Pale People Who Have Gotten Tan--Advice for me?

[heylance]

Hi guys, I'm definitely a pale person, I have something like type 1-2 skin, i.e. pretty fair for someone who isn't a redhead. I was just wondering if any of you who used to be pale could give me some advice.

First of all, how many sessions does it take you to go from pale to some average colour, not necessarily a DEEP tan, which is not what I'm after.

Also, what lotions do you use? Any novice lotions that don't smell much, by the way? Thanks a million!

[Sc0tt]

Hey - welcome to iamTAN . If you are a skin type 1 or 2, I would start out at 6-7 minutes in a BASE BED at your salon. Your salon should've skin typed you when you applied, just ask them what your skin type was. Go for 6 miuntes every other day for a week, then 8 minutes the next week, then 10, etc, until you get up to 20. Try a lotion such as HEMPZ, i love the smell of it and I used it in the beggining and loved it. It will probably take about a month to get a good tan. Don't rush it! Good luck!

[Tpsyduck]

Hey Heylance, Welcome to the board!
Well, Not everyone tans the same, so there's no "set time" or certain amount of visits to get a good tan, it really depends on your skin tone, and how well you tan. I'd recommend starting at about 5 mins for the first week or two at 2 visits a week, then increase your time 2-3 mins every week or two, depending on how your tanning and that you're not burning. I'd use a base lotion like Sol Plus or Bronze Plus by Fiesta Sun, or Brown Envy by Synergy. Also, always remember to moisturize! A good tan and moisturized skin go hand in hand, and don't rush to tan, take your time, you'll get there
I'm sure the others will give you more info and help, so don't worry, you'll have plenty of options Welcome to the board, Enjoy, and Happy Tanning!!

[RydeTheLTRAIN]

I was like that. I have that transparent kind of skin, so no matter how tan i get I still look sotra pale cuz you can see my veins and stuff...u know what i mean? anyway, it took a while for me to get to a "normal" skin color (thats what my friends and i called it) but then after i started to go on a regular basis i got good color. i dont really use special lotions or anything, i just keep moisturized everyday like usual.

[StarryEyes]

It's taken me a little over a month to darken a little, but I still have a ways to go. My first lotions were 2Twisted by Fiesta Sun and Dark 'n Dazed by Emerald Bay. They give good results and the smell is really great on both.

[Sc0tt]

Starry - you should post an 'after pic' of you, or a current one . I would like to see how your tan is coming along!

[StarryEyes]

I'll probably be buying a digital camera in the next month or so, so as soon as I get that I'll post a newer pic

[KonaBikeBabe]

I just moisturize with normal lotion, and I go tanning everyday, unless I burn, and then I stay out of the bed until I'm better again, and go back for my daily tanning sessions. I've gotten a really nice tan. Oh and I switch off from beds to booths, so I don't get silly tan lines.

[~Sunshine~]

Heylance,

I have very fair skin (naturally), blonde hair, blue eyes, so I never really thought I could tan. In the sun, I tend to burn fairly easily, however, in beds, I am able to get a fairly decent tan. My suggestion is to use a bed with lower UVB, so you can go in for a longer time, and not have to worry as much about burning. A lot of fair people prefer high pressure beds because they can get a decent tan in 3 or 4 visits. If you go the route of base beds (not my personal choice, though), try to give yourself two days off in between visits. Your skin needs a break to rest and regenerate, going too often will actually slow the tanning process.

As far as lotions go, I'd stay away from anything with a DHA bronzer in it. They can tend to turn pale skin an orangish colour. Hope this helps!

Sunshine

[josie3s]

Ok, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that if you are a skin type 1, you SHOULD NOT tan, period, your skin won't do it, you'll just burn. Now if you are a 2 (I'm a 2c, pretty pale) everyone here had great ideas. Start slowly, use good lotions. I like Frosted Hemp myself. Ask if you can smell it before you buy it though. I think it smells kind of minty, but I've heard others desribe it as "perfumey". Extreme by Supre is pretty good too, hardly any smell.

You can use this test to find out what skin type you are: http://www.naatso.org/frameset_survey.htm

Btw, it took me about 3-4 visits to see some color, and about a month to where I could officially be considered "tan". I do a schedule of 2 days tanning, one day off. And if you turn even a little pink, stay out of the beds til all the pink is gone.

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[ This Message was edited by: josie3s on 2003-08-14 07:48 ]

[SexyKitty]

I was pretty pale before I started tanning. Its funny cuz now the salon owners always saying how pale I was and how nice a color I have now. I started gradually in lower intensity beds and worked my way up. The people at my salon showed me the different beds how long and how often I should go in each one. If I hadnt asked I wouldnt know what bed to go in cuz they have so many. I saw this one girl who was very pale and she wanted to go in a high intensity and the owner told her to start off in the lower beds or else she would burn. I went 5-8 times I think in the lower intensity beds and moved up to another type of bed and did that for a few sessions and then I went up to high pressure beds. Now I go once or twice a week in high pressure for 12 mins. I have never got burnt so I guess I did the right thing.
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*Sexy Kitty*[ This Message was edited by: Sexy Kitty on 2003-08-14 11:51 ]

[LucaBella]

Hey, I have always been super white, I used to like it but no longer do. My skin is very fine (irish-scottish) so I didn't know if I would ever tan. I started out with a bronzer lotion, and after a few weeks, (3 times a week) I saw some color, so that was exciting, lol. Once the bronzer ran out, I bought Arctic Fever by CalTan, I love it, it got me really dark, and has a tingle but didn't really bother me. Make sure yuo moisurize lots!

[BrownJen]

My roommate is Irish and has blonde hair and green eyes and very fair skin and she has been tanning for months and can't really get any color. You have to see before and after pics of her to notice any color. She also uses lotion to tan with. So depending on your skin type you may be able to build some color over time and others really can't. I would start off at the minimum time and gradually build up your time, but don't let yourself burn. I use emerald bay's dark n dazed and austrailan gold's dark tanning accelerator to build a base tan. I like them both, but I think AG gives me more color.

[BrownJen]

Quote:
On 2003-08-14 07:42, josie3s wrote:
Ok, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that if you are a skin type 1, you SHOULD NOT tan, period, your skin won't do it, you'll just burn. Now if you are a 2 (I'm a 2c, pretty pale) everyone here had great ideas. Start slowly, use good lotions. I like Frosted Hemp myself. Ask if you can smell it before you buy it though. I think it smells kind of minty, but I've heard others desribe it as "perfumey". Extreme by Supre is pretty good too, hardly any smell.

You can use this test to find out what skin type you are: http://www.naatso.org/frameset_survey.htm

Btw, it took me about 3-4 visits to see some color, and about a month to where I could officially be considered "tan". I do a schedule of 2 days tanning, one day off. And if you turn even a little pink, stay out of the beds til all the pink is gone.

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[ This Message was edited by: josie3s on 2003-08-14 07:48 ]

Yea, I love Frosted Hemp also. It smells minty to me too!!

[camarolynn73]

I was very fair skinned. i'm 32 and this is the first year I have ever had a tan. I went 4-5 times a week for 7 minutes and worked my way up to 20. It took a month to see any color and another month to get a base tan. i noticed if my lotion on about 2 hours before tanning and a little more on right before getting in the bed I tanned better. Use a basic browning lotion: no tingle, no bronzer for at least a month, so you tell if your it's your skin tanning and not just the bronzer. It maybe very slow building your tan but if you don't burn and stick with it, It will happen...GOOD LUCK!

[inactive_offense]

Wow, everybody else summed it up here. I really can't add any more suggestions.

[Rosalee]

Quote:
On 2003-08-13 23:39, RydeTheLTRAIN wrote:
I was like that. I have that transparent kind of skin, so no matter how tan i get I still look sotra pale cuz you can see my veins and stuff...u know what i mean? anyway, it took a while for me to get to a "normal" skin color (thats what my friends and i called it) but then after i started to go on a regular basis i got good color. i dont really use special lotions or anything, i just keep moisturized everyday like usual.


My skin is the same "transparent kind of skin". I started about 4 months ago and have pretty good color now. I started with a base bed for about 5 minutes. The salon I went to at first recommended using CalTan's X Power. I used that for the first few weeks and got nice color, then started using rum on the rocks and loved it. It did take a while to see decent color at first (about a month or so of going every other day), but worth it IMO. I'm up to 15 minutes each time in the upgrade bed and I can notice a difference with almost every visit now. I usually alternate between rum on the rocks and fiji blend electra.

[crystalp]

i was really pale before i started tanning (you should really see my tantoo). but my salon didn't skin type me or anything, so i just started going. after four sessions i noticed some definite color changes. just be careful not to tan for too long, cuz you could burn like i did.

[kgushanas]

Ok I'm not normally pale skinned. But I can add that I love Frosted Hemp by SB, it's kind of a unisex scent, which would be good because you are male.

[lilumpkin]

i DONT RECOMIND TANNING .. i have some friends that tried and got nothing. and still got the UV. so why dont you just pick up some good fake tanner.. (i used to do some fake tanning) get a tanning mit from sallys. (its AWSOME.. only like $3) and i used skin labs brand (search engin) or try neutrogena med. w/ the bronzer so you can see if your steaky.. and DONT FORGET TO EXFOLIATE> alot of people like spray booths..too.

[wannatan]

I used to be pale as a ghost, I started out 4 minutes 3 times a week (which was every other day plus 2 consecutive days rest), and then the second week I did 4-6minutes, then the following week I did 6-8 minutes.... 8-10....10-12minutes... and then final week was 12 minutes.

I didn't notice much for several weeks, but over time I noticed colour developing.
I got a good brand step 1 lotion too for tanning and I also moisturised my skin everyday you can get an after tan extending moisturising lotion or a normal moisturising lotion is fine, although be careful of any ingredients that might inhibit tanning.

I'd also exfoliate once a week to keep you skin base in tip-top shape.

You should build a good base colour by this time, even if it is not that dark. After you have this, you can start working on a deeper tan. Good luck

:: [X] ::

[tiger tan]

I like Frosted Hemp to build a base.

[TantalizingInIL]

This is my first post, but I've been reading the boards for a few weeks now. (btw - thanks to everyone for all of the great advice / recommendations!). Since I'm also a guy, like the original poster, the following may be helpful...

I had type 2 skin, by what I read. Maybe a 2b. Strawberry blond / green eyes, and freckles on shoulders / arms from childhood exposures. Skin you could readily see my blue veins through. Blood banks loved me.

At the one salon that I started with, I had to fill out a questionnaire that asked pretty much the same questions as the one that's on this site. So I guess I was 'typed'...LOL

Anyway, my first session was 3min (!) in a Solaris Speed 42. Because they weren't going to have a base bed available for a few minutes. I then went to the 'base' beds on the next 4-6 visits, starting at 8min and working up from there. By the 5th-6th time, I was up to about the full 20min. I remember thinking the first time... "****, that time went by fast!" - but they did the right thing by not letting me burn - or even really get too red, from what I remember. I did move too fast after that first session, though...more on this later.

And then the shop closed for two weeks due to a dispute with the village. So I had to find a new salon - I dinna wanna lose what I had attained (I'd been pale all my adult life). At the new place, I started in a stand-up (not a major brand from what I could tell) for 8min, then moved to 10 for the second session. Then, I thought I'd handle a level 2 standup (not knowing that there was probably *more* UVB in that one - a few sessions there, and I was pretty much red all the time for a couple of weeks. Again, too much, too fast. By this time, I had changed lotions (from AG Iced Creme to AG Hot!), and was starting to see some initial results.

Back to the first place, and now, I could start going in the Solaris, once I knew to ask for a bed with high UVA / low UVB (I had found this board and the info on the difference between the two). 11min to start. Then up to 15 (max for this bed). And it was great! A little redness, but the next morning...noticable color change, and no redness (which for us palefaces, stands out even more).

But the big difference came when I started going more often than every other day. I tried once a day for about 4 days...and finally got a noticably dark tan. The new shop also got a Sundazzler...the first time I tried it, I pulled color for two days after using the thing. Outstanding machine.

So now, I have a beautiful, even tan (except for my shoulders...LOL). I can wear shorts in public and not be self-conscious...woohoo! But there were some lessons learned...

First...wear eye protection. Always. Closing your eyelids is NOT sufficient, and after awhile, you stand to lose night vision, color vision, and depth perception. A $5 pair of goggles is cheap insurance against this.

a. Start slow...and STAY slow, increasing gradually. While I didn't burn bad enough to ever peel, there were some close calls. If you can get a 30 day unlimited package, go for it - it'll be the cheapest way for you to build that base (and you won't feel 'cheated' by using a session for a small amount of time).

b. The lotions that are out there now are your best friends. Science has come a long way in the way of accelerators. And most of them moisturize as well (more on this below). Bronzers are great - for a day or two - but for me, it was disheartening to say the least, seeing my tan wash away after a couple of days...and being back to 'square 1'. So I ditched the Iced Creme for straight accelerators, no tingle (you can try a tingle after you get your base tan in a few weeks. Better yet, wait until you've stopped seeing color increases for a few days before you try a tingle. And NEVER put a tingle on your face / neck - unless you want to chance a permanently red face (rosacea). Again, it was great to read the advice here from everyone!

c. You will want to also invest in an after tanning moisturizing lotion. Hempz is probably the best one I've found - you can feel it hours later. The second best is Cetaphil (which I now use daily, and leave the Hempz for right after tanning). Apply right after your shower, and leave your skin slightly damp when you put it on - the excess water will help draw the lotion into your skin. Twice a day, minimum, every day. Tanning dries your skin - the more moisturized it is, the better your skin will accept the rays. The Cetaphil has the advantage of being odorless - which for a guy, may be important (I picked up two 20oz bottles at Costco the other day for about $13). If you shave (besides your face), Aveeno makes a shave minimizing lotion that does work, as long as you use it daily, and especially after shaving. Try not to shave the first day after tanning.

d. Stay OUT of the sun after you've tanned. Remember that if you continually use a bed that has little UVB, you will NOT build protection for outdoors, and you'll need to use some sunscreen until you get some UVB exposure. After that base tan has arrived, you can try and lay out for awhile. However - outdoor tanning is highly variable with regard to how much UV you're getting. While you're 'paying' for salon tanning during summertime (many people can't see the logic), you're getting *controlled* exposure. That's what you're paying the $ for, and your skin will look better as time goes by (think 'years' later).

e. Beds with high UVA / low UVB will leave you looking less red for less time. That's because the 'B' rays are the 'burning' ones, and the 'A' rays are the 'browning' ones. You'll still be red after getting out of the bed - but it'll dissipate after 30min to 6hrs. It's really nice to wake up and notice the color change overnight - with no residual redness.

f. If your face always gets red after you tan, and remains red, consider using a sunscreen. Something with SPF 4 will block a good portion - but if you want 'no' rays to penetrate during a session, SPF 15 is called for. There are also lip balms that help prevent burning (also SPF 15).

g. Whatever lotion you use, make sure it does not contain mineral oil or petrolatum. Why ? Because those ingredients can damage the acrylics in the beds. If you buy a good salon lotion, you'll be fine. But if you're using something from the grocery store, check that ingredient list. Hempz & Cetaphil don't have mineral oil or petrolatum, btw.

h. Get a good moisturizing body wash. Bar soap will dry out your skin. Also...once a week, exfoliate, to remove the topmost dead layer of skin. You don't need a fancy loofah; a regular washcloth will do the job. When you exfoliate, it's recommended that you wash 'toward the heart'...but I'm not sure how effective that is, to be honest.

i. You may notice that parts of you tan more readily than others - my torso got dark way quicker than my legs did. If I recall, that's because of the relative lack of fat on your shins, etc, while your torso contains more (depending on your weight). If you notice that your sides are really light, you can either (carefully!) turn on your side in the bed - use about 1/3 of the total time for your sides, and split that between both sides (ie; turn on the other side after half of that time is up). Why ? Because the lamps are closer on the bottom of the bed - you don't want to over-expose one side, and under-expose the other.
If you don't want to turn in the bed, your other option is a stand-up. Since this will likely be an 'upgrade' (ie; more $), you can reserve this for about every 3rd - 4th session. Don't leave your arms up for the entire time - or you may burn your underarms / sides (remember, they've been getting less 'sun' in the beds!)

After you have a base started, you can bring your legs closer to the top canopy of the bed (imagine leg lifts). This will boost the exposure to them - and you can consider it exercise as well. Count in 30 sec increments, alternating legs - or, if you're in good shape, lift both lower legs at once - ab crunches! LOL
Be careful about laying face down in the bed to try and even color out. You'll get red faster, and it's really uncomfortable for more than about 3-4 min.

j. Move around in the bed a little bit, to expose areas that might not be getting much exposure. Especially if you're wanting an 'all over' tan. Is your face / neck getting a little redder than the rest of you ? Use a bed with face tanners if possible (those have purple bulbs, compared to the regular 'white' lamps). You can also scoot up in the bed a little bit, to put your shoulders under the face tanners, and keep your face / neck out of 'harms way'...LOL

k. Reaching a plateau ? Try a sample pack of another lotion. Maybe consider a tingle. The lotion ratings on this site can really give you some good advice / opinions. WHat may work for one person may not work so well for another, though, so you'll have to experiment a bit.

I don't have any pics on this site (but I should probably post some...the only problem is, I don't have any good 'before' pics). But trust me...I have the darkest tan I've every had in my life. Now if it only didn't start fading in about 4 days w/ no tanning...LOL But the benefits are worth it. It's SUCH a nice healthy look, and believe me, people do notice. I'm at the point where I'm thinking that I'd like to keep this look year-round (I live in northern IL, so it would be obvious that I'm doing the 'fake bake' in January...LOL)

Anyway, that's enough for now. But I figure...if I can get tan...anyone who's not a type '1' can, too! So there's hope! Good luck, and enjoy the results!

[ladynike]

Hi all, I wanted to know the answer to this query and your tips and suggestions are really helpful! One thing though, can make-up block out a tan? Because one time I was on holiday in Turkey and I had a spot on my chin so I put some concealer on it, and my face tanned and left a blank patch where the concealer had been...should you just not wear make-up whilst tanning? Thanks

[JamieinTN]

If makeup has an SPF then it certainly can. A common one used in foundations and concealers is Titanium Dioxide :)

[LedZeppelin9]

Wow, this thread really shows how much more educated the members of IamTan have become over the years!