Achieving a healthy, glowing tan is something all women seek, and what better way to do it than by hitting the beach daily as soon as we get off work? Exposing ourselves to the Sun is not only a great method to get vitamin D and strengthen our teeth, bones, and skin, but it also accelerates the rate at which the brain produces serotonin. But, like everything and life, we must do it with caution and take all the preventive measures to avoid any bad health effects. Here is how to get a healthy, glowing tan without endangering yourself.

Use Homemade Tanning Oil

If you are an avid beachgoer, chances are you have used a commercial tanning oil at least once. While some of them are pretty good at doing their job, chances are they are not very good for your skin on the long term. Mainly, they could contain toxins which are very harmful for the skin, especially in combination with the UV rays from the sun.

Fortunately, you can easily avoid any potential negative effects by producing your own. As daunting as this might sound, upon further reading on homemade tanning oil you will realize that is easier than it looks. The list of ingredients is as vast as the number of combinations. But for the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on one recipe that yields great results upon usage. Here are the things that you will need to prepare it:

• One cup of coconut oil
• A couple of drops of vanilla and coconut essential oils
• Eight teaspoons of walnut oil

These particular ingredients will prevent your skin from getting dry and contribute to a beautiful, natural, glowing tan, along with a pleasant smell.

The preparation process is quite straightforward. Before mixing the coconut oil with the other ingredients, make sure to heat it until it turns liquid. After that, all you have to do is mix them up in an airtight, glass container. This mixture can last up to a month, so you do not have to prepare it every single time before heading to the beach.

Make Sure to Exfoliate

Moving on, another way to achieve a glowing and healthy tan is by properly exfoliating your skin. Exfoliating is a process that involves the elimination of any dead cells on the outer layer of the skin, allowing new skin cells to grow. Moreover, exfoliating can contribute to the improvement of the skin tone by cleaning up the pores from dirt and oil buildup.

You can do this naturally by scrubbing your skin with products such as oatmeal, salt or sugar. Pour these ingredients on an exfoliating glove or a loofah pad and gently scrub your skin. Not only will your skin receive a beautiful glow, but the tan will appear and fade away evenly.

Consume the Proper Foods

Various research shows that eating the proper food will help you tan safely and healthily by increasing the levels of lycopene, the body’s natural sun protection mechanism.

Make sure to consume foods that are high in antioxidants, like tomatoes (especially in paste form), oranges, strawberries, almonds, red grapes, watermelons, carrots and other vegetables. By doing this, you will increase the body’s sun protection capacities by 33 %.

As an alternative (or in conjunction with, whichever you prefer) eating dark chocolate or tangerines before hitting the beach is also a great way to protect yourself against the sun due to their high amounts of flavonoids. If chocolate is not your thing, a nice hot cup of green tea is a good source of catechins, a group of chemicals that prevent inflammations, sunburns and other damages caused by excessive exposure to UV radiations.

Tan Only in Specific Time Windows

The United States Environmental Protection Agency states that ultra-violets are at their strongest between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and advises beachgoers to either avoid going to the beach in this particular time window or at least seek shade.

Further on, it is worth noting that your skin has a cut-off point as far as tanning is concerned. This is when the skin temporarily stops generating melanin, the pigment that provides it with that natural tan that we are all craving. Therefore, make sure to switch between laying on your back and stomach every 20 to 30 minutes. This is the best way to avoid developing any potential sunburns or suffering any UV damages.

Conclusion

Getting a healthy, glowing tan is something that we all wish for as soon as Spring turns into Summer and the beaches are open for business. But like everything, there is a good way and a bad way of doing things. Bringing a natural tanning oil, exfoliating and following expert advice concerning tanning time windows are a few practical tips for avoiding any potential negative effects.  Therefore, if you want to achieve your dream tan as healthily as possible, make sure to read the tips presented in this article.