Ok, getting a golden tan in the Aberdeen climate isn’t exactly a thing that happens a lot. If we’re lucky, we get a few days of sunshine a year, and the rest is grey, grey, grey. We might be missing the key ingredient for a tan, ie that big yellow thing in the sky, but we do have the ability to turn ourselves golden brown in a few other ways. Many people head straight for a sunbed, but for those of us who don’t want to end up like wrinkled prunes in our sixties and seventies, the other options are set around that good old fake tan.
Lets look at the two most popular alternatives, ie spray tan and self tan.
Self Tan
The choices here are huge. Visit just about any chemist, department store or supermarket, and there they are, those rows and rows of bottles of self tan, ranging from the very cheap to the uber expensive. Brands like Fake Bake, St Tropez, own brands and much more, are just a fingers touch away. Applying them, however, is a completely different ball-game.
To get a half decent tan, you need to buy a better quality self tan, and go through the exfoliation process to remove dead skin. All too often, we don’t apply any barrier cream, and end up with an excess around elbows, ankles, feet and hands. The benefit is having enough in one bottle for a few tans, even if you do buy a top of the range product. There are also different strengths of tan, that leave you with deeper shades. If you can cope with it, the benefits can be quite good. If you can’t, the possibility for orange tans, or a streak effect is higher than if it is a professionally applied tan.
Spray Tan
Let’s leave aside the stories that leave you with your eyes popping about spray tanning. Very much like self tan, the solutions used for spray tan have evolved over the years. With St Tropez, Sienna X, Nouvatan, Laurens Way, and many more, the competition has ensured that spray tan solutions have upped their game.
Self tans take an age to apply properly, and it can be difficult to reach awkward areas on our backs, which leave us trying to bend our bodies in ways there were never intended to move. Spray tans take the pain out of that whole process. All you need to do, is stand there, and let it all happen. It takes a few minutes, and possibly up to 10, to have the tan applied. The longest time is waiting for the tan to dry enough to put your clothes on. The person doing your tan is well used to nude or minimally covered people and isn’t in the slightest bothered by your state of dress or undress. If your modesty is in doubt, simply wear some old underwear that you don’t mind getting tan on it, or dark underwear, as it will stain. There are paper knickers, but honestly, they are actually rubbish, as the tan blows them in all directions on your body. It’s far more modesty covering to have an old bikini or set of underwear to use as your tanning kit.
As for price, yes a spray tan is going to be more expensive than doing it yourself. The likes of Groupon and Itison can have deals at times, but normally only for first time customers.
Spray tans have the reputation of being the go-to tan for special occasions. Personally, I like my tan more often, but it does depend on your budget. In Aberdeen, I’ve seen spray tans range from around £22 – £45, depending on where they are being carried out.
So, has that helped you make up your mind?
