Ah, doesn’t the photo above look glamorous? Not! Now with summer over, I know a lot of women may want to preserve the tanned look with some going as far as visiting tanning beds. However, tanning beds are DEADLY and just horrible for your health. There are a few salons opening around my area claiming it’s safe and healthy, which is crazy! Here’s why tanning salons, booths, and beds are a big no-no:
- The rays in tanning beds are the same as the sun’s. Both give out UVA and UVB rays, the two types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV rays damages the DNA in the skin cells and may make moles cancerous and even create new, cancerous moles.
- Tanning beds can cause burns, which can lead to melanoma, the most serious and deadliest form of skin cancer.
- Tans are linked to cancer, and repeated tanning from UV light can lead to the common basal-cell and squamous-cell cancers, with squamous being deadly.
- They are not doing anything to your mood! One of the “claims” from this tanning salon is that you feel fresh and healthy, like if you were to hang out in the sun. False! It is only sunlight that can trigger the ‘happy’ chemicals we have.
Here’s an article I found that scared me the most:
Tanning beds are just as deadly as arsenic, according to international cancer experts? Research published online in the journal Lancet Oncology concluded that the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30.
A new analysis of about 20 studies concludes the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30. Experts also found that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused worrying mutations in mice, proof the radiation is carcinogenic. Previously, only one type of ultraviolet radiation was thought to be lethal.
Read more here.
There are safer ways to get a year-long tan other than tanning beds. Spray tan booths and self tanning lotions are all easy to use (here’s a how-to I wrote on how to apply self-tanner mistake free) and are most of all healthy. So please, say no to tanning beds!
It’s not everyday I walk around with half a tanned leg, but it’s also not everyday you get a blogger turned business woman either, so I have to support my fellow blogging ladies! Sinead is a blogger at Self Tanning Queen, and recently launched her own product line Antidote Skin Care, which I was happy to try out!
Beauty Fool readers get 20% off! Just enter “09BLBFL” to receive the discount coupon!
It has been years since I touched any self tanning products – I like to embrace the pale, as I mentioned here – however, on those nights (or days?!) or short skirts and mini dresses, it’s nice for the legs to have some color and a more evened out skin tone (not to mention, it makes your legs look hot in photos!).
Armed with two products in hand – Go Slough Yourself Dual Action Scrub and Summer Glow, I got working on my one leg – just to really notice the difference.
I can’t say much about Go Slough Yourself, except that you will probably use it whether or not you’re self tanning because it’s a great product in itself – it smells heavenly, is easy to apply, and the name is genius. Like I said in my Exfoliation 101 post, wet scrubs (used in the shower) are my favorites as they are easy to use, there’s no mess, and, well, I like to pamper myself in the tub! The scrub also contains salicylic acid that help promote new skin renewal.
The star products, most definitely, would be Summer Glow. First, the good stuff: it’s packed with powerful anti-oxidants, anti-aging ingredients and oils to hydrate and nourish the skin. Last but not least, it is paraben- propylene glycol- and cruelty free. Sinead did say she wanted to create a line her blog readers would love, and well, I think she’s done it.
One big plus for any self tanning queens (ha!) is that there is none of that gross self tanner smell. Personally, I’ve always love the smell of self tanners, but I know how universally hated it is, so you’ll be glad to do there is absolutely nada in stench, except for a light, pleasant floral scent – a very big surprise! The color payoff was good too, that one leg I tried the tanner on did have a nice bronzed color.
I’m not sure if I’ll be doing this regularly, but for those who love a tan (a safe tan, I hope) I would recommend these two products I tried – they really go hand in hand for a nice tan. Also, it wasn’t a hassle at all (which I hate) and was simple to use. And like I said – no crazy smells, which I know is a big plus for many. An even bigger plus, off course, is that Beauty Fool readers get 20% off coupon on the products when you enter 09BLBFL. Thanks, Sinead!
Has anyone here ever tried to self-tan? 
If you’re an avid self-tanner, my post How to Apply Self Tan – Mistake Free Tips may be of interest, too.
This post is part of my Summer Beauty Tips Series, a collection of posts for the summer season. You can read the rest of the series here.
How awful are sunburns?! Ugh! I know now that it’s the summer, we are all prone to them.
If you are suffering from a sunburn, here are some tips to help you out. But first of all, why weren’t you memorizing my head-to-toe sun screen tips? Naughty!
Load up on cool moisturizers. Aloe vera gels is number one for this, though if you can get fresh aloe vera, that’s even better. You can also apply calming lotions. Put it in your refrigerator for a few hours before you apply it, so it can be as cool as possible on your skin.
Whatever you do, do not put butter or greasy oils and lotions on your burn. It would just trap in the heat and cause more irritation and discomfort.
Avoid hot showers. Take luke-warm showers instead. Not to hot that you burn more skin off, and not to cold that showering is a dread as well.
Avoid harsh products in the shower. Soaps can irritate your skin even more and it is painful when they contact each other! Try to find some products that are very natural and gentle to the skin (baby shower gels should do the trick).
Avoid the sun. This should be number one, but whatever you do – avoid the sun! Do not apply sunscreen over a sunburn, as it can worsen the inflammation.
If you do go out, stay in the shade and wear loose fitting clothes and hats so that it doesn’t irritate the affected areas.
Hands off! Do not pick, peel, or rub your skin – you’re just making it worse, and taking longer to heal. Leave it alone and let it heal by itself.
Soaked Cloths. If you’re taking the day off to recover, applying a soaked cloth in cool water and applying it on the burns while you sit/sleep/watch TV can help for some temporary relief.
Drink lots of water. It doesn’t do much to our skin, experts say (check out the post Skin Myth – Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day Helps Skin?) but it can greatly help with your sunburn. Sunburns can dehydrate your body, so make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids.
Take medications/ See a doctor. You can take aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce the pain and inflammation. If you feel very sick (fever, dizziness, disorientated), are starting to get open wounds, or you feel the burn looks ‘worse’ than usual, see a doctor immediately.
Learn your lesson. I don’t mean to be preachy but you can really learn from this experience! I once got a sunburn when I was a kid, and though it wasn’t too bad – I never had one again. The discomfort and seeing my skin peel off was enough to scare me for life! Plus, it’s not that hard applying sunscreen, you just have to remind yourself – reapply every 30 minutes if you’re out in the sun. I would recommend the spray-sunscreen lotions, they are the easiest to use and really cover every part of your body, especially the areas you can’t reach.
Do you have any tips for treating a sunburn? Please feel free to add your own experiences and tips! P.S. The photo above is from the hilarious movie The Heartbreak Kid
(love Ben Stiller!) when his wife got a sunburn from hell on their honeymoon. Basically, you should do what she did – stay in her hotel room and avoid the sun! Just make sure your husband isn’t trying to pick up a new girl. 
This post is part of my Summer Beauty Tips Series, a collection of posts for the summer season. You can read the rest of the series here.
Back in high school, my best friend Christine and I would play around with self tanners for gym class (shudder). We would have to wear ghastly uniforms that consisted of extra short shorts – and apparently our fellow classmates thought pasty white legs were not attractive and was unacceptable. (Just so you know – that was a phase and we were young; we don’t care what they say now!)
Anyways, I haven’t used any self tanners since (I embrace the pale!) but with that experience, I think I can write an article on how to use it correctly. Streaks, blotches, embarrassing different colored legs – been there, done that. Here are some tips that I can remember that will help you with any troubles you may face.
(And by the way – good for you that you’re using self-tanner. It’s the safest way to get a tan!)
Prep your skin
Give yourself a good clean, and exfoliate the skin, concentrating on rough spots such as knees and elbows. This will get rid of all dead skin cells and roughness, which can cause uneven color. I remember once I was spraying my legs, and since my knees were drier than my legs, it absorbed more color. Dark knees are not a good look!
Choose your products
Looking around on the (huge) market of self-tanners, there are every type imaginable – sprays, foams, wipes, lotions, etc. High school was 5 years ago, so the only type available that I could find were lotions and sprays. If your using lotions, wear gloves – you’ll get the darkest palms after applying your self tanner and it does not come out easily
Sprays were my favorite. It was the easiest and fastest way to apply, and it would look the most ‘natural’. For example, I could distance the nozzle further away on certain areas so that it wouldn’t be as tan (like back of hands, knees, elbows, etc.)
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This post is part of my Summer Beauty Tips Series, a collection of posts for the summer season. You can read the rest of the series here.
Ah, sunscreen, one of the ultimate skin care tips. There’s no way out of this – sunscreen is a must, especially in this heat! So here they are – some tips to help you cover every little part that you may overlook; in no particular order, as they are all important:
- Lips. You should probably skip your fancy lip glosses, ladies. The skin on our lip are up to 11 times thinner than the skin of our face, our pouts needs extra protection! Apply lip balm with an SPF of at least 15, and reapply every 30 minutes at most. But if you can’t part from your fave lippie, at least apply under your lipgloss/lipstick.
- Ears. You wouldn’t think about the ears, right? Well, it is a major part! They are highly prone to sunburn because they rest high on the side of your head. Just take your normal sunscreen and apply it to your earlobe, the outermost shell of your ear, and even behind your the nape of your neck, etc. In fact – apply sunscreen all over your neck while you’re at it, especially if you’re wearing your hair up, because that is even more exposure to the sun!
- Hands. Remember my post on Tips to Avoid Aging Hands? On of the tips was to apply sunscreen to your hands, because as we all know, hands are one of the first ways to show our true age! Apply it all over your hand and your wrists, concentrating on the back of your hands, where age shows first.
- Face and Body. This is a no brainer, right? Apply at least SPF 15 (I would say 30, though. A good face sunscreen I like is this one by La Roche-Posay) and reapply every 2 hours at the very latest. Don’t know about you, but I am incredibly lazy, so I get the spray version – it’s genius! It takes literally 2 minutes to cover the whole body and I would highly recommend it … unless you got some Greek God rubbing lotion on you, of course. Never pass up an offer like that!
- Hair. You can get sunburn on your hairline, believe it or not. Furthermore, protect your strands from the harsh sun and put some products that contain sunblock for the hair (Redken has a new line, Color Extend Sun, that looks great – I am very sure there are plenty of cheaper options at your local drugstore, too.) If not, rub a little sunscreen on your finger and apply it to your hairline. Even better if you have a spray sunscreen.
I hope these tips have helped. Basically, if you’re baking this summer you really should cover your body, head to toe in sunscreen. Leave a comment if you have any other tricks or tips for sunscreen. We’d all love to hear!
This post is part of my Summer Beauty Tips Series, a collection of posts for the summer season. You can read the rest of the series here.
After years of offering the latest dermatological procedures, renowned dermatologist Dr. Fran Cook-Bolden has witnessed the damaging effects of sun exposure firsthand.
“I regularly see patients who have aged beyond their years because they’ve been careless about sun protection in their youth,” reveals Dr. Cook-Bolden.
“Knowing what we do now about the effects of UV exposure, it’s incredibly easy to prevent sun damage—there’s no excuse for skipping simple preventative steps.”
Dr. Cook-Bolden offers expert tips and tricks for protecting skin in the sun and preserving it for the future:
1. Always wear sunscreen
When going out into the sun, always use a sunscreen formulated with SPF 30 or higher. For normal skin types with no tendency toward heat reactions, SPF 30 is sufficient; however, for those with pre-existing skin conditions or sun sensitivity, a higher SPF is preferable.
So what products would Dr. Cook-Bolden recommend?
- Skin Medica Environmental Defense Sunscreen™ SPF 30
- Vanicream for Sensitive Skin SPF 60 (For those with sun sensitivity)
2. Don’t Exfoliate
To avoid a sunburn, don’t exfoliate skin before heading into the sun, as exfoliation speeds up cell turnover and makes sun damage more likely. Be sure to avoid Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids (found in chemical peels) as well, as this will increase the severity of sunburns. Instead, exfoliate at night to reduce sunburn and inflammation, use an exfoliator formulated with Vitamin C or Retinoids to correct sun damage overnight.
3. Treat Sunburns
To treat a sunburn, use creams containing tea tree oil, chamomile or peppermint to help reduce inflammation. For severe burns, visit a dermatologist for Biafine, a prescription-grade treatment that heals skin after sunburns and reduces scarring.
If you have existing signs of sun damage, use a Feruelic Acid treatment. Feruelic Acid features antioxidant-rich coffeeberry, which helps break up pigment in sun spots. (For more information on how to deal with sunburns, check out my post How to Treat a Sun Burn.)
Thanks, Doc! Isn’t she beautiful?!
If there’s one product I’m looking for this summer, it’s Clinique’s new sun care range (especially this one pictured here, their SPF 50 Face Cream.)
Innovative SolarSmart technology stabilizes high-level protection against the aging and burning effects of UVA and UVB rays.
Triggers a repair that helps prevent signs of aging.
With solar-activated antioxidants that help prevent visible damage. Gentle enough for sensitive skin. Dermatologist tested.
Good enough for sensitive skin huh? I’m in! I’ve used their Super City Block SPF 40 sunscreen in the past and really liked it.
I know I’ve said it a million times, but I completely trust Clinique on my skin (this moisturizer, especially!) and really do recommend Clinique skin products.
From what I’ve heard so far, this new face cream is non greasy, feels lightweight and doesn’t leave a white cast on the face. Better yet, the line has been given the Seal of Recommendation from The Skin Cancer Foundation, thanks to the line’s proprietary SolarSmart™ Technology.
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I‘m back! Sorry for the lack of updates but I was on a cruise for a holiday, and spent my days sunbathing on deck, being fed grapes by some hot European waiter whose name I can’t pronounce … Oh, a girl can dream can’t she?
Anyways, I did know I would be out in the sun a lot so I picked up La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Fluide Extreme Face Cream before leaving. I chose this because it is basically mentioned in every Allure issue, and was recommended and used by tons of dermatologists. (And we all know how important sunscreen is!) Either way, I’m really glad I picked it up – I really love it, except one gripe that I must ask you guys about, ’cause I’m clueless!
Texture
The texture is amazing! The formula is quite runny and milky, and was so easy to apply. It was also made for combination to oily skin, so you don’t have to worry about looking greasy or oily – the sunscreen goes on matte and did not leave a white cast on my face, which I was really happy about. Basically, it ended up looking like I had nothing on my skin at all.
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