If you love the bronzed glow regardless of whether it is winter or summer, we’ve got good news for you! You don’t have to expose yourself to the harmful sunrays to achieve this. With the range of self-tanners now available on the market getting a tanned look is now easy, effective and harmless!

But learning how to apply a fake tan is the key to avoiding blotchy streaks. By following these fake tan tips you’ll achieve a flawless look every time.

– An essential fact in how to apply fake tan is choosing the right self-tanner shade for your skin, so it’s probably not the best idea to look at the darkest shades on the first go if you’ve got very fair skin. Always choose a shade which matches the colour you would naturally tan in under the sun.

– The best of the pre-session fake tan tips is to exfoliate before you apply the fake tan. This helps to remove the dead skin cells from the surface, including dry and uneven skin patches, which over-absorb the tanning solution resulting in a blotchy tanned look. Rub the exfoliator more over dry areas like the elbows, knees, palms and soles. This is an essential step in how to apply fake tan because it will help give you a natural look that lasts longer.

– Easy fake tan tips also include moisturising your entire body before the tan. Pay close attention to drier areas of the body like the knuckles, knees and elbows. By making your body smooth and soft, your tan will glide over these areas and give you an even tan all over.

– Avoid giving away your fake tan by applying Vaseline on the nails to prevent them turning that unpleasant orange shade!

– Wear tanning gloves or thin rubber gloves which fit you tightly so that your palms do not get tanned.

– Cover your feet when applying the spray tan. Use a towel to cover them or wash immediately after application.

– A great fake tan tip is to apply the solution before heading off to bed. The body tends to get naturally hot at night, which then aids in darkening the tan. Don’t forget to wear a dark night suit and place old bed sheets on the bed!

– When applying the fake tan, by systematic. Start from the top – begin tanning from the face and then move down to the body. Apply the tanning solution on the hands and feet in the end.

– Use a buff or tanning mitt over the foot and ankles so that your tan looks more natural. Clean your nails on both hands and feet after you are done tanning.

– When following these fake tan tips, you must not forget to wash the hands again after applying the fake tan. Moisturise them again and then rub the outer part of the hands with a small amount of tan. Clean the nails in case any colour spreads over it.

– Apply a little moisturiser on your wrists and with the help of a tanning mitt, buff up the arm. This will create a natural looking tan line.

– The next day, wash off the tanning product and then pat dry your body. Apply moisturiser everyday so that your tan lasts longer.

When it comes to drinking water, it is important to remember that an adequate amount of water is required to allow your organs to function properly. But most people ask, “how many liters of water should you drink a day?” Well the average recommended intake of water is about 8 glasses, which rounds to about 2 liters per day. The Institute for Traditional Medicine (ITM) strongly recommends this amount is consumed throughout the day, instead of all at once. Even though there is no formula, which correctly calculates the recommended amount of water for an individual per day, a way to check the adequate amount of water intake is whether your urine is colourless or light pale.

If you are drinking an inadequate amount of water, the first sign is you will feel very thirsty. If you do not drink enough water, you will become dehydrated and you will face serious health hazards. Drinking water throughout the day helps in removing toxins from the body and helps keep your weight balanced. There are many ways to increase your water consumption so that you fulfill the average recommended amount of water intake per day:

1 – Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. If you find a bottle with calibrations, it will help you keep track of the amount of water you are drinking.

2 – Drink water between your meals. By drinking water between the meals, you will eat less and feel fuller. Keep in mind that usually when you are dehydrated, you begin feeling hungry. Drink 2 to 3 glasses of water between your meals to keep yourself hydrated. Do not drink water during your meals as it dilutes the gastric juices in the stomach and slow down the process of digestion.

3 – Drinking water with a straw helps in increasing the amount of water you consume each time.

4 – If you’re really hungry, instead of drinking water, opt for a snack that is rich in water content. This can be consumed through fresh fruits or vegetables like watermelons, cucumbers, grapes and citrus fruits like oranges or grapefruit. You can also drink 100% pure juice or low-fat milk.

5 – Quit drinking caffeinated drinks and opt for decaf. Caffeine does not provide the body with fluid, but instead, it absorbs the water from the body. Stop drinking sodas, coffee, and tea and choose decaf so that you enjoy higher advantages of the water these fluids provide.

6 – If plain water is too bland for you, drink mineral or flavored waters. Fresh juices and low-fat milk also have a high water content which adds to your daily water intake. But keep in mind that drinking water will have lower calories!

7 – If again drinking water is boring for you, add lemons or limes to it. This will make your water tastier. Put in a few leaves of mint and you will feel even more refreshed.

8 – Keep your water chilled. Drinking cold water is easier than drinking warm water. In addition, cold water burns a few calories as it takes energy from the body to regulate the internal temperature. But if you are dehydrated, drinking water which is at room temperature is better for the body.

The spray tan industry has continued to grow rapidly due to its healthy alternatives to tanning that solariums and sun baking fail to provide. Professional spray tans are available in salons everywhere, so there are a few essential things to consider when starting a spray tanning business, these include:

1 – Increasing your knowledge and expertise of the spray tanning industry. If you are just starting off you will need to know things like; what spray tanning is, how the skin changes colour, how long the spray tan lasts, what is required for the professional spray tan to last for as long as possible, the solutions you should use, the type of machine to buy, the best spray tanning technique as well as the risks that are associated with spray tanning.

2 – Decide what type of spray tanning business you would like to operate. You should decide whether you want to operate a fixed spray tanning salon or a home spray tanning business. You may also run a home based business offering mobile tanning services, a great way to cover as many clients as possible.

3 – Understand the business registrations and business licences that you require. Your professional spray tan business will require different types of registrations as well as licences if it is to run legally and successfully. Be sure to take your time so that in the end you have the right licences and registrations.

4 – Develop a business plan before establishing your professional spray tan business. This helps you to know what to expect and to determine how to measure the success of your spray tanning business. The planning stage therefore helps to show the direction of your business and will help you address any issues that you may have.

5 – Determine how to develop exceptional customer service skills to help your business gain credibility. Find ways of making your customers happy so that in the end your business can be successful.

6 – Buy the right equipment for your spray tanning business. Ensure that you have good quality equipment that is suitable for your professional spray tan business before you start off. Some of the equipment that you will require includes:

– Spray tanning machine –there are different types of machines that are available although your choice should be influenced by the kind of business that you would like to operate. For instance, some machines are rather heavy to be used in home based businesses. – Pop up tent – this helps to prevent the overspray solution from going everywhere, thus ensuring that there is less solution to be cleaned up. – Spray tanning solution as well as others like towels, spray tan products to compliment the tan, nose plugs, hair nets, masks and sticky feet among others.

7 – Finally it is important to decide how to advertise your spray tanning business.

It is important to remember that different skin types require different strengths of spray tan solution, so it is essential to stick to spray tan colours that help give you a nice natural glow. Let’s take a look at the different skin types and the spray tan colours:

This is the palest type of skin and easily burns, gets freckled and blistered. Generally, people with this skin type have blond or red hair with blue eyes. The skin on areas that are unexposed appears reddish. The spray tan solution for this skin type is the lightest one. If you have this skin type, you should avoid medium or dark spray tan colours.

This skin type is found in people with blond to medium brown hair as well as green, blue or grey eyes. The skin on unexposed areas is pale and people with this skin type are prone to freckles although not as much as those with skin type one. The best spray tan solution for this skin type is light but those with darker skin types in this group can successfully use medium spray tan colours.

People with this skin type generally have dark hair with eyes that are green, light brown or occasionally blue. This skin type is light with a beige shade on unexposed areas and easily goes brown. If you have this skin type, you will look good in a spray tan solution of any depth with little chance of turning orange.

People with this skin type have black or dark brown hair as well as dark brown eyes. The skin on unexposed areas is light brown. If you have this skin type, then any shades of spray tan colours are good for you. If you would like to achieve a bronze statue look, you should even out the skin tone as this will result in a golden finish. This skin type only requires a little bit of tan or else it can turn yellowish or even a bit grey.

This is the darkest skin type, so using a spray tan solution should help you achieve an enhanced skin tone or even to even out your skin colour.

The tanned appearance of your skin will last between 5-7 days depending on the condition of your skin, including the spray tan aftercare steps that you take. Here is how to make a spray tan last longer:

– Put on loose dark clothing and slip on shoes. Tight fitting clothes can rub off your tan while wearing shoes or socks after your tanning session can lead to sweating which can inhibit the development of your tan.

– Avoid applying deodorants and moisturizers until after your first shower or bath. To extend the tan, you should moisturize daily after your tanning session. A tan extender is also recommended for anyone wondering how to make a spray tan last longer.

– An essential spray tan aftercare tip is to avoid using other products like shower gels, high street soaps or bubble baths that contain sodium lauryl sulphates or parabens, as they may cause your tan to fade quicker.

– Avoid showering, swimming and all other vigorous activities for at least 5 hours as this can inhibit the development of your tan. Water contact immediately stops the tanning process, while the chlorine that is used in swimming pools will strip your tan completely.

– Avoid shaving until 12 hours after your treatment.

– Avoid waxing following the tan application.

– Avoid sitting on any light coloured fabrics until you have taken a bath or showered, as this can cause discolouration.

– Another solution on how to make a spray tan last longer is avoiding long hot baths and showers because they tend to speed up the exfoliation of your skin and indirectly causing your tan to fade a lot quicker.

– It is advisable for you to wear washing up gloves, as the hands are often the first parts of your body where your tan will fade.

– A spray tan aftercare that many might miss is after a bath or shower, only pat your skin dry instead of rubbing your skin to avoid rubbing off your tan in the process.

– Avoid scratching your body as this can remove the spray tan while it is in the developing process.

– Avoid having a massage after your spray tan, as this will also ruin your tan.

– Ensure that you wear sun protection, as the spray tan does not have any SPF factor.

These are some of the spray tan aftercare tips on how to make a spray tan last longer. If you try them out, you should end up with a great natural looking tan that will leave you glowing for longer.

Put simply, the sunless tanning products only affect the dead skin cells on the top layer of your body. Although they react with proteins within the dead skin cells in order to turn them brown, they do not do anything to the live skin cells.

If you took a peek at your skin under a microscope you’ll see that it’s surface isn’t smooth at all, due to the build up of dead skins cells on the top layer. But don’t worry once the dead skills build up to a certain point the skin exfoliates itself naturally.

What’s important to remember is that when apply a sunless tanning solution to the skin, the tan is likely to be uneven if the skin isn’t exfoliated enough, with more solution being absorbed into the ridges of your build up. With all these “mountain peaks” on your skin, when you begin to naturally exfoliate the tan will begin to unevenly come off. So prior to applying any sunless tanning products to your skin ensure that you have exfoliated to reduce those “mountain peaks” and get you that flawless looking even tan result.

Before going in so a sunless tanning session or doing it at home yourself, always begin your preparation with exfoliating and letting your skin cool down.

So how do sunless tanning products work?

The skin has got two main layers; the epidermis, which is on the outside, and the dermis, which is on the inside. Sunless tanning takes place on the outside layer of the skin. DHA – Didydroxyacetone – which is found in most tanning products is a colourless sugar that interacts with the dead cells that are found in the outer layer of the skin. As this sugar interacts with the dead cells of your skin, a colour change which often lasts for about 5-7 days from the initial application occurs.

Remember that millions of dead skin cells are worn away from the surface of your skin every day. This explains why sunless tanning products will gradually fade. Therefore, to maintain your tan you should reapply sunless tanning every 3 days. Some of the various sunless tanning products available in the market include; gels, lotions, sprays, tanning accelerators, the bronzer and tanning pills among others.

But don’t forget that unless sunless tanning products contain an added sunscreen, they will not protect you from the UV rays of the sun. So if you plan to go out and show off your new glow from sunless tanning, be sure to apply some sunscreen every couple of hours as recommended on the packaging!

The hot summer temperatures can come with a lot of humidity that can actually damage your hair’s cuticle thus resulting in drab, dry, split, frizzy or brittle hair. Here are 10 summer hair care tips that will help you prevent unnecessary damage to your hair:

Give your tresses a shampoo break

Using shampoo on your hair less often actually allow your tresses to absorb more of it’s own natural oils. Another alternative is to try out cleansing methods that don’t dry out your sun exposed strands. If you’ve already got a shampoo you like to use, you can always dilute it for a more gentle treatment for your summer hair.

Go natural

Hair tends to get deprived of moisture during summer. One of our easiest hair care tips is to limit the use of hair chemicals like relaxers, hair colour, bleach and hair strengtheners as much as possible. Natural hair products may be worth trying out during summer.

Avoid using heated hair styling tools

Another one of our hair care tips that you might like to consider is giving your summer hair a break from hot styling tools like hot irons and blow dryers. However, if you cannot resist your blow dryer, ensure that you use leave-in conditioner that is designed to protect your hair against dryer heat.

Make use of rinse-out conditioning treatments

Use the appropriate rinse-out conditioning treatment for your hair type, texture as well as current condition.

Schedule deep conditioning treatments

One of our favourite hair care tips is going down the salon for a great deep conditioning treatment. Your summer hair requires moisture replenishment because it is regularly exposed to the sun.

Treat fragile ends with TLC

You will find jojoba oil quite helpful in softening the ends of your strands. For protection throughout the day, it can also be applied to dry strands or used as a pre-shampoo treatment.

Use protection

It’s not just the skin, but our hair also needs protection during summer. Using leave-in hair products that have SPF protection or by wearing a hat or covering up your hair is a great an easy way.

Hydrate your hair

This is one of the hair care tips that you cannot ignore during summer. Ensure that you keep your hair and roots hydrated from the inside. Best way to achieve this is drinking plenty of water!

Cover up

If you find yourself out in the sun, be sure to reach out for your hat to help cover the delicate summer hair strands.

Trim the ends of your hair

Summer can rob moisture from your tresses. Remember to always regularly get your hair trimmed for the damaged sections of your hair.

Follow these summer hair care tips and enjoy a fabulous summer ahead!

The hot summer heat can be very harsh to your body. But never fear, here are our top 10 beauty tips for summer to help keep your skin healthy and beautiful:

Drink plenty of water

Whereas water helps to clear away any unwanted toxins that may have build up in your body, it also helps to keep your skin hydrated and moist in summer when temperatures are hot.

Apply the right moisturiser

Consulting with a skin expert may help you identify the best summer tan moisturizer available. But you also need to be careful because your skin may end up dehydrated if your moisturizer is too light. Also, if it is too rich and heavy, you may increase breakouts and end up with a greasy looking complexion.

Use sunscreen

It protects your skin from damage and pigmentation so it is one of our favourite beauty tips for summer. Be sure to apply sunscreen 15-30 minutes before you go out without forgetting to cover your chest and ears.

Eat healthy

By eating lots of vegetables and fresh fruits throughout summer, you can also help keep your skin glowing as well as reducing your chances of putting on any unnecessary weight.

Avoid excessive alcohol

Another essential beauty tips for summer is to remember that excessive drinking will dehydrate your skin and start the formation of fine lines, wrinkles or even breakouts that can ultimately interfere with your summer tan.

Wear mineral makeup

This type of makeup is a great alternative because it allows your skin to breathe in addition to covering any flaws and accentuating your features.

Ensure that you get enough sleep

This one is a must to help prevent all those panda eyes, as well as giving you that nice a refreshed glow that comes with having a big long sleep.

Get a spray tan

If you want a great summer tan without all those harmful effects that come along with exposing your body to the sun’s UV rays, then spray tanning is a must! It is our favourite beauty tips for summer when we want to keep our sun kissed glow.

Apply a hydrating body moisturiser

As well as keeping your skin smooth and moist, it is also an important step in taking care of your spray tan. A hydrating body moisturiser ensures that your summer tan lasts a lot longer.

Live, laugh and give

Where would beauty tips for summer be without this one? Let your inner beauty shine by appreciating the precious moments that life brings your way. Take nothing for granted!