An Important Note for Beginners

Indoor tanning lotions are a necessary part of effective tanning that can help reduce and undesirable side effects associated with UV exposure. The moisture and additives present in professional tanning lotions help reduce wrinkling, drying of the skin, premature aging of the skin and burning and assist your skin to produce that dark tan everyone craves. The old saying "You get what you pay for" is very true when it comes to tanning lotions. Store brands, "generic" or "no name" brands of lotions typically do not include ingredients that will produce a quality tan or the protection from the unwanted rays that produce many unwanted side effects.

By the way, the rumor that "I burn first then it turns into a tan" is absolutely false! Any burn is damaging your skin. An educated, professional salon will not let your exposure time be long enough to burn you. If they do, find another salon. Professional indoor tanning facilities know to apply enough exposure to tan you slowly but will not burn you. BE PATIENT! If the salon is professional, has good equipment and proper maintenance, most people will tan to the best of their ability.

Moisture, Moisture, Moisture!

This is KEY to tanning effectively! Always use a quality tanning lotion when tanning indoors or outdoors. After tanning, immediately apply a good tan extender lotion (or in a pinch a quality hand or body lotion will do). This will not only allow you to tan AFTER you are out of the sun (yes this does happen) but it will help keep your tan from fading between exposures as well! You can loose up to 50% of your tanning potential from not moisturizing properly.

Lotions- YES they are important!

The first step in lotion is typically called an Accelerator. This step allows great initial tanning but assumes you do not have a dark base tan already. It will accelerate your tan to a point, but will keep most people from getting the deepest tan possible, or to plateau. Please remember though that this is a necessary step to help you build a BASE TAN so you do not burn

The steps that follow, typically are designated as step 2, 3, 4 and so on and assume that you have a base tan. You should always progress through these lotions in sequence. Depending on your skin type you may be able to skip some steps but be careful. These higher steps of lotion are designed to maximize your exposure to the UV rays. If you jump too far you may set yourself up to burn. Again, burning is BAD!

I've been amazed lately the people coming in and telling us that "salon XYZ told me I didn't need to use lotion, that I'm wasting my money." Think about it...Why did they change from that salon to ours? Perhaps they weren't getting tan enough...Hmmm. I think there is some coincidence here. Don't try to cheap out. We see tanners who are very dark every day. You'll see excellent, upper level (and yes more expensive) lotions in their bag every time. If you want a $2.99 tan, buy a $2.99 bottle of lotion from Wal-Mart.

Eye protection

Simply put, WEAR IT! No, sunglasses won't do. Use eye wear approved for indoor tanning. The best ones are goggle type that completely cover your eyes. Contacts should be removed before tanning as well. Your eyes will dry out from tanning and so will your contacts, which can be quite uncomfortable.

How often should I tan?

Typically the best exposure schedule to gain a tan is approximately 3 times per week. Depending on your desired tan level it could be less but in general should not be more. Tanning too often dries your skin and can actually cause you to tan less per session, or in extreme cases even go backwards. So don't be tempted to over do it. Most people can maintain their tan in about 6 sessions per month (evenly spread out), after they have achieved their desired level of tan. Everyone is different so adjust this according to your type of skin.

What do the different exposure times do for me?

First, you should only tan enough to receive a very small amount of pink color in tender areas that goes away in a couple of hours. If it does not go away quickly or is sensitive to touch, this area has burned. Burning is bad and does not enhance your tan. This exposure time depends on the person and may be 6 minutes or 20 minutes. It also depends on the power of the unit. For the record, the units with a lower max time are MORE powerful. If you go in an old 20 minute unit for 20 min, then go in a newer 10 minute unit for 10 min, you just received the same exposure of light! It only took you half as long as before...and your time is valuable, right? So this is a HUGE benefit to you, the tanner, if you do it for the same price, right? These newer shorter units cost a LOT more money to buy and operate so the next time you are offered to upgrade for free, say "Thanks", not "no, I want ALL my minutes." This will show the salon that you are educated about tanning!

As far as wanting "the max" exposure the first time you tan for the season, don't do it. Typically, if you can do this without burning, you either have a very dark complexion, or the units are not kept up. If a 95 pound man and a 430 pound man go to an "all you can eat buffet" they do not eat the same quantity of food. It's the same with tanning. Your maximum amount of time is the best amount for YOU, no matter how many minutes it is. So don't over do it. If it's 7 minutes or 12 minutes, this is the right amount for you to tan you most effectively.

Lastly, use common sense. If you feel too hot get out of the light! Above all look for a professional salon to ask questions. They should be able to help you tan as effectively as possible and it should be a pleasant experience for you!