Today’s post deals with the good, the bad and the ugly in pigment in celebration of the coming summer solstice. Cheers to long sunny days in summer dresses showing lots of glowing, healthy looking skin.
Pretty Pigment.
This part is dedicated to the pigment that you actually want, i.e. a tan. Until the day we go back to having pale skin as the beauty standard, tans are still very much in vogue but how do you get them safely? The unfortunate answer is that there is no real safe tan. A tan is your first indicator of underlying sun damage. Anything you’ve heard about getting a base or protective tan is misleading. Most tans will give you a SPF of 2 at best the same as about a wet t-shirt. And tanning salons are an absolute no go either. They emit a high concentration of UVA rays, which as we now know are the Aging Rays and can cause skin cancer. They have also been shown to compromise your immune system and are definitely not recommended for children.
All these no no’s lead to a very pale face though, which leads to one answer…SELF TANNERS. I have to admit to being personally inept at applying self tanners but I also was incapable of colouring inside the lines as a kid. After a little research, it would seem that there continues to be really only one ingredient that is the mainstay of self tanners called dihydroxyacetone or DHA. DHA interacts with amino acids on the outermost layer of the skin, called the stratus corneum, and causes a darkening of the skin over a period of 1-4 hours. DHA can be sensitizing for some and so formulators have also begun to use an ingredient called erythrulose but it does not produce as a deep a coloured tan. Erythrulose can also take up to 48 hours to develop so in combining the two ingredients some formulas can give a longer lasting result. DHA is a colourless agent so for those who would like an immediate glow effect you’ll need a formula that includes synthetic dyes like cochenille red, FD & C yellow 10 (if you are a green consumer though, ask if your products involved animal testing as dyes have a bad rap with PETA and the like).
Unfortunately, labels will not disclose how much DHA their products contain. Basically the rule of thumb though is build a tan’s formulas will only have a small amount (thus farther down on the label), formulas for fair skin will have slightly more and so on.
Since the base of all self tanning formulas are essentially the same, you just need to decide what add-ons you’re looking for. DHA has a distinct smell that most people dislike so you may consider some form of fragrance (if you absolutely must). Citrus smells are good at masking DHA. You can then find formulas that claim to be moisturizing, have added antioxidants etc. I would avoid using formulas that claim to have SPF’s in them as your sunscreen though as your sunscreen should never be a secondary consideration in your product. I have not come across any specific ingredient that will help to avoid streaking unfortunately- application is pretty key in that sense. If you are artistically inept, look for the build a tan formulas that will have the least amount of DHA.
Finally, our make-up artist, Angela G., gave me some application tips that may be helpful. 1. Use gloves (surgical gloves are better than kitchen ones clearly). 2. You should use a glycolic acid for your face or a lactic acid/glycolic acid for your body before application to exfoliate (preferably a couple of hours before). If you goof and get splotchy, you can also use either one to help correct. 3. We sell GlowFusion that can be paired with their Tanning Emulsion, which does help to prevent streaks. However, you need to apply the Emulsion immediately after the self tanner before it dries. This means going body part by body part. 4. Dedicate some time to this procedure and do not try to do it during commercial breaks for Grey’s Anatomy (that is my personal tip).
Up next…the Bad and the Ugly in Pigment…age spots, hyper-pigmentation, and melasma…oh my!
All the Beauty Best,
Sara A. DudleyLabels: hyperpigmentation, Pigment problems