Here Comes The Sun
The last bits of summer have all but slipped away, but fret not! You can keep your bronzed skin glowing with the help of some nontoxic self-tanners. Didn’t know such a thing existed? Well, I’m about to rock your world.
Traditional self-tanners employ a chemical version of DHA (dihydroxyacetone) which interacts with dead skin cells to develop a darker color. Not only is the smell stinky enough to turn anyone off, the chemical is so sketchy that it’s not even approved for use around your eyes, nose or mouth. That’s funny, because so many of the traditional, chemical self-tanners are marketing specifically for your face. The good news? You can get the same results with a natural self-tanner which uses plant-based DHA. These natural versions also omit all the fake “fragrance” traditional tanners use to cover their awful odor, along with the chemical preservatives and additives that make them even more toxic.
Chocolate Sun makes an excellent self-tanner for your face. Not only is it gentle on your skin, it actually smells delicious and leaves you bronzed and beautiful- never orange. This certainly won’t break you out, but if you’re on the dry side you may want to mix this with your moisturizer or add a moisturizer on top, as it dries a little tight on the skin. I need to buy more pronto! Turns out, almost empty bottles don’t make for great product photos. Chocolate Sun makes a great self-tanner for your body as well but price-wise, there are better options.
Where to buy: SpiritBeautyLounge.com Cost: $34.00
Lavera self-tanning lotion makes your body look like you just came back from Bali. It has a light, fresh (almost tropical) scent and goes on like a traditional lotion. It’s very moisturizing with Shea butter and natural oils. Like most natural self-tanners, it takes a few hours to develop. The label says 5 hours, but in my opinion you see the full color the next day. The upside is, the tan actually lasts days longer than traditional tanners. Lavera, in particular, lasts over a week on my skin.
Where to buy: Amazon or Target Cost: $29.45
Some other safe options are Haut Cosmetics Self-tanner and Suntegrity. Just like with traditional tanners, be sure to exfoliate well prior to use. Happy tanning, my tropical beauties!
