Glow On: Our Top Tan Maintenance Tips

Us gals all love a good tan, but when it starts to fade, it’s pretty disappointing! Luckily, no matter whether it’s a fake tan or real tan, there are plenty of ways you can prolong it for a few extra days or weeks of a golden glow. Here at HQhair, we’ve tried all the tricks in the book and debunked the myths to gather the best tan maintenance tips. This way, you can show off your bikini bod or fave summer dress in style!

Our Top Tan Maintenance Tips

Hydration is Key

When your skin is dry, the top layer of cells begins to die more quickly and they flake off. As your tan is visible from these top layers, it’s important to keep them hydrated all the time! Applying a generous amount of moisturiser after showering and before bed will help keep your skin healthy for longer. In turn, your tan should stick around to experience a few more parties!

Stick to Shade

Even though it can be tempting to bake yourself all day long on the beach, the midday sun can do more harm than good. Taking regular breaks from sun exposure will help to stop your skin from drying out, resulting in a healthier, longer-lasting tan. Plus, you’ll also reduce your chances of sun burn which of course, nobody wants!

It’s Okay to Exfoliate!

It may seem counter-intuitive to ‘scrub away the tan’, but light exfoliation can be detrimental to maintaining a quality tan. By removing the skin cells which have become dry and flaky, you’ll reveal the fresh cells which can develop a natural tan more quickly from the sun. An exfoliator will also stop your tan from becoming patchy whilst fading so you can enjoy an even tan right down to the last day.

Top Up from Within

A healthy tan starts from within. As the colour on your skin is an indication of your melanin levels, boosting them will improve your tan. Taking tan optimiser supplements will increase your skin’s ability to create melanin, helping you to tan more quickly. Just remember to use SPF once using them as you’ll be surprised at how fast you’ll tan!

Fake It

Once you’ve tried all of these top tan maintenance tips and it’s still fading, there’s one more glimmer of hope! You can get a gradual tinted tan lotion to keep it topped up for that final stretch. Opt for a high quality tan lotion with no giveaway tan smell to avoid unnatural streaking, orange tones or clothes transfer.