Summer is starting to take hold. It's sunny, it's hot and you want to bask in the sun. Before exposing yourself, sunglasses on your nose, and risking burning yourself, here are the 5 steps to follow to prepare your skin for tanning in a natural way.
Step1: Take care of your diet to have beautiful skin
With the arrival of summer, you can take a cure of foods rich in vitamin A and provitamin A, including beta-carotene. In order to properly assimilate beta-carotene, they should be eaten raw or lightly cooked every day with a little fat (oilseeds, olive oil).
Antioxidants help protect the skin against the ravages of free radicals from the sun's rays. Indeed, although tanning gives this healthy glow effect, UV rays accelerate the aging of skin cells which lose elasticity and tone.
Where is vitamin A found?
- Vitamin A is found in animal products: liver, meat, fish, whole milk, cheese, butter.
- Beta-carotene is found mainly in fruits and vegetables, most of which are reddish-orange, as well as in dark green vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, red fruits, apricots, spinach, parsley.
2nd step: prepare the skin with an exfoliation
Exfoliating the skin with a black soap and horsehair glove scrub will eliminate dead cells and activate the regeneration of new cells. The scrubbing also acts as a massage stimulating blood and lymphatic circulation. The skin becomes more luminous and ready to receive a harmonious tan that will last over time.
Step 3: Gradual exposure
Gradual exposure to the sun helps to prepare the skin gently. Walking, biking, sitting on a terrace as soon as the first rays of sun appear are all activities that invite the body to produce melanin, the molecule responsible for darkening the skin, thus acting as a natural protector.
Moving around is important, even though summer invites you to take it easy. In fact, it is advisable to keep moving in order to stimulate your metabolism, including sweating, which is necessary to regulate your internal body temperature, especially in hot weather.
Step 4: Get enough fluids
Hydration is not only about the upper layer of the epidermis. Hydration is also (and primarily) about drinking enough water. Drinking 1.5 to 2 liters a day is essential for beautiful skin. Not only does it hydrate the skin from the inside, but it also eliminates toxins through urine and stools.
Drink water, hot infusions, green smoothies, water flavored with lemon/cucumber/ginger, rosemary, verbena, mint...
Step 5: Fill up on omega 3
Omega 3 essential fatty acids take care of the skin. They prevent dryness by nourishing the cell membranes and maintaining the hydrolipidic film, the thin protective film that covers the skin.
Where to find omega 3 ?
- In virgin vegetable oil of 1st cold pressure: olive, colza, flax, hemp, nut, sesame...
- In the chia seedssunflower, sesame, pumpkin seed etc...
- In cold sea fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel...
Don't hesitate to apply anointing oil to your skin in the evening vegetable oil or a maceration of your choice: sweet almond, callophyl, St. John's wort, daisy...
BONUS the essential oil ofcarrot
Add 2 to 3 drops of carrot essential oil in your body lotion or 1 drop in your daily facial care. This essential oil regenerates and revitalizes the epidermis while giving a tanned complexion. Moreover, its high content of provitamin A gives it protective properties against the famous UV rays of the first beautiful days and antioxidants.
Beware: it will never replace an adapted and quality sun cream!
To conclude
It is important to keep in mind your genetic makeup. Indeed, depending on your genetic predisposition, you will either turn brown or red... Respect the nature of your skin and protect it to avoid unfortunate situations that can turn out to be serious in the long run. Wishing you a safe and enjoyable summer!