You might have heard that I recently moved to Spain from Dublin where I have lived 14 years. Well it is summer here in this part of the world where sun and heat management is a hugely important task.

How do you achieve a natural and beautiful tan without burning your skin ? As a qualified cosmetic scientist I will share my knowledge on skincare but also my experience as a native of Malaga on the sunny Costa del sol, where I grew up with all year round sun and a beach lifestyle. These seven fantastic tips will help you to manage the heat and care for your skin in the best possible way while enjoying the sun and looking fabulous.

These are seven  steps to follow in this order:

FIRST – Preparation for life in the sun

A few weeks before start taking the supplement Zeaxanthin which works from the inside out. Zeaxanthin is a type of carotenoid which is a powerful antioxidant that allows your skin to tan but it wont get burnt, and most importantly your cells will be protected from free radicals. Sometimes it is sold together with lutein another powerful antioxidant to support eye health and prevent macular degeneration and other serious eye conditions. This is a great way of  killing two birds with one stone ! I start taking zeaxanthin few weeks before going out in the sun and it makes a huge difference. You can buy both supplements online or in any local health store. 

Zeaxanthin is also available as a raw material to include it in your skincare formulations. It has a very strong yellow  colour and you only need tiny percentage to add to your creams or serums. It is an oil soluble material hence  you can add to anhydrous and emulsions. Learn more wonderful recipes and methods on how to make amazing luxurious oil based products with my 21 natural formulas eBook. If you don’t know where to buy the ingredients in your country to make skincare products please ask me in the comment box at the end of the post and will give you all the details you need.

SECOND – Exfoliation

Get your skin ready by exfoliating and removing the dead cells, I propose some body scrubs for summer  recipes for you to make with ingredients from your own kitchen. Apply the scrub of your choice once a week before your shower. Easy peasy! Don’t forget your feet especially the heels

THIRD – Moisturise 

Keep your skin moisturised at all times. The ideal way is to apply a nice body milk/lotion with quick absorption or a beautiful light body oil after your morning shower. Body rich butter in the evening before going to bed. Don’t forget your feet and especially the heels. A product that contains shea butter is always a good start.

FOURTH- Sun Care Brands

Lots for my students and followers always ask me what sun care brands I recommend . Just to clarify I am not affiliated to any of them , I only talk about my own experience as I am quite fussy when it comes to sun creams . My 5 best natural sunscreen products recommendations 

However there are a number of new brands available with good healthy ingredients which try to beat the controversy surrounding the toxicity usually found in the ingredients list of most sun creams. Whichever brand you choose always opt for SPF 50 , it sounds high and you might be scared that you won’t get tan, but you will. Important to use one formula for face and another one for body. When you apply a skincare product that is not formulated for the skin on the face , it will feel greasy and potentially will cause breakouts or blocking the pores. 

Avoid the strong sun hours between 12 noon and 16hrs. If you do need to be outside in the sun be sure you wear a hat and stay hydrated at all times. I always carry a bottle of water that I constantly refill, not matter if the water gets warm I still drink it.

FIFTH 

After being in the sun, have a shower and apply a nice organic certified aloe vera gel as your best after sun product. 

SIXTH

To keep your tan lasting longer have a bath in black tea or coffee regularly. It will tint your skin naturally without the use of fake tan. 

SEVENTH

Despite the popularity do not use coconut oil on your face. 

Let me know in the comments below if you like this post and if you would like me to write about sun preparation and protection of the hair during the summer season. 

Last but not least eat plenty of  healthy food rich in zeaxanthin 

What are your tips  for  a nice healthy tan ?

let me know in the comments below

Happy summer!

La Mayca x