OT Tips On Indoor Tanning?

[katelyndanyale]

I'm trying to get darker for competition season. I only lay like once a week and I'm already a little tan but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips that they use.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Spray tan or tanning bed?

If it's tanning bed I'm sure you'll get a million answers about how bad that is for you....but I'm not one of them. You already know that and so do I, and I'm going to tan anyway.

Things I've found that get me darkest:
--switching beds each time. I always want to just use the highest level bed, but I find that when I switch between the levels I get darker. We have levels 1-5, with 4 being a standup. I hate stand-up so take that out. 2 is silly to me, so I alternate between levels 1, 3, and 5 (high pressure bed). I go twice a week - once in a level 3 and once in either level 1 or 5. The level 1 has more UV rays and will give you more color, but it's easier to burn in. The level 5 beds are usually bronzing beds, so you need a base tan but they're faster.
--I hate bronzing lotions because they make me orange. I use lotions with no bronzer on all of me except my legs. I use tingle lotions on my legs, because they tan slower than the rest of me, so this makes them keep up.
--Only going twice a week keeps me dark enough that I can wear bear legs and look tan, but I'm not crazy tan.

I've been tanning longer than you've been alive, so I'm not sure why I'm not just a pile of wrinkles, but I'm not. Luck I guess.

I've never gotten a spray tan because I'm afraid it'll make me orange since my skin hates bronzers so much so I don't know anything about them.

 

[katelyndanyale]

Just-a-Mom thank you! I was talking about tanning beds so thanks for the great tips.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

--Only going twice a week keeps me dark enough that I can wear bear legs and look tan, but I'm not crazy tan.

Lol obviously I meant BARE legs, not bear. Giant furry bear legs would NOT be attractive!

Just-a-Mom thank you! I was talking about tanning beds so thanks for the great tips.

No problem. Now that I live up north my love of tans is not so popular, but I can't live without it. (I think maybe it's a city thing - my friends in the suburbs are all golden brown too...) I'm glad someone appreciates my one and only area of expertise...

 

[laughAlittle]

everyone dies anyways, might as well die tan and hot!

I do what JustaMom does pretty much, it differs for everyone though, give it time and see what works for you! : )

 

[Just-a-Mom]

everyone dies anyways, might as well die tan and hot!

I do what JustaMom does pretty much, it differs for everyone though, give it time and see what works for you! : )

LOL!!!!! I'm shooting for tan, hot, and THIN.

I agree - it does differ for everyone. I have friends that tan with no lotion in only the lowest level beds and they are dark as can be. Others that use bronzers and spray tans galore, and NEVER look orange. The switching beds seems to be what helps me the most - the girl in the shop told me to do that. Because I was only using the high pressure beds and she said I could spend less money and get darker if I used the lower level beds every other time, so I tried it. :cheering: Aaaaaannd....now I love her.

 

[cheerheart4life]

Tanning is so flippin expensive. And I'm poor. Looks like ill be either pale or orange this winter!

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

Tanning is so flippin expensive. And I'm poor. Looks like ill be either pale or orange this winter!

If you have a suntan city near you, its only 19.95 a month for fast (the lowest level) and I still get really tan!

 

[cheerheart4life]

If you have a suntan city near you, its only 19.95 a month for fast (the lowest level) and I still get really tan!

Our cheapest is $30 a month for a crap bed and the good one is $40 for 2 weeks...

 

[DaniV]

Sign up for Groupon and Livingsocial emails. I can't afford to go tanning either but alot of the smaller (non-chain) tanning salons will have some awesome deals on there. I've gotten ones for $30 or $40 for a month unlimited any bed I want which normally would run around $80-90 a month. Also, shop around and see what salons offer new customer deals and just use those until you run out of stores to go to. At least in Washington I've found that the local non-chain tanning salons tend to be cheaper and don't require you to set up automatic monthly charging which can be a HUGE hassel to get cancelled.

Although I will say, getting airbrushed is by far the best "quick" tan I've ever had but they can be pretty pricey, it's usually $40-60 but they do end up looking really really good. I don't like the VERSA or mystic spraytan booths because you can come out all sorts of orange zebra-striped craziness lol

 

[xo sarah]

I also love tanning in a tanning bed because I feel like the same effects would happen from the sun, but I'd have to lay out a lot to get as tan as a tanning bed gets me. I've been tanning since I was about 14 and I'm still perfectly healthy and not full of wrinkles. Although, I haven't been tanning in a bed in about a year because I really just haven't had the time or money to buy more points since I stopped nannying, lol.

But I say definitely use some type of tanning lotion, again, like Just-a-Mom said, don't use one with bronzer unless you really want to look like an oompa loompa. I only use the lowest level bed and still stay a natural tan, but I also have an olive complexion to begin with, so I tend to just turn brown really easily (I think I've only been sunburned once in my life). I typically use a lower level bed for about 8-10 minutes, but I definitely wouldn't start at that much. Maybe start around 6 minutes at a lower level, and then if you want to use a higher bed, work your way up to like 10 minutes in a lower level and then a shorter time in a higher bed, and so on.

Funny thing about me is, I like to actually get a spray tan and then go to a tanning bed so when I begin to turn a nice shade of winter white, I get spray tanned until I am naturally tanned again. Too bad spray tans only last about a week though or I would totally get them all the time because I like the instant results of them.

 

[wcdad]

I'm trying to get darker for competition season. I only lay like once a week and I'm already a little tan but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips that they use.

Here is a tip, dont do it. Your future Health is not worh it.

 

[auscheerflyer]

Here is a tip, dont do it. Your future Health is not worh it.

Interestingly tanning beds have now been completely banned in some states in Australia, with other states following next year due to all the evidence of how bad tanning beds are for you, and there are so many good lotions and spray tans available now it's really not worth risking your health.

The Aussie sun is already bad enough here!

 

[katelyndanyale]

I understand the risks from tanning but I'm going to continue to lay, no offense. Thank you though.

 

[FightTilTheEnd]

What I typically do is something similar to what Just-a-mom does, tan on rotation. That's really the fastest way to get dark. I've tanned for about 5 years and that's the best way to do it. As far as lotion is concerned, Australian Gold is my favorite brand. I have yet to use one of their lotions that hasn't gotten me pretty tan. It also helps that they're typically cheaper.
If you're also wanting to spray tan I'd suggest Salon Bronze spray gun from Sally's. It's only $12.99 and the refill cartridges are $8.99. Each cartridge can give you about 3-4 full layers. I've used it for years and its never made me orange or anything. You can have someone else spray you or it's easy enough to spray yourself. You could honestly just spray yourself before a competition and be dark enough without using a bed. It's cheaper than other spray tans and just as good. I kind of swear by it.