Banana Boat – Sunless Tanning Creme Deep Dark Blend

Banana Boat has some good sunless tanning products at competitive prices. We recently took a look at their Sunless Tanning Creme Deep Dark Blend

Mini-review:

Strengths: Banana boats delivers good value at a low price. This product packs a punch so for you seasoned sunless tanners out there, you’ve come to the right place if you want results and you want them fast. The rich color also fades well and in a natural way. Sunless.com has this as one of their Ten Best Self-Tanning Products.

Weaknesses: The smell is a lot to handle, and the creme can take a while to dry. Also, like other cremes that don’t contain moisturizer you may find it harder to apply evenly and more likely to streak as well as clog your pores.

Overall a good, cheap product, but make sure you’re ready for a lot of color (and some pungent smells!)

Protect Your Skin from an Uneven Tan

Unless you’re shooting for some sort of new-fangled tiger look, beware the stripes of overly dark and overly pale skin that some self-tanners produce on your skin. A common self-tanning mistake, this one is possible to solve! AuerSaver Tanning & Fitness offers this sage advice:

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.)

Also, don’t speed up the tanner application process. Instead, take your time and be careful to fully rub the product in. If you’re still experiencing streaking, it could be due to your quick-drying foam…replace this with a lotion. This will buy you some extra time to smooth out uneven spots. And one more tip on this subject: built-in tints also reduce the chance of unflattering streaks.

10 Tips For A Successful Self-Tanning Experience

1) Clean Yourself Up: If you want to limit the splotches that can arise from sprays, lotions, etc., make sure you’re starting with a clean slate. Take a shower, dry off, and then get down to business.
2) Plan Ahead: If you’re going to be applying something that might get your hands dirty, buy a pair of gloves so you don’t have to scrub your hands for an hour afterwards.
3) Don’t Skimp on Quality: Do your research, and then purchase a brand name with a good reputation. There are a lot of products out there and not necessarily all of them will work for you. Cheaper is not always better.
4) Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment: There are going to be certain products that are better for your type of skin than others. It’s a matter of finding out what works for you and then sticking with it.
5) Know Your Skin Tone: All of your decisions throughout the tanning process should revolve around your skin type. If you’re fair skinned, buy a lighter shade and apply cautiously. That is, unless you like listening to people snicker behind your back.
6) Read the Label: Until you are an experienced self-tanner and know your limits, be safe and trust the dosage on the label.
7) Pay Special Attention to Detail: Many self-tanners come with detailed instructions, walking you through the application process. Follow these directions carefully if you want to ensure success.
Be Patient: This applies to both during the application process and after. If you want to see good results you’re going to have to put the time in. Better to spend the extra 5-10 minutes carefully applying if it’s going to prevent you from screwing up. Afterwards, make sure you wait at least 15 minutes before you put your clothes back on, as you run the risk of staining your clothes if you move too quickly
9) Don’t Go Overboard on the Reapplying: Most products last upwards of a few days. If you find yourself reapplying daily, you should start cutting back.
10) Wear The Part: What’s fun about sporting a tan if you’re not gonna show it off. Wear lighter clothes that accentuate your bronzed look and show a little skin for crying out loud!

Tanning Pills

If you’re turned off by the thought of baking in the sun for hours or rubbing lotion all over your body, there is an innovative method of self-tanning out there known as the “tanning pill”. This method of self-tanning certainly comes with a lot of ingenuity and intrigue, but beware, there is much uncertainty and risk accompanying this product.

Tanning pills work by spreading color additives, usually canthaxanthin, throughout the body. In order for prospective tanners to see results, they will often have to ingest huge quantities of this additive, increasing the risk of side effects such as liver damage, jaundice, hepatitis and formation of yellow deposits in the retina of the eye.

At least one company has tried unsuccessfully to get FDA approval for its canthaxanthin-containing product, “French Bronze Tablets”, as a tanning agent, claiming that “because small amounts of canthaxanthin are used legally in foods and drugs, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act approval extended to use in cosmetics.” But the U.S. Court of Appeals struck down this claim ruling that “because of factors such as varying concentrations – use of substances must be regulated separately for foods, drugs, and cosmetics.” Here’s a nice link to a webpage that describes the way the “tanning pill” works and some of the difficulties that companies have had in trying to get the FDA to approve their products.

How Long Will My Self-Tan Last?

The duration of your self tan depends on how the skin has been tanned. Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes the skin to produce more pigment, an effect which can last for weeks or longer in some cases. Sunless self-tanning won’t produce such long-term effects, but (among other benefits!) is much safer. With quality products you can achieve good control over how dark the tan gets and how long it lasts.

Here’s what Jergens says about their natural glow product:

Will I get too dark? Will the color be even?
After one week of daily use, your skin should be about one shade darker. Continue to use the product daily or every other day, so that the color will be maintained and skin tone will remain even. Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer gradually darkens only the very top layers of your skin. And since the top layers of skin cells naturally exfoliate to expose new skin cells, your skin color will naturally reach a plateau. Regular use of Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer ensures evenness of skin color.

How long will the effect last?
If use of the product is discontinued, skin color will begin to fade in a few days and be completely faded after about two weeks.

In review, the duration of a self-tanning lotion application are very similar to a normal tanning experience.

Do I Need a Name Brand Sunless Tanning Product?

There are lots of different sunless tanning products on the market, and there are lots of different prices. Not all products will work for you — some tanning moisturizers may look great on your skin; some tanning cremes may cause you to break out. There’s no exact science and you really have to experiment to find out what works for you. But as you set out to find your perfect skintone complement are you better off buying a name brand or will a store brand be just as likely to be your holy grail?

There are some differences, but they may not be as obvious as they appear. Sunless.com has a good overview of what drug store brands are all about.

Separating Tanning Myth from Truth

There is a lot of information out there about the risks associated with too much exposure to the sun and ways to protect against these risks. However, there are also many common misperceptions that need to be addressed first before you stroll out to the beach.

Myth #1: If it’s cloudy outside, don’t worry about applying sunscreen:

This is an absolute fallacy! The sun’s UVA rays can and will penetrate even heavy clouds. The risk of sunburn and other skin damage may decrease on cloudy days but you should always use caution in applying sunscreen liberally.

Myth #2: Sunscreen will prevent skin cancer

There is no question that sunscreen will help limit the chances of developing skin cancer but sun exposure is cumulative. Using sunscreen in the future does not negate how you treated your skin in the past. Start using sunscreen ASAP.

Myth #3: The amount of SPF is the determining factor in a sunscreen’s effectiveness

Wrong! SPF only protects against UVB rays, and has nothing do with UVA rays which can be a lot more harmful and damaging to the skin. It is important that you use sunscreen that promises protection against UVA and UVB rays. Also, according to the FDA, for true protection, make sure to use sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15. Anything less would be uncivilized.