How to Safely Tan

Now that summer and warm weather is here (with today's temperature being in the 90s where I live!!!), we all want to go outside and tan. However, laying out in the sun for an extended period of time is potentially a very dangerous thing. Be sure to follow the tips below in order to safely tan!

1. Apply sunscreen and make sure to reapply it. If you think not applying sunscreen will help you get a better tan, you're wrong. Not everyone gets burned when they don't put sunscreen on (my boyfriend being one of those lucky people!), but it'll cause damage on your skin and can eventually lead to skin cancer. Also, if you apply sunscreen, you have to reapply it during the day. It will wear off, so if you don't want to get burned, make sure to reapply it every couple of hours. When I went to Atlantis three years ago, I had a sunburn when I got there. I constantly reapplied sunscreen, but I somehow still got burned because the sun in the Bahamas is so strong! I ended up peeling all over, especially peeling horribly on my back with sun blisters, and I was in a lot of pain. It definitely made my vacation less fun than it should have been, so make sure to prevent those from happening! And I'm not saying that you have to use sunscreen that has a high SPF (but if you want to, go for it!), so SPF 15 works good on me to protect me and give me a little bit of a tan.

2. Use aloe vera. If you happen to get a sunburn, stay out of the sun and apply aloe vera. Staying in the sun can just cause more damage and make the sunburn even worse. The aloe vera will help to cool the sunburn and relieve you of your pain.

3. Stay hydrated. Drink tons of water or any other drink of your choice! Laying out in the hot sun and not having a lot of liquid in your body is a bad combination. The heat and little hydration can cause you to pass out or become sick.

4. Splash some water on yourself. If you feel yourself sweating or becoming too hot, splash water on yourself or take a dip in the pool. That will help to cool you down and make you feel more refreshed. It's also a proven fact that you tan better when you're wet!

5. Avoid tanning beds. Tanning in tanning beds is very common among teenage girls, but try to avoid tanning beds! They are so unhealthy for your skin. And why use an artificial tanner when you can get the real sun?

How do you safely tan? Let me know if I missed out on anything!