Tanning bed question

[SteelWeaver]

I've never used a tanning bed. I have a few basic questions about them:

Should one use sun-tanning lotion when using a tanning bed, or does that defeat the whole purpose?

Do you lie on the bed completely naked?

Do you ever lie on your side for an even tan?

What about face?

How far out from a comp. should one start tanning, and how often? My comp. is the end of May, and apparently contestants are forbidden to use Pro-tan or posing oil, or anything, which puts me at rather a distinct disadvantage against the Japanese contestants (everyone else). I'm Caucasian, tan to a nice golden colour, but hard to get really dark. I know, the rules are pretty silly, but it's a rented venue, and apparently contestants made a mess of the rooms backstage in the past ...

I have a really stupid cycling shorts tan. It's faded a bit, but what can I do about this?

What other types of tanning products can I use to get as dark as I'll need to, (is there a good brand of fake tan, and how many times do you have to apply it?) and what can be substituted for posing oil that won't strike the posing oil police as "messy"?

Please help - as you can see, this is something I've never explored.

 

[tripleV]

ok ill take a crack at some of these

You dont use sunscreen, you should use a tanning accelerator and maximizer, step 1 and step 2 respectively. Use the step 1 lotion to build up a base tan, then the step 2 to break through and get a deeper and darker tan. I prefer lotions with tingle factor in them, they make you a bit red when you get out, but they really work, I am very very fair skinned and need these lotions to keep a good tan. Also, dont skimp, they are expensive but worth it. Check out this site: http://www.abettertan.com/main.htm

Naked? yes but only if you want to and begin naked. Alot of people cover certain places then they want to tan naked and dont realise those places are sensitive. In my opinion, go naked, so no lines, but its your choice.

Face, no different for me, but my face tends to get red, so sometiems i cover it up with the towel for some of the time.

Lying on your side, ya you gotta move around sometimes to get the full tan, or you may want to try a stand up machine. Lie on your sides, stomach too, arms up and down, you'll figure it out.

As for products, i really like John Abate, Mataharji (sp?), and some california tan hot products....

 

[GymBunny]

Ban De Soliel makes a good fake tan product that does not streak, but I wouldn't really call it competition tan

As for the tanning beds - Have you heard of a bed called the Sunsport - KICKS ASS! Deep dark long-lasting tan - you will NOT burn.

Sunscreen - NO... tan accelerator with tingle - YES.

And YES - tan NEKED - otherwise silly tan lines... sorta defeats the purpose of being in your own personal "sun-like" environement.

No, don't lay on my side and I NEVER tan my face... use makeup, your skin will thank you.

Give yourself at least a month of tanning - build slowly.

As for posing oil, I've never used it myself. PAM - if you use the butterflavor yes, you will smell a bit funny, but what is left is EXCELLENT for cooking those chocolate chip pancakes the morning after the competition!

 

[new@gettinbig]

First of all if you are competing that have to allow you wear a type of tanning lotion..pro tan, jan tana whatever..you may not be allowed to apply it at ths show..a lot of the times they have restricted areas that allow you to apply the lotion..it is very very messy and usually they dont want it all over the building where you are competing at. I do all mine the day before the show and then a few times before i leave to go..i bring some along in case i need to reapply...but I have never seen a bb show where there was no one w/ their tanning stuff on..you get drowned out by the lights...will not be able to see definition and it will look like crap..even if you get fairly dark by tanning in a bed..is this a bb show?

 

[AziaReign]

Should one use sun-tanning lotion when using a tanning bed, or does that defeat the whole purpose?

Do you lie on the bed completely naked?

Do you ever lie on your side for an even tan?

What about face?

I work at a spa, so here's what I know........
#1) YES! You ALWAYS should wear some type of (tanning) lotion. Tanning makes your skin dry out (thats why most people with acne tan), you may want to start out with Step 1 lotions.....then once you ahve your base color, move onto Step 2.

#2) YES! You can lie on the bed completely nekkid if you wish, unless you do want the tan lines. Now I don't know about some places on their cleanliness, but I spray and wipe down the beds 3 times before I put a new towel, glasses and the "This Bed Has Been Sanitized" sign down.

#3) NOT SURE. I have never heard of anyone lying on their side. I don't think its quite possible actually because you have to pull the top down, and its pretty snug in there for you to be laying on your back. If you're worried about an even tan, then I suggest switching between the bed and the stand up booth. Why? Because when you lay in the bed, you will have the whitness in your armpits, and also there are 2 spots on your back that will not tan in the bed. Those would be pressure points, also known as the tips of your shoulder blades. To get rid of the spots that didn't get color, go in the stand up. I would hate for you to be uncomfortable in the bed by moving your butt cheeks, or rotating your arms, etc.....when I go in the bed, I go for 20min, and always fall asleep. Whatever spots missed, I go in the booth!

#4) The face. In the beds that we have, we have a switch that you can turn off if you do not want your face tanned. There are different bulbs in the beds for this purpose, the upper body and legs need more attention than anything because they don't tan as well as, let's say, your stomach.

There are many a lotions that will get you the color you are going for. Like I said, there are Step 1's that give you your base color for people that don't usually tan. Once you have obtained some color, you can move onto a Step 2 which gives youa deeper color. Some of the Step 2's have reddening and tingling ingredients in them which makes you tingle and feel like your itchy. My favorite to use is called Ferocious, it tingles, but it doesn't bother me. A good Step 2 for some dark color w/out the tingling would be Cappuccino. Most of these in the regular size bottles come expensive. Always remember even when you're not tanning to keep your skin moisturized. There are lotions out there also purposely to help keep the tan sealed in, but if you ask me, its a waste of money, just always have your sking moisturized!

If your skin is capable of tanning well, if you go in the bed, start off between 10-15 min. As you start to get color, you can then stay in for a full 20. The booths are only 10 mintues. If I were you, I'd try twice a week, POSSIBLY 3 times depending on how long you have before your competition. Remember to switch between the bed and the booth so you have no white spots visible (I know the outfits you ladies have to wear, and I think it would be embarrassing to have any white spots whatsoever!). I have a little problem with having these little marks in the pubic area in the fron between my legs that doens't tan well. I mean, they are little lines from where the rays didn't hit because its a crease, so in order to get rid of this, I would probably get a self-tanner. Self tanners aren't really that bad, but if you want a good color, you might want to spend a little more $$$. They really didn't do much for me, I'd rather tan. Make sure you always wash your hands though!!!

I hope this has helped you somewhat. If you have any further questions, feel free to PM me. I'm reading through the tanning institution book right now to get certified via online.

 

[AziaReign]

Oooo, also.........make sure you wear a sunscreen chapstick!!! My lips tend to get burnt a little, more along the lines of chapped sometimes when I tan!!

 

[Raina]

I agree with everyone else but wanted to add a couple of things. Most tanning salons frown upon rolling around in the beds. Most of them aren't designed for someone to lay on their side-- it changes weight distribution and a girl at the salon I go to actually broke through the acryllic. Now they have big signs up requesting that people just lay on their backs. If you don't feel that you're getting adequate tanning coverage, most places have stand up beds so you can tan the underside of your arms easier.

I personally don't accelerate my face and I often cover it with a towel or shut off the face lights. My face tends to be more light sensitive and I prefer to darken it with either a facial self tanner or makeup.

I've had good experiences with self tanners. Just make sure the coverage is even and that you wash your hands well after applying the lotion-- having "tan" palms looks pretty weird.

Kate

 

[Sassy69]

I"ve not heard of competitions where you can't use a tanning product like protan - possibly they just don't allow it at the show itself because it is a mess. PAM is definitely the "oil" of choice - that is what the behind-the-stage prep people splattered me with pre-show. They spray u down and then wipe it off.

Definitely get a good base tan in a tanning bed / stand. Start out slow so you dont' combust. Try to get the tan even on the under side of your arms, etc. And there's always that annoying spot right on your tail bone where it stays "white" because it is the one spot where you end up putting all your weight on when you lie down.

I used pro-tan - put on a layer 2 days before the show, sleep in it (with long sleeves and sweats), take a shower the next morning to get the excess off, repeat on the day before the show and take another shower. OR I know one guy who had a decent base tan, and used Dream Tan - he put it on fresh the morning of the show but you can't touch anything w/ it and it smears easily - its a cream, not a spray. He was nice and shiny orange for the mornign show, but he said he took a shower and looked great for the night show. You might experiment with this stuff and see how well it holds the tan so you are ready to go after your shower before the morning show. Otherwise Pro-tan works but its a major pain in the rear to use.

 

[Sapphire]

I'm fair skinned and would burn if I didn't use an accelerator or lotion with spf. Believe it or not, spf does work in a bed. My face lotion has spf15 and after using the bed no burning or pink look to my face. Agree with using something on your lips too.

Definately tan naked. It's much easier than trying to adjust for unwanted white lines later. Unless you don't care about lines. Try the stand up bed and start slow...... ask the salon owner where you are going what they recommend for your skin type and most have samples of accelerators for you to try or buy very cheap. You could always try a self tanner, though I've never had luck with them.

 

[FyreWomanGoddess]

You use tanning accelerator when you're tanning in a tanning bed. Since you have never tanned before you should use a step 1 level tanning accelerator. Most tanning salons will have some working who will help you pick out a good tanning accelerator for you and they'll recommend how long you should tan.