ONE ATOM AT A TIME: Self-Tanning Lotion

Alba Botanica GOLDEN TAN Sunless Tanning Lotion

There’s vast of tanning products nowadays such as self-tanning lotions and sprays as well as tanning pills over the shelves waiting to be grabbed by you, yes you who want to achieve healthy Eva Longoria-esque olive glow skin in no time minus the long hours soaking in the sun building up oiliness on the face(very unglamorous!) and at the end of the day, getting sunburns or risking your life on tanning bed. You know how dangerous tanning bed is alright? Let’s not spend huge bucks on tanning bed as it dramatically increases chances to get skin cancer due to over exposure of ultraviolet (UV) radiations.

Image taken from http://blog.taragana.com/

Eva Longoria's glow olive tan skin. Jealous?

Among the tanning products available, most of you must’ve been wondering which one works the best? I must say, self-tanning lotion works better than the rest as it gives superb full coverage than the tanning spray. Besides that, the ingredients used are safe to be slathered on skin because they have been approved by FDA unlike tanning pills.

Have you ever questioned yourself how does self tanning lotion work? How does it change your skin color in just a couple of hours? The answer lies in the ingredients itself that is dihydroxyacetone, DHA. This active ingredient is a colorless sugar that interacts with dead skin cells on the upper epidermis that undergoes oxidization to create darker color of skin called tan than the natural skin color. Other main ingredients are as follow: Melanin activating peptide a.k.a. hempseed oil which is high in fatty acid, locking up moistures on skin and intensify the tan as it controls the production of skin’s melanin by increasing it up to 50 percent within 21 days. In addition, it also helps to alleviate allergies and inflammation by regulating the skin’s cytokines. Next is copper, that aides in reducing the visibility of scars and blemishes. Not forgetting, botanical oils and selected vitamins that stimulate the circulation of blood in the skin and forcing the melanin to surface and enhance the tanning process.

The ‘fake’ tan will last 5 to 7 days from its initial application. Every 35 to 45 days, the outer layer of the skin regenerates itself naturally and therefore it is a need to religiously reapply the self tanning lotion to maintain the tan but don’t overdo it or else you look too uhhhhh orange-y!