If you have fair skin, then you know what a pain it is to try to get a good tan, particularly because you are probably more likely to burn than tan. But fear not – it is possible to tan fair skin. Then, you met with many difficulties in how to tan fair skin effectively. Here are some quick tips to help you look less like a lobster without feeling the burn:
Table of Contents
1. Wear Sunscreen
Baz Luhrmann wasn’t kidding; it’s important to wear your sunscreen, especially so if you have fair skin. While folks with olive skin are often lucky enough to tan a few days after their sunburn wears off, those with fairer skin are more likely to damage and dry out their skin, which results in the all-too-familiar flaking and pain.
While you may not be able to tan right away while using sunblock, you will prevent any further sunburn, which can encourage your skin to produce more melanin, the pigment that tans your skin.
2. Start Slow
While you may think that tanning needs to be an all-day process with a reflector held at your neck, like is shown in most movies, those with fairer skin need to take a much slower approach to the process. Start with 15-20 minutes in the sun during your first go at it. From there, increase your time in the sun by five to ten-minute increments. Make sure you monitor your skin regularly in an effort to watch out for sunburn.
Should you be tanning in a tanning bed and not outside on a lounge chair, only spend two or three minutes in the tanning bed during your first session. Do not go tanning every day. As your tan develops, you can slowly increase the number of minutes you spend on the tanning bed, but only by one or two minutes at a time.
3. Trust Your Skin
Melanin keeps doing its thing long after you’ve gone inside, so you don’t need to sit in the sun until you see color in order to achieve a successful tan. That’s how you can overdo your tanning session and end up burnt. After exposing your skin to the sun, giving your skin a rest by going indoors or sitting in the shade can do a world of good for your tanning results. You can be sure that your skin will be darker in the evening than it appeared to be during the day in the sun.
4. Moisturize Me
Tanning your skin can dry it out, so it is important to moisturize it regularly and often. (Plus, this can help prevent premature aging.) And this isn’t just limited to stocking up on moisturizer – it’s important to keep yourself hydrated both inside and out. Drink plenty of water in addition to applying a highly moisturizing product to your skin to keep it healthy.
5. Keep It Up
This may seem like a no-brainer, but the best way to build a great tan is to keep at it. You want to slowly increase how long you sit in the sun or in a tanning bed on a regular basis, else if you wait too long and your skin loses the pigment, you’ll only have to start the process all over again.
