With over 350 self tanners out there…How many
have you tried?
Don’t buy another self
tanner unless you know
these 5 things:
Does the self tanner smell?
Many self tanners smell awful. Make sure yours does not and that the self
tanning company backs it up with testimonials.
How long does the self tanner
take to dry?
Some brands dry right away and others can take an hour or longer! Many even
come off on your sheets and clothes.
Do the self tanner results
look natural or orange?
What do magazines, bloggers, and most importantly other customers say about
the self tanner? Don’t just believe the companies claims, make sure
customers have backed them up.
How long have they been in
business?
Make sure they have been selling for many years and fully understand self
tanners. Many companies jump on the bandwagon and claim unproven results.
Just because they sell cosmetics, does not mean they understand self
tanning.
Do they have ingredients that
are PH balanced? (MOST IMPORTANT)
Formulation and pH levels are extremely important here. The company that you
buy from should understand this and use it in the development of their
products.
At Last - The Truth About
Self Tanners
How do
sunless tanning
lotions actually work? Are
these things dyes that will
eventually harm my skin?
Are these products approved
by the FDA? How long should
I expect my tan to last?
And most of all; How do I
apply them, and look normal?
First you have to know
where the whole idea of self
tanning came from. It came
from the meat packing
industry!
Let me explain. All
self tanning lotions (STL)
contain an ingredient called
DHA, that’s short for
Dihydroxyacetone. DHA was a
discovery made in the meat
packing industry in the late
sixties.
Mainly used for
pre-packaged meats, DHA
works simply by reacting
with protein in the meat to
enhance the color. Giving
it a more desirable image on
supermarket shelves.
These clever marketers
found out by trial and error
that there was one key
factor in getting DHA to
produce a natural look.
Why most
Self Tanners
Don’t Work...
DHA is a pH sensitive
ingredient. The pH scale
runs from 1-14, and in order
for DHA to produce an edible
color in meat, the pH must
fall no lower than 3 and no
higher than 6.
A pH over 6, resulted in
meat that developed a high
orange color. Under 3, and
DHA wouldn’t even work.
Meat treated with DHA,
at a pH level of 5 to 5.5,
experienced record sales!
The perfect color for a
piece of premium priced
meat!
But this meat couldn’t
have been the orange color I
had turned, or no one would
have wanted to eat it.
There had to be more!
As it turned out, there
wasn’t. The pH level is
the single factor that
determines how brown or
orange you will be, from the
STL you use. It’s that
simple!
But how could I tell
what the pH was, just by
looking at the package?
Easy. There are three
ingredients that should
never be present in any STL.
They are NOT compatible
with DHA. Yet almost
every self tanner on the
market has one of these
three ingredients in them.
They are Stearic Acid,
Triethanolamine, and Mineral
Oil. All of these
ingredients have a naturally
high pH. Over 6. And
remember, a pH over 6 =
orange!
So check that label!
If you see one of these
ingredients, don’t spend
your money! It’s a waste!
With that settled, I
had a few more concerns.
Was DHA approved by the
FDA? DHA is classified as a
sugar, which are totally
edible. So yes, it is
approved.
What you may not know is
that any non-drug product
doesn’t require FDA
approval! Despite what huge
cosmetic companies lead you
to believe. Only over the
counter medications and
prescription drugs require
approval!
OK. But now I wanted
to know if DHA was a dye?
No, it’s technically a
sugar. Dyes are permanent.
DHA is temporary, and
gradually fades away just
like a real tan. Never
causing a threat to your
health.
Now that you know what
makes an excellent self
tanning lotion, and how to
spot one, let me tell you
how to get your hands on one
that may work for you!
Not quite the sun in a
bottle,
but clearly a better
alternative...
This product uses the
pH technology I just told
you about to give you a
believable tan.
I’m not advocating that
this is the end-all, do-all
product, because there’s no
such thing. A huge mistake
is to believe that any self
tanner is the sun in a
bottle. Nor will I trick you
into believing this product
was developed to replace
suntanning.
It was
developed to enhance an existing tan or give people who
can’t or don’t tan a more youthful color.
It’s not
meant to be caked on either. This defeats the purpose. You
want to look like you have a natural, beautiful tan. More
is NOT better when it comes to sunless tanning lotions!
But how do
you achieve a realistic, natural look?
Simple!
Apply Famous Dave's Self Tanner twice the first day. It
doesn’t matter when. This should be just the right amount
for you to see how much darker you want to be. To
maintain this color, wait one day, then use it again. To be
lighter, use it every two days. It doesn’t get easier than
that!
Famous
Dave's Self Tanner is also fragrance free. Added fragrance
amplifies the developing odor of DHA. Being fragrance free
virtually eliminates the smell of DHA on your skin, clothes,
and in your bed!! And because Famous Dave's Self
Tanner is loaded with natural lubricants and moisturizers,
you will experience smooth, even rub in. Especially right
after a shower.
Characteristic of self
tanning, avoid applying
directly to your knees,
elbows, wrist and ankles.
Your skin is heavily
textured in these areas and
can trap Famous Dave's Self
Tanner. This causes an
uneven tan. Don’t gob it
on. Instead, apply
lightly to your body, and
use the excess on your hands
to lightly wipe over these
areas for an even tan.
Also, use the excess on
your hands and apply to your
face. You’ll want a well
tanned face to match your
body!
One last tip: The
bottle also tells you how to
use it, but wash your hands
thoroughly after each use
with soap. Lathering for no
less than 30 seconds before
rinsing. This will break
the bond fresh DHA forms
with the protein in your
skin. If you’ve ever seen or
had tanned palms from a
self-tanner, you know what I
mean!
Self-tanners DO NOT
have brains— they will tan
you wherever you put them.
If your application is
haphazard and uneven, your
tan will be too.
And remember, even if
you don’t use
Famous Dave's
Self Tanner, the pH
measurement is the single
factor that determines
whether you turn orange or
brown. So check those label
for the three ingredients I
told you about earlier, so
your not wasting you money.
