Tanning Bed Product

Being choosy about a tanning bed product, in order to get better results from your tanning sessions, is not as easy as it may seem.

As one of the millions of people using a tanning salon every day, to make the task of choosing a little easier, it is important to understand what these products do and how they affect the way your skin receives and maintains its new tanned colour.

Tanning bed product options

tanning bed product options are numerous

The most commonly used tanning product is a tanning lotion.

Also known as an indoor tanning lotion, this type of product is designed to hydrate and moisturize the skin as well as help speed up the tanning process.

Tanning using an indoor bed can make the skin tight, dry, and dehydrated during the tanning session, which is why most tanning lotions are formulated with a variety of natural moisturisers and hydrators.

Not using a tanning bed lotion at all can cause the skin to look flakey and dry, as well as uneven in certain areas.

Also, please note that for tanning bed use, choose a specific indoor tanning lotion since they are specially formulated with ingredients that will not cause damage to the acrylic surface of the tanning bed.

Tanning bed products offer no UV protection

One of the problems encountered when using tanning products, is that they are not able to protect your skin from the bed's harmful UV rays.

There is no SPF (sun protection factor) capability and they do not contain any ingredients that can effectively absorb or filter out the UV rays.

So in a sense, lying in a tanning bed is similar to lying out on the beach or poolside, absorbing the sun's rays without any form of sunscreen or sunblock on the skin.

Tanning beds emit both UVA and UVB rays, but the UVA rays are the ones which can have more long-term negative results on your skin. UVA rays are responsible for causing premature aging, fine lines, wrinkles, and rough, leathery skin. Besides this, they are believed to be cause for skin cancers, including the dreaded melanoma.

A Healthy Skin Helps Tanning Bed Products 

The ultra-intense UV rays in tanning salons help you develop a tan in a relatively short period of time. Healthy skin is therefore key to tanning successfully.

Tanning bed lotions and creams that include moisturisers allow you to get a gorgeous tan without subjecting your skin to the adverse effects of the sun's rays.

A smooth and supple, healthy skin tends to retain a good tan much longer than skin that is dry and flakey.

Skincare ingredients such as alpha lipoic acid (ALA), phyto-age, and copper, are used in many of these tanning bed products and they aim to enhance your tanning results while providing powerful anti-aging benefits.

Additional Tanning Bed Products 

User of tanning bed eye candi?

Besides the vast range of different tanning creams and lotions, there is usually an amazing variety of other products available in salons and such.

Eye protection.

These include stickers and UV protective eyewear or 'eye candi'. This eyewear is ergonomically shaped to fit the contour of your eyes, thus aiming to provide you with maximum protection against harmful UVA and UVB exposure during tanning. Some are designed as a two-piece eye protector for use both indoors and outdoors during sun tanning. There are some incredible designs that enable you to get a tan without any undesirable raccoon type effect around the eyes or tan line across the nose.

Oral tablets.
Then there is the tablet to be taken orally. Using LTyrosine, it is a time-released formula created for the more serious tanner who wants extra tanning results from their indoor sessions. LTyrosine is a naturally occurring amino acid.

White spot protection.
There are some very specific products that deal with the flaky white sun spots that some people get after tanning. These will help the body to eradicate the cause of these spots, a fungus called Tinea versicolor. This is done by breaking down the protective barrier surrounding each fungus cell, and letting the skin heal.

Hair and scalp protection.
If a serious tanning bed fan, many opt for a cap to protect their hair and/or their scalp. Lightweight, breathable and washable, this cap claims to block 90% of the UV rays while tanning and offers:

• Protection for natural and colour treated hair from changing colour or fading under the intense UV rays
• Retention of the hair's moisture while keeping it off the face and neck to allow a more even, natural tan.