Cheap Tanning Products
From LoveToKnow Save
For a sun-kissed glow, try some of the cheap tanning products on the market.
Sunless Cheap Tanning Products
To protect your skin and save time, consider using sunless tanning products.
Sunless tanning creams and lotions had a bad rap for numerous years because more people turned orange, rather than bronzed. However, many improvements have modified performance. The best contain a common ingredient, DHA, or Dihydroxyacetone. A chemical offshoot of glycerin, DHA reacts with your skin’s external layer to produce color. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration for more than 30 years, the chemical gradually darkens the appearance of your skin with each application.
If you turn orange using a product with DHA, it’s possible you’ve selected a cream too dark for your natural skin tone.
Sunless Tan Products
There are many department store and high-end tanners available, but they aren’t always the right choice for the frugal-minded. The following are some equally reliable brands that are much less expensive:
- Bain de Soleil Mega Tan – Falls in the $7-$9 range.
- Coppertone Oil Free Effortless Color Sunless Tanning Lotion – Usually available for under $9.
- L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Towelettes – Averages $10-$12.
- Savage Bronze – Retails for $8-$12.
Some of these brands may not be available in your area, but you can easily find them online through retailers like Drugstore.com or at Sally Beauty Supply, both in store locations and online.
Lotions+Self-Tanners
Many cosmetic manufacturers also make daily lotions and moisturizers with self-tanners mixed into the formula, making these some of the best cheap tanning products. While you won’t get a straight-from-the-tropics tan, you’ll have a nice glow and save money simply by purchasing one dual-purpose lotion. Popular brands include:
- Dove Energy Glow Moisturizer with Subtle Self-Tanners – Averages $7-$9.
- Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer – As low as $6 a bottle.
- Olay Complete Touch of Sun Daily UV Facial Moisturizer – Retails for about $12.
Learn the best fake tan application methods here.
Inexpensive Tanning Products
Outdoor Tanning
If you spend a lot of time in the sun for work or play, or you just like to kick back by the pool in your favorite best swimsuit and soak up some rays, cheap tanning products shouldn’t take a chunk out of your budget. However, it’s important to remember that no matter what suntan product you choose, it should contain at least 15 SPF so that you’ll build a tan gradually and avoid sunburn.
- Australia Gold Outdoor Tanning SPF 15 – Retails between $10-15.
- Glimara Joli – Averages $25.
- Tancity Natural Tanning Product – Also around $25.
- Tropical Seas Reef Safe Tanning Oil Blend – Usually sells for $10.
Indoor Tanning
Lotions, oils, and creams used in tanning beds are always more expensive than outdoor tanning products. Many contain increased amounts of tyrosine, which speeds up the production of melanin in the body. Unless specifically designated for use in both indoor and out, do not use outdoor tanning lotions in salons.
You’ll pay more per ounce for indoor tanning products, but you also use less, since the UV concentration of tanning beds requires you to reduce your exposure time. Buying your products online will save you the typical tanning salon markup, too. Some popular choices include:
- Australia Gold Velocity – Plan to spend $16-$25 for 8.5 oz.
- Designer Skin Goddess – 13.5 oz. retails $28-$50.
- Fiji Blend Naked Truth – 10 oz. averages $28-$35.
Planet Skin Care has a wide selection of cheap tanning products for use in all types of tanning beds. Many contain additional bronzers and self-tanners, too.
A Word About Safe Tanning
A tan adds a special touch to anyone’s features, but impatience and poor product choices can cause incredible skin damage and even cancer.
If you insist on tanning on a regular basis, remember these tips:
- Don’t exceed tanning bed time or frequency. Although 10 minutes may not seem like a lot in the sunshine, in a tanning bed it's 10 times the normal amount of UV exposure. Most tanning salons have regulations that prohibit over-tanning. These rules are designed to keep you looking fabulous for many years to come.
- Avoid sunbathing from 10 a.m-2 p.m. These are the most intense hours to be in the sun.
- Don’t use baby oil, mineral oil, shortening, or other household products as tan accelerators. These products clog your skin and are the fastest way to a painful and possibly damaging sunburn.
- Wear eye protection, indoors and out. Make sure to use the proper eyewear in a tanning bed and sunglasses with UV-protection lenses.
- Forget how you “used” to tan. Medication, fluctuating hormones, and other factors contribute to skin sensitivity. Just because you used to lie out all day without a problem doesn’t mean you’ll be able to now. There’s more to health than tanned skin.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 700 times. This page was last modified 13:04, 23 July 2007.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.
