Can I Use Tan With Dry Skin?

If you have ever attempted to use foundation with very dry, flaky skin, you’ve seen how it turns out– the colour collects around and under flakes, giving you blotchy, uneven coverage and making skin appear dirty. With most self-tanning products, the results are similar. Very dry skin can affect how skin pick up the self-tanner’s colour, and cause an uneven tan. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case. No matter how dry your skin is, you can still fake your way to a flawless tan while avoiding sun damage.

First, have an accurate idea of your skin’s condition. Is it really dry, or is it cracked or chapped in places? Dry skin can be overcome, but chapped, cracked, broken, or otherwise damaged skin needs to heal before tanning. If your skin is simply dry or flaky, then you can proceed.

Next, exfoliate your skin well. This will help remove the top layer of dull, dry, dead, flaking skin, exposing a fresh, moist, healthy layer of skin underneath. There are several products out there that can help you exfoliate, ranging from scrubs, to peels, to moisturisers that increase the rate of cell turnover. If you’re trying a fake tan for sensitive skin, you may want to avoid peels or look for those specifically formulated for sensitive skin. A simple sugar scrub might be the easiest, least irritating exfoliator for you. After that, moisturise well.

At this point, a tanning product can be used. When it comes to tanning skin that is typically very dry, the best course of action is usually to pick a product that is a combination of moisturiser and tanning product in one. This will help eliminate dry, flaking skin while providing a gradual, buildable, natural-looking tan. Mine Tan 3 in 1 Gradual Tan, for example, can create a natural looking tan on untanned skin, or help extend the life of a natural tan.

When it comes to figuring out how to get the perfect fake tan, there are a few cardinal rules. Start with smooth skin, and more isn’t always better. Smooth skin provides the best canvas for tanning products to work on, and a light, buildable tan creates a more natural finish. By exfoliating and using a natural, daily moisturising tanning product like Mine Tan 3 in 1 Gradual Tan, you’ll have a flawless fake tan in no time.