So, here’s the thing: I hate being pale.
It’s just personal preference really, but since I’m also quite terrified of
sunburn and UV rays damaging my skin, I prefer to fake my tan. It’s also a
tedious job but it’s significantly safer than being out in the sun for hours
attempting an authentic tan (especially with this glorious summer we’re having
in Ireland at the moment.) However, the major obstacle between my skin and
self-tanning is my continuous eczema flareups. I’ve had many throughout my life
and my currently affected areas are my arms and hands, as well as a few
sporadic patches along my legs. This makes it difficult to get an all-over tan
that isn’t clinging to dry patches, but I have been able to reduce the
appearance of my eczema while I’m fake tanned, and that’s what I’m sharing with
you today.
Now the first thing anyone who uses
self-tan will know is that exfoliating is vital. This applies to eczema too,
though you need to be careful not to be too abrasive – a gentle exfoliant works
much better in my experience. I usually make a scrub out of either used coffee
grounds from my French press, or just sugar and honey mixed in a little tub. If
I don’t have any of those ingredients to hand, I’ll just use a normal shower
gel with exfoliating gloves and gently buff my skin. I have to spread this out
over a few days rather than just one, so my skin has time to recover. I would
love to try a tan eraser or remover, but I haven’t seen one recommended highly
enough to invest in one yet. Let me know if you have tried any, and what you
thought of them!
The next, and in my opinion, the most
important step: moisturising. Various self-tanning tips say that you should
moisturise before tanning, some others advise only applying it to dry areas or
the elbows and knees. I find that a mixture works for me, such as applying my prescription
hydro-cortisone cream on eczema patches, and lightly moisturising my elbows,
knees, hands, and feet. I also tan my face, so I apply my usual face
moisturiser. I’ve found that waiting at least half an hour after showering and moisturising
improves the results of my tan so I try to space it out – and of course it’s
advisable to apply tan in the evening or at night to let it develop as you
relax for the evening or while you’re asleep. I tend to apply my tan a few
hours before I go to sleep so that it isn’t still drying as I’m going to sleep,
and then the next morning I like to rinse it off and apply a good layer of
moisturiser on top to kind of seal the tan in, as silly as that sounds.
What I have found due to my eczema is
that some self-tan brands are better than others, so if you have dry or
sensitive skin like I do, it can feel like a lot of trials and failures. I
originally tried gradual tans like the Dove and Garnier ones, and then tried
Cocoa Brown original tan. Cocoa Brown is
a nice tan and gives a gorgeous colour but it really did not agree with my
eczema as much as other brands have. I tried out the B-Bold smart mousse over
the Christmas break and I found that much better. It didn’t dry out my eczema
as much as Cocoa Brown did and was a lot easier to remove afterwards. I
recently decided to try out Bondi Sands because I have heard so much about the
brand, so I got the tanning foam in the dark shade – which isn’t actually as
dark as I had anticipated thankfully. It has a similar result to the B-Bold
mousse which was a relief, and I am definitely a fan of both brands.
Unfortunately, sensitive skin can be very temperamental so while I do recommend
these tans based on my own experience, they may not suit everyone’s skin.
Because my skin is so sensitive and
irritated, I don’t tan every few days, instead I keep my skin moisturised after
every shower and I make sure the water is not too hot so that my skin doesn’t
get worse and so that my tan stays for longer. While showering before applying
my tan I also turn the water to cold right at the end to close my pores. This
is my usual shower routine anyway, since it helps keep my eczema calm but it’s
definitely useful in a tanning routine too.
I hope this has been helpful if you want
to get a nice glow that doesn’t involve sunbeds or waiting (im)patiently for a
tan while lying in the sun, and if you have any other tips then leave a comment
below, I’d love to hear them!
Lots of love,
Jessica.
No comments