With summer on it’s way, now is the time to start working on getting a flawless and safe tan. With the wide range of natural looking self tanning lotions available, you have no excuse to be wasting your time (and health) in a tanning bed or out by the pool every day to get great results. When used properly, self tanning lotions can help you achieve a great natural looking tan without sacrificing your youthful looking skin or putting you at risk for skin cancers. Here are some of the most important Tips For A Flawless & Safe Sunless Tan :

1. Exfoliate : This helps to remove any dead skin cells on your body. If left behind, these dead skin cells will absorb extra color for your sunless tanning lotion, leaving you with streaks and blotchy areas. You can exfoliate your body in several ways. The easiest is by washing with a shower puff or a washcloth, gently rubbing in circular motions. You can also use an exfoliating scrub, you can buy them in the store or make your own out of oatmeal and olive oil. Make sure to get all areas of your skin where you are planning to apply sunless tanner. This includes ankles, knuckles, between your toes, etc.

2. Moisturize : Apply a liberal amount of lotion to your skin before you apply any self tanning lotion. Even if it’s a gradual tanner. Any dry areas on your skin will absorb this lotion and allow the tanning lotion to go on smoothly and evenly. Pay special attention to your knees, elbows, feet, and knuckles. This will greatly reduce your chance of streaks and blotchy areas since those areas will not absorb excess self tanning lotion. To help keep your sunless tan looking it’s best, frequently moisturize your skin after it has dried by applying moisturizer head-to-toe at least once a day.

3. Go Gradual : Not necessarily with a gradual tanner, but start slowly. Mix some lotion in with your sunless tanner for the first few applications. Use less and less lotion each time until your skin is your desired shade. Then upkeep the shade with straight sunless tanner. Going this gradual not only gives you more control over your skin color, but it helps to prevent the dreaded orange shade that sunless tanners can turn your skin. Believe it or not, streaks are much more likely to appear on the first couple of applications than they are after you are a darker color. I do this process with both gradual sunless tanning lotions and regular sunless tanning lotion formulas. Personally, I’d rather it take a few more days to achieve my desired color than walk around with orange tinted skin.

4. Don’t Shower For A Day : It can take sunless tanning lotions anywhere from 9 to 12 hours before the full color develops. Let it really soak into your skin before you hop in the shower and wash away any possible color. Can’t stand the smell? Apply the tanning lotion at night and shower it away in the morning. Just make sure that you gently wash your skin to avoid over-exfoliation.

5. Know When To Re-Apply : Some people seem to think that applying several layers of self tanning lotion in one day will speed up their tanning process. Not true. There’s only so much moisture and product that your skin can absorb at a time. After you apply sunless tanning lotion, wait at least 12 hours before applying more.

6. Mix & Match Products and Formulas : Find a mix that works for your skin and go with it. For some, that may mean one product for their face and body. For others, it means multiple products. I own gradual tanning lotions, normal tanning lotions, and spray tanners. Each is great for different areas of my skin and different times of the year. I use a gradual tanning lotion on my face for the spring and summer, a gradual tanning lotion on my body in the spring, a regular tanning lotion on my body in the summer, and the spray tanner for hard to reach areas like my back. My personal favorite for gradual and regular sunless tanning lotions is L’Oreal Sublime Bronze & Glow. I’ve recently tried Jergens Natural Glow Express and have been loving the results. I also prefer to use Jergens Natural Glow on my face, but not my body.

Using a sunless tanning lotion is a great way to get a nice tan without sacrificing your health or beauty through unnecessary sun exposure. Slather yourself in sun screen with an SPF factor of at least 30 for those days by the pool or at the beach. Trust me, once you get older, you’ll be glad that you did.