Self Tanners
Whatever happened to the normal fair healthy skin? Have the modern Americans started to dislike their own pelt? “Strange,” you may say. But nevertheless, take a look at the person standing behind you at the supermarket cash counter holding cartons of self tanners. The face is familiar but the skin looks different. “My God”, you exclaim. She is Dorothy, your own sister-in-law. Flashing a delightful smile at you she mutters, “Hi John, don’t I look great in my new tan?” That, incidentally, was your first introduction to self tanners.
Whatever happened to the normal fair healthy skin? Have the modern Americans started to dislike their own pelt? “Strange,” you may think. But nevertheless, take a look at the person standing behind you at the supermarket cash counter holding cartons of self tanners. The face is familiar but the skin looks different. “My God”, you exclaim. She is Dorothy, your own sister-in-law. Flashing a delightful smile at you she mutters, “Hi John, don’t I look great in my new tan?” That, incidentally, was your first introduction to self tanners.
How to avoid it in the self tanning process? Prepare your skin by exfoliating every morning in the shower a few days before you apply self-tanner (try Banana Boat's VitaSkin Pre-Sunless Skin Smoother Exfoliating Scrub, $5; at drugstores). Use a moisturizer liberally for the days before you self-tan, but not immediately before-hand (it will interfere with the self-tanner's absorption). Shaving also exfoliates, so it's OK to do that a day ahead of time too. And wait at least a full day before de-fuzzing again; doing so sooner will shorten the life of your tan. (The same goes for waxing, says Viotto: Give yourself at least a day or two before--and after--your self-tanning application.)
After the departure of sun tanning and chemical tanning lotions for their obvious fatal effect, another tanning device reigned supreme for sometime. Called the Tanning Bed, it provided artificial rays for tanning and was considered a perfect solution for getting a near natural tan. But alas, that too found its doomsday as experts soon found that the artificial rays were worse than the original ones. The chapter on the tanning bed was closed with a nick name – Cancer Bed.
With the advent of self tanners with very little or no side effects, the old craze was renewed with much fanfare and finesse. People irrespective of age, sex or profession made it a habit of applying self tanners all over their bodies and the tan became a ‘must have’ with everyone worth his or her salt. Teenagers and adults hankering for that ‘golden glow’ made a beeline to the stores for getting hold of self tanners. It was as if they were waiting for something like this to come out in the market. The biggest advantage of self tanners is that, they are true to their customers. Self tanners can be self applied with apparent ease at the privacy of your home, and there is no need to seek any external help as well.