Post by Bronze Heels on May 12, 2013 17:43:45 GMT -5
How do I get a base tan?
Start out lightly. First, you’ll need to determine what your skin type is. Your salon may do this for you, but you can do it yourself at this page: Skin Type Questionnaire. After you’ve determined your skin type, you can decide how many minutes in the bed you should start out with. For example, I am a 3A which is a middle range, and I started out at 5 minutes in a 10-minute bed. When I tanned in a 15-minute bed, I started at 7 minutes. If in doubt, ALWAYS subtract a minute. It’s much better for your skin to not tan as deeply as you would have liked versus sunburning! If you don’t burn in your first session, add ONE minute to your next tanning session, and continue to do this until you’ve reached the max time. Developing a base tan is a time-consuming process for most people. If you’re a skin type 4 or higher, you can probably do it in two weeks or so. The lower your skin type, the longer it will take. For myself a 3A, it took about 5 weeks.
How do I know when I have a base tan?
When you can tan in your salon’s lowest level bed (aka a “base bed”) for the full time without burning.
How can I learn what number my skin type is?
Go here: Skin Type Questionnaire
I'm tanning for an event. When should I start?
First, you will need to determine your skin type at the link above. If you are a 2, you need to start 2-3 months in advance. If you are a 3, you need to start 4-6 weeks in advance. If you are a 4, you need to start 2-3 weeks in advance.
I always sunburn, but then my sunburn turns into a tan!
This is a myth. Sunburns do not turn into tans. You would have tanned without the sunburn because they both come from the same place: exposure to UV light. Sunburns generally show up more quickly than a tan because you've overexposed yourself; this is what causes people to wrongfully assume that a sunburn creates a tan. In reality, the tan is on its way, but it just doesn’t get to the party as fast as the sunburn. You will always tan without having to damage your skin with a sunburn! Remember that a sunburn is a tanner’s worst enemy and something we avoid at all costs.
I’ve sunburned. When can I tan again?
It is safe to tan when the sunburn is completely gone. Tanning before your sunburn is gone will do three things: 1) Make you burn even more. 2) Damage your DNA exponentially compared to just regular tanning. 3) Not let you tan because your skin is in repair mode. So, as you can see from number 3, it’s just a waste of your time. Hang tight and the sunburn will be gone before you know it.
How can I make a sunburn disappear more quickly?
Water is scientifically proven to help sunburns heal more quickly, so drink up! Also, keep your skin well-moisturized with aloe vera, lotions, etc. Try to limit your showers to be as short as possible because (warm/hot) showers are one of the most dehydrating things we do each day.
What are the differences between all of the lotion types?
Check out this thread here: Lotion Types Explained
What is an “HP” bed?
HP stands for High Pressure. An HP bed generally falls within the highest number on the leveling system at your salon (5 or 6, for example). An HP bed has purple square lamps and looks like this:
An HP bed has a higher percentage of UVA than a base bed (which has higher UVB). HP beds are good to use every now and then to get an extra boost on your tan after you’ve been using lower-level beds for a while.
What is the difference between UVA and UVB?
UVA rays are the “aging rays” whereas UVB rays are the “burn/skin cancer rays.” (To keep them straight in my head, I remember them as UVAging and UVBurning.) UVB rays get melanogenesis going in your skin—the process of creating melanin which is what turns your skin brown. UVA rays do not create much melanin on their own, but rather they further darken the existing melanin in your skin. This is why it is important to continue to use base beds even after you’ve become dark; you will continue to create melanin which will allow those infrequent HP bed usages to darken that melanin.
My salon said to use an HP bed first/often to get dark fast.
The more often you tan, you will quickly find out that the people who work at salons do not know what they are talking about more often than not. In regards to this, it is most likely because salons charge a high price to use HP beds because the beds themselves are very expensive. By convincing new tanners to use HP beds all of the time, the salon will make more money.
Start out lightly. First, you’ll need to determine what your skin type is. Your salon may do this for you, but you can do it yourself at this page: Skin Type Questionnaire. After you’ve determined your skin type, you can decide how many minutes in the bed you should start out with. For example, I am a 3A which is a middle range, and I started out at 5 minutes in a 10-minute bed. When I tanned in a 15-minute bed, I started at 7 minutes. If in doubt, ALWAYS subtract a minute. It’s much better for your skin to not tan as deeply as you would have liked versus sunburning! If you don’t burn in your first session, add ONE minute to your next tanning session, and continue to do this until you’ve reached the max time. Developing a base tan is a time-consuming process for most people. If you’re a skin type 4 or higher, you can probably do it in two weeks or so. The lower your skin type, the longer it will take. For myself a 3A, it took about 5 weeks.
How do I know when I have a base tan?
When you can tan in your salon’s lowest level bed (aka a “base bed”) for the full time without burning.
How can I learn what number my skin type is?
Go here: Skin Type Questionnaire
I'm tanning for an event. When should I start?
First, you will need to determine your skin type at the link above. If you are a 2, you need to start 2-3 months in advance. If you are a 3, you need to start 4-6 weeks in advance. If you are a 4, you need to start 2-3 weeks in advance.
I always sunburn, but then my sunburn turns into a tan!
This is a myth. Sunburns do not turn into tans. You would have tanned without the sunburn because they both come from the same place: exposure to UV light. Sunburns generally show up more quickly than a tan because you've overexposed yourself; this is what causes people to wrongfully assume that a sunburn creates a tan. In reality, the tan is on its way, but it just doesn’t get to the party as fast as the sunburn. You will always tan without having to damage your skin with a sunburn! Remember that a sunburn is a tanner’s worst enemy and something we avoid at all costs.
I’ve sunburned. When can I tan again?
It is safe to tan when the sunburn is completely gone. Tanning before your sunburn is gone will do three things: 1) Make you burn even more. 2) Damage your DNA exponentially compared to just regular tanning. 3) Not let you tan because your skin is in repair mode. So, as you can see from number 3, it’s just a waste of your time. Hang tight and the sunburn will be gone before you know it.
How can I make a sunburn disappear more quickly?
Water is scientifically proven to help sunburns heal more quickly, so drink up! Also, keep your skin well-moisturized with aloe vera, lotions, etc. Try to limit your showers to be as short as possible because (warm/hot) showers are one of the most dehydrating things we do each day.
What are the differences between all of the lotion types?
Check out this thread here: Lotion Types Explained
What is an “HP” bed?
HP stands for High Pressure. An HP bed generally falls within the highest number on the leveling system at your salon (5 or 6, for example). An HP bed has purple square lamps and looks like this:
An HP bed has a higher percentage of UVA than a base bed (which has higher UVB). HP beds are good to use every now and then to get an extra boost on your tan after you’ve been using lower-level beds for a while.
What is the difference between UVA and UVB?
UVA rays are the “aging rays” whereas UVB rays are the “burn/skin cancer rays.” (To keep them straight in my head, I remember them as UVAging and UVBurning.) UVB rays get melanogenesis going in your skin—the process of creating melanin which is what turns your skin brown. UVA rays do not create much melanin on their own, but rather they further darken the existing melanin in your skin. This is why it is important to continue to use base beds even after you’ve become dark; you will continue to create melanin which will allow those infrequent HP bed usages to darken that melanin.
My salon said to use an HP bed first/often to get dark fast.
The more often you tan, you will quickly find out that the people who work at salons do not know what they are talking about more often than not. In regards to this, it is most likely because salons charge a high price to use HP beds because the beds themselves are very expensive. By convincing new tanners to use HP beds all of the time, the salon will make more money.