Everybody loves a good sun-kissed tan, but in your pursuit of a bronzed look, you need to remember to stay safe in order to protect your skin and your general health as excessive exposure to UV rays can cause a number of health problems.

Tanning safely will not prevent you from reaching your desired look, in fact, a lot of these measures will actually deepen your tan. Here are a few easy tips on how to tan safely.

Apply The Right Sun Cream For Your Skin

Not one person has the same skin type and so you should really try to understand what your skin needs. Someone with fair skin will not need the same SPF as someone with a deeper tone.

If you have darker skin then you already have a build-up of melanin in your skin that will protect you from UV rays, because of this you can use a lower SPF and achieve a deeper tan.

If you have fair skin then you will need to use a sun cream with a higher FPS. This will prevent you from burning easily and will mean that you will get a nice tan as opposed to just being red.

Something that people always forget about using sun cream is the importance of reapplication. One application will not last all day and so it is important to stay on top of your sun cream.

It is recommended that you reapply your sun cream every two hours as by then it would have absorbed into your skin. If you are in and out of a pool you should also reapply as most sun creams are not waterproof.

Don’t Sit In The Sun For Too Long

Some may think that sitting exposed in the sun for as long as possible will make you tan faster but this simply isn’t the case and can potentially damage your skin. Make sure you spend some time in the shade to protect your skin.

Rather than sitting in the sun all day, you should take advantage of when the sun is at its highest point. This is usually between the hours of 12pm and 4pm. This means you don’t have to spend hours in the sun, you can instead make the most of when the UV rays are at their most concentrated level.

This is similar to the effect of using the sunbeds. You would never sit in a sunbed for hours as there is such a high concentration of UV rays, so if you are wanting a healthy and fast tan, use these peak tanning hours.

However, if you do decide to tan in the peak hours, remember to double up on sun cream protection as a thicker layer of sun cream will protect your body from the concentrated rays.

Sunglasses

When it comes to tanning safely in the sun, you need to think about more than just keeping your skin safe. Your eyes are a very sensitive part of your body that are protected by a very thin layer of skin, so it is important that you protect them when you are attempting to reach your tanning goals.

Make sure that you invest in some good sunglasses. Believe it or not, some glasses aren’t UV protected at all.

When looking at sunglasses, make sure that they have UV protection certification. It is important to wear sunglasses at all points of tanning, even if you are lying down with your eyes closed.

After tanning, it may also be recommended to use some drops on your eyelids in order to keep your eyes hydrated. This will protect your eyes against the drying qualities of the sun.

Stay Hydrated

When it is hot outside your body loses much more water than it would on a normal day. This is due to a number of things, like sweating and the sun dehydrating your skin. You should have at the very least ten glasses of water if you plan on being out in the sun.

Water can stop you from experiencing heat exhaustion, as well as help prevent sunburn. Keeping your skin hydrated can also prevent your tan from appearing uneven on your skin.

As well as this, if you have already gone slightly overboard and have some redness on your skin, drinking water will reintroduce fluid back into your skin and ease the burn.

Being hydrated will also make your tan look better as it will clear your skin of blemishes, making the colour of your skin the focal point.

Make The Most Of The Shade

The best way to protect your skin from getting damaged when out in the sun is by giving it a break. To achieve a good tan you do not need to be in the sun the entire day, in fact, your body reaches a point where it will not develop with more colour after a few hours.

It is good to give your skin some recovery time. Under the shade, you can slather on some moisturiser as well as your suncream. This will give your skin a chance to rehydrate and stay in a good condition.

The shade is also great for avoiding issues like headaches and exhaustion, which can become a very annoying part of the tanning process.

Sitting in the shade can also make sure that your skin remains hydrated and continues to look glowing, as sitting in the sun can dry out your skin and when you’re out and about it is difficult to replace the moisture that is lost.

Conclusion

Pay attention to these tips as it is important to make sure you stay safe when trying to catch a tan. If you don’t take the right precautions, then you could potentially make yourself sick and replace your tan with sunburn, instead of the sunkissed glow that you are looking for.

Make sure you cater these tips to fit your skin type and how much time you plan on spending in the sun. One thing you should definitely not ignore is the importance of SPF, so find the right one depending on your tone.

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