We love a good tan as the next pale beach-goer but we are also obsessed with taking care of our skin. If you’re anything like us, you prefer getting that sun-kissed look without the risks of UV ray exposure. Sun damage is often irreversible, has many health risks, and it ages you beyond your years. Not exactly an investment for the self. This is why we always advocate using self-tanners over lying in the sun for hours and hours. You can still get that honey glow without all the cons.
We also understand that a self-tanning advocate will likely still want to play under the sun for a healthy amount of time. But in order to do that, you still need to lather on your SPF. So the question now is this: can your sunscreen and self-tanner coexist on your skin? Is sunscreen even necessary after soaking your skin in a nourishing self-tanner for hours? All things sunscreen and self-tanner will be answered below. Keep reading.
Let’s break down what a self-tanner is first.
In the quest to refine the balance between beauty and clean skincare, an amazing thing called the dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was born. This active ingredient reacts with your skin’s amino acids, which in turn causes a change in your skin tone. It is important to note however that not all DHAs are created the same. Always go for the ones that are derived from sustainable sources through ethical methods.
While this amazing ingredient provides a healthy option to achieve the glow you dream of, it doesn’t do much to protect your skin against harmful UV rays. At best, they will be filled with amazing ingredients that will keep your skin hydrated but won’t contain the necessary SPF to keep your skin from sun damage.
Check out some clean beauty self-tanners: Bondi Bodz Tanning Lotions
So, should you top your self-tanner with sunscreen then?
Not so fast. Logically, it makes sense to follow your self-tanner with sunscreen because how else are you going to protect your skin? But the science behind the active ingredients in both is not that simple.
Basically, a good sunscreen should have an adequate amount of both UVB and UVA protection. UVB rays are the ones that cause your skin to burn while UVA rays cause fine lines, wrinkles, skin cancer, and the like. SPF is what filters UVB rays. Combining UVB protection with DHA will most likely allow it to still do its job, but the UVA filter will probably be affected. If you combine sunscreen and DHA, the DHA will alter the effectiveness of the UVA protection, which will then leave your skin vulnerable to aging and diseases.
To put it simply, DHA can disable UVA protection, which is basically letting an innocent self-tanner slather on ineffective sunscreen. Not only are you throwing away money on your favourite sunscreens, but you are also exposing yourself to the sun’s harmful rays.
If the two can’t mix, do I have to give up on self-tanning?
Definitely not. Both are crucial to you living your best glowing life. Giving up one in the stead of another is unnecessary. Instead, it’s important that you understand how self-tanners and sunscreens work, then give the two some ample space in between. Allow the DHA in your self-tanner to do its magic for a few hours before topping it with your sunscreen. If you can afford to do it the night before, that would be ideal. But make sure the DHA has fizzled out after doing its job before getting some UVA protection on there.
Take note that some self-tanners are slower to develop and some deepen your tones pretty quickly. This should give you an indication as to how aggressive the DHA is, and how long you should wait before popping out your sun protection.
Just keep these in mind and you’ll have the best of both worlds!