Each year, we eagerly anticipate summer, synonymous with outdoor activities, sunshine, and tanning. After the chilly winter season, we all long for that sun-kissed, radiant complexion. However, the rush to shed our layers and bask in the sun often leads to sunburns, solar erythema, spots, and wrinkles. Our skin, covered for months, isn't prepared for sudden, massive sun exposure. To ensure a safe tan and make the sun our ally in wellness, the best strategy is to prepare our face and body properly. And fortunately, spring is the ideal season to prepare for a healthy, intense, and lasting tan. Let's discover the best tips to get our skin ready for a glowing summer.
Prepping Your Skin for the Sun with Nutrition
Nutrition is the first ally in strengthening the skin for a naturally healthy complexion. What are the best foods to prepare for the first sun rays and promote tanning? Foods that stimulate melanin production and help the skin regenerate, staying toned and elastic, are key. Warm weather encourages us to eat fresh foods, so choose fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin E, omega-3, and omega-6. Vitamins A, E, and C are antioxidants that help counter free radical formation, responsible for premature aging not only of skin cells but also of the entire body.
Foods Good for a Tanned Skin
Which foods benefit our skin? Go by color:
- Orange: carrots, apricots, peaches, and melons.
- Red: tomatoes, red chicory, watermelon, strawberries, and cherries.
- Green: lettuce, chicory, peppers, and celery.
Enjoy making beautiful mixed salads and fruit salads. You'll gain not only the benefits of fresh, light nutrition ideal for summer but also help prepare your skin for tanning. Plus, there's the visual pleasure and good mood that come with it! Fish and oilseeds (especially walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts) also help nourish the skin.
Hydrating Inside and Out
Properly hydrating our skin is one of the main ways to protect it from the sun and keep it beautiful and healthy. Good skin hydration limits the appearance of brown spots, irritations, loss of elasticity, and fine lines. Hydration starts from the inside, by drinking at least two liters of water a day, possibly accompanied by herbal teas and fresh fruit and vegetable juices. It continues from the outside, with daily applications of revitalizing creams. These help preserve water on the skin's surface, keeping it compact and radiant. The presence of hyaluronic acid, vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and other nutrients helps counter cell oxidation caused by the sun. They also prevent dryness and premature aging: the softer, nourished, and smoother the skin, the more even and prolonged the tan will be.
Gradual Sun Exposure
Taking the time to gradually expose yourself to the sun helps stimulate melanin production, which regulates tanning and protects the skin from ultraviolet rays. Exposing ourselves to the sun in a park or during a spring walk in nature allows us to accumulate the right amount of this pigment. Encouraging melanin production will prepare us for the intensely sunny days of summer, with a stronger and more effective natural shield.
Skin Exfoliation for Tanning Preparation
One of the simple gestures we can dedicate to our skin to prepare it for the sun is exfoliation. Gently exfoliating the skin helps regenerate it by removing dead cells. Focus on areas where the skin is rough and dry, like elbows, knees, and heels. I recommend doing a scrub in the shower twice a week, at least ten days before sun exposure. If you prefer natural products, the simplest homemade scrubs are made with ingredients like sugar, yogurt, and vegetable oil.
Exfoliating and Cleansing the Face
Don't forget the face, which is the most delicate and susceptible to sunburn. To exfoliate your face, simply combine one or two teaspoons of sugar with a tablespoon of yogurt, even plant-based. Then, deeply cleanse the skin of the face, for example, by preparing a clay mask or using products based on zeolite. This mineral, according to experts, helps protect the skin from sun damage by contributing to the elimination of pollutants that can infiltrate the skin.
Solar Dietary Supplements
Have you heard of sun capsules? These are specific dietary supplements for tanning, capable of improving the response to the sun, reducing oxidative damage, and preventing photoaging. They are designed to strengthen the skin's self-defense and support its metabolism, so it adapts to the intense radiation of the summer season. They work by stimulating the synthesis of protective pigments, such as melanin, and the formation of collagen, a protein that gives tone and strength to epidermal tissues. Sun supplements should be taken daily at least a month before regular sun exposure and during the two weeks that follow. If you have a light phototype, you don't need to go on vacation to use sun capsules. They will be useful for practicing outdoor sports in the city, for example.
Using Tan Activators
To wrap up this overview of pre-tanning steps, tan activators or accelerators are cosmetics that act like real catalysts. They nourish the skin and activate melanin so that tanning develops earlier. These products are to be used daily, in place of the usual moisturizing cream after showering.
No matter your phototype or your tanning preferences: taking care of your skin by always keeping it hydrated remains one of the essential beauty routines. By putting these tips into practice to prepare your skin for tanning, you will arrive at this summer with soft and radiant skin. And to enhance your beauty, our Sahra.Nko bandeau swimsuit will be the cherry on top!