think it is because I am not blonde hair, blue eyed therefore am "expected" to be a bit darker.

My whiteness doesn't really bother me that much until I wear a black skirt and black shoes - then even I think I need to add color.

A few months ago I went to my yearly dermatologist appointment to check for any moles. I am sitting on the table with nothing but underwear on when the dermatologist walks in, looks at me, and says "Well, I see you don't get out in the sun much!" I replied "That's a good thing, right?" It was just odd he remarked the way he did. I thought it was funny.
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I guess it really is a mindset that needs to be changed. If you think you need to be a different color, then that's that.

Personally, if I had people commenting on the color of my skin, whether my legs or arms or whatever, I would change who I hang out with. And whenever they do comment on your white legs, I would just say "thank you" and go about my business knowing that I had beautiful, lovely skin. It just baffles me this whole deal with thinking skin has to be darker. :confused:
 
I don't feel like it HAS to be darker. I DO feel like everything looks better when the skin is more tan than white. That being said, I'm NOT talking about baking in the sun or tanning bed. I just simply want some color so when I go outside I don't blind everyone. That's why I'm on the hunt for a safe self tanner.
 
Kimenem said:
I don't feel like it HAS to be darker. I DO feel like everything looks better when the skin is more tan than white. That being said, I'm NOT talking about baking in the sun or tanning bed. I just simply want some color so when I go outside I don't blind everyone. That's why I'm on the hunt for a safe self tanner.
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I understand Kim. I'm sorry if I came across as stern. I just really don't get why you need color when your skin is so pretty with it's natural color. That's a gift in my book.

I am also not sure what you mean about blinding people?? Surely you are doing whatever you do to your skin and body for YOU... not for other people??
 
Kimenem said:
By blinding people I mean that I feel like if my skin is too pale, it's so white it's blinding.
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Thanks Kim. I knew that's what you meant literally... my point was that you should do what's best for you and not worry about everyone else.

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse. I don't mean to. I just wish you'd appreciate what you have. It's a blessing! :)
 
I like the idea of having a nice tan, I think look better with some color. After years of motorcycle riding covered head to foot, my skin couldn't really take the sun. I gave Neutrogena a try but I have wonder even with that about the chemicals. I never liked make ups for that reason, you just don't know what's in it, and a lot of it just smells bad. I guess the natural way in small doses. You should have some sun anyway.;)
 
I haven't used a tanner in a few years, but when I did, I used Neutregena. Before I would apply it, I'd exfoliate and put a thin layer of lotion on my skin to help avoid any blotching. It seemed to have worked because nobody ever knew that it was self tanner :) I really don't know the chemical makeup in the Neutregena, but for me it wasn't a concern at the time. This summer I'm going to try the Bare Essentuals self tanner. Good luck!

Linda

P.S. Oh, and I'd always wear rubber gloves while applying it to my body and then I'd take them off to do my wrists and hands..
 
Hi! A self-tanner that I love, love, love is called Famous Daves. It is all- natural, and does not stink at all. The color is natural. I believe you can only order it online, though. Last year I got the peppermint scrub, and that was great to exfoliate before self-tanning. I also got great results from the Jergens daily self-tan lotion (the one that gradually builds a tan). I am very pale (green eyes, reddish hair). I do feel better when I have a little color too. Good luck!
-Jen
 
jaypea said:
Hi! A self-tanner that I love, love, love is called Famous Daves. It is all- natural, and does not stink at all. The color is natural. I believe you can only order it online, though. Last year I got the peppermint scrub, and that was great to exfoliate before self-tanning. I also got great results from the Jergens daily self-tan lotion (the one that gradually builds a tan). I am very pale (green eyes, reddish hair). I do feel better when I have a little color too. Good luck!
-Jen
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AGREED! This is the tanner I always go back to.
 
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