Who else ODs on SPF during the summer time?

I LOOOOOVE a good sun-kissed look, but I refuse to go into a tanning bed or expose my skin to the sun.

LIKE… HAVE YOU EVER HEARD HOW MUCH IT ACCELERATES THE AGING PROCESS ?!!

This 2013 study examined the effect of sun exposure on facial aging and found that UV exposure seems to be responsible for 80% of visible facial aging signs (1).

*insert jaw drop gif*

*amazon primes SPF 50 broad spectrum sunscreen home*

CARE TO SIGN MY PETITION TO STOP TANNING 2K19 ??! 

Aesthetics aside, exposure to UV can have even worse effects – skin cancer. This 2013 article explains that risk increases by 75% if people use tanning beds before 35 y/o.

*amazon primes a sun umbrella*

The tanning industry markets the health benefits of UV to their clients, emphasizing vitamin D production from UVB exposure, BUT HERE’S THE KICKER : the UV doses that induce tanning far exceed what is required for adequate vitamin D production (2).

ALSO, the availability of vitamin D in supplements and fortified food ( foods that have nutrients added to them that don’t naturally occur in food; this is meant to improve nutrition & health benefits ) minimizes the need for UV exposure to avoid symptoms of rickets and vitamin D deficiency. So basically, there is no need to OD on sun exposure. Sunscreen – let’s load it up!

SHAMELESS PLUG : Harry Steenbock, a biochemist from UW-Madison, ( where I completed my undergrad ) led the method for adding vitamin D to foods, curing rickets WORLDWIDE. I also studied at his library a few times freshman year. Steenbock = the plug.

ANYWAYS – now that I have prolly scared the crap out of you – this is where I introduce my solution to maintaining plump, wrinkle free skin & preventing skin cancer AND KEEPING A TAN.

ENTER : tan towels.

They’re my current OBSESSION.

We LOVE them because :

• Unlike a spray tan, you can use it WHENEVER. No need to leave your house. No need to strip down naked in front of a stranger.
• They give you the PERFECT color. My mom introduced me to tan towels and I shared them with all of my roommates. We all have different skin tones and we all loved the color it left on our skin. Say buh-bye to the oompa loompa look.
• It only takes a few hours to show up – you don’t need to waste your time laying out in the sun for hours to get color. We’ve got WERK 👏🏻 TO 👏🏻 DO anyways!!

MY TIPS TO USING THEM :

• DON’T PUT ON OILS/LOTIONS/CREAMS THAT ARE “LEAVE ON” BEFORE – this creates a barrier between the skin and the tan towel
• USE THEM AFTER EXFOLIATING & SHAVING YOUR FACE AND BODY – You want to be exfoliated before using them so you have less dead skin that will shed off the color. #BLECH. Exfoliating also allows for a smoother application and removes dry skin. Dry skin will absorb more of the product than hydrated skin, leading to a patchy-er look. Also – I don’t have sensitive skin and haven’t experienced any negative reactions from shaving prior. If you have sensitive skin, be more cautious
• APPLY IT EVERYWHERE – I apply it everywhere. EVERYWHERE. My face doesn’t hold a natural tan well and it loses the fake tan quicker than the rest of my body, so I make sure to really focus on wiping my face with the tan towel.
• ALLOW YOUR SKIN TO DRY 10+ MINS AFTER APPLYING THE TAN TOWELS – before your glowy serum, before ice rolling, before makeup. NO TOUCHY !!
• WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER – I wash mu hands and wrists with water and dab them dry with a towel. I always struggle to get a perfectly even tan between my fingers and on my wrists and this buffers that area.
• USE PERFUME & DEODORANT – they do have a smell. You’ll shower the smell off anyways.
• USE IT IN ADVANCE – In a perfect world, I would give myself 4 hours for the tan towel to set in before going out.

I’ve showed my tan towels on IG story and have gotten a few trending q’s. The most common being:

Q : Do they smell?

YES! They do! I’m not going to pretend that they don’t have that fake tan smell. I’ve tried many fake tan products and all the ones I have tried do have that fake tan smell. Personally, it doesn’t bother me. You’ve gotta pick your battles – I prefer to have the slight smell of fake tan over risking my skin integrity and health. Also, isn’t that what perfume was made for??

Q: HOW LONG DOES THE TAN LAST

Depends on how often you shower, wash your face, exfoliate, sweat. etc. etc. I usually use 1-2 a week and that works best with my skin.

YAY FOR HEALTHY, TAN SKIN !!

What are your fave fake tans?!!

xx hails

References:

(1) Flament, F., Bazin, R., Laquieze, S., Rubert, V., Simonpietri, E., & Piot, B. (2013). Effect of the sun on visible clinical signs of aging in Caucasian skin. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 6, 221–232. doi:10.2147/CCID.S44686

(2) D’Orazio, J., Jarrett, S., Amaro-Ortiz, A., & Scott, T. (2013). UV radiation and the skin. International journal of molecular sciences, 14(6), 12222–12248. doi:10.3390/ijms140612222