Going for a Natural
Sunless Tan?

Remember getting a really nice orange glow with a sunless tan product. Or maybe you went for a more yellow look. I'm happy to say those days are over. Today it is possible to achieve a nice golden tan without ever having to go out in the sun at all.

The biggest question for many of us who are interested in using a sunless tan product is the safety of those ingredients. Many products have a long list of ingredients with chemical sounding names.

I tend to stay away from such products even though I know that not all those ingredients are harmful and some of them may even be the technical name for a natural ingredient. I just prefer a simpler ingredient list, so far this has worked for me.

With this in mind I went searching for a natural sunless tan product. Starting with Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) database of cosmetics I looked for safe self tanners.

There were quite a few self tanners on their list, only one I would consider was Sircuit Skin soliel Firming Mineral Self Tanner. Now you may be wondering why this was the only one I would consider among the seven different products with a relatively safe rating. It all comes down to the parabens for me.

I have decided that I will keep my use of any products with parabens to a minimum. Not an easy task since parabens are used as a presevative in all kinds of skin care products and are even found in products such as mouthwash and deodorants.

While the EWG gives most parabens and there are quite a few different kinds, a moderately safe rating I have decided based on the findings of parabens in breast tissue and their ability to mimic estrogen to avoid them.

Once again I find my being particular about the ingredients in my products (see non toxic skincare) to be helpful in knocking down that list of products to a reasonable size. Both the sunless tan products below meet my requirements of offering safe, natural and even organic ingredients and are cruelty free.

Two best options for a natural sunless tan.

soliel Firming Self Tanner has gotten good reviews for it's ease of application, it's mineral based so it is easy to see where you are applying it, it's pleasant smell, some of those sunless tan products are smelly things, and it's nice golden look. At $45 dollars for 4oz. it's one of the higher priced natural self tanners but it offers the added benefit of firming and toning the skin, not something offered by most self tanners.

Lavera offers organic ingredients in a safe natural sunless tan product. They offer both a self tanner for the body and one for the face. Easy application and a natural looking tan although a few reviewers felt the results were a little light for them. The price was reasonable, at the time of this writing $25.00 for 5 oz.

Keep in mind using a self tanner does not provide your skin with any sun protection so keep using that sunscreen.

If you're a make it yourself kind of gal and you'd like to try and make your own sunless tan product, you could try this recipe from Debra Lynn Dadd's Guide to Choosing Sun Protection.

1. Boil the water and brew tea until it is strong.
2. Put 1/4 cup tea in a blender along with other ingredients, blend at low speed. Gradually add remaining tea while blending.
3. Test this mixture out on a hidden spot first. Use sparingly.

This should have the effect of staining the top layers of skin just like self tanners do. I didn't find any reviews of this idea so I am curious to see how this works.

Knowing the damage we can do to our skin from sun exposure, it sure would better if the sunless look was in. That's probably not going to happen any time soon so if you're determined to look golden at least you have better options with a natural sunless tan. Only you can determine if the costs and the results are worthwhile.

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