Trying to get tan....

[helios]

Basically I am in search of a tan. I have fair skin so if anything I turn pink from tan beds and what not.

I have tried the lotions and sprays with no real success because they streak or appear uneven or orange. Also, I just dont have time to apply it to my whole body routinely.

I also have heard of Canthaxanthin tablets or pills, but have also read they have sides like turning your palms orange, colored sweat and turds...just basically everything turns orange.

Anyway I was wondering who used these Canthaxanthin tablets and if you had relative success with them? Did you suffer from any of these side effects? Also are there other options than the ones I just mentioned, or am I just stuck with being pale as a ghost?

[jollyroger]

hey bro, don't waste your money on Canthaxanthin. my girlfriend at the time (about 8 years ago) tried it. you end up turning orange more than anything else. some people are getting spray-on tans for 15.00-30.00 a session. but they only last a week or so. hope this helps.

[Feli Fly]

Maybe look into Oxsoralen/Trisolaren...

...but I don't see how you "just dont have time to apply [sunless bronzer] to my whole body routinely," but yet you will have time to sit in a tanning booth or outside in the sun... applicaiton of a good sunless takes 10 minutes to do it well once you are used to it, and you do it just twice a week. Not too tough... it's a lot cheaper, safer, and less time consuming than tanning booths IMO...

[helios]

i wasnt aware the lotions only take ten minutes it just seems like it would be alot more time consuming than that, plus how do you get your back evenly done? I think i might look into it, also the Oxsoralen/Trisolaren and jollyrogers suggestion. thanks for the help guys

[Feli Fly]

i wasnt aware the lotions only take ten minutes it just seems like it would be alot more time consuming than that, plus how do you get your back evenly done?

They take 10 min and then maybe 30 min to dry... still not too tough.

For your back, just use one of these:
http://www.tanforless.com/tanning/aucomasuntan.html
You can use most anything... I use a wooden spoon if I don't have anyone to help me apply it to the back. You just need a mirror on the wall and then a handheld mirror to see that you covered evenly.

...or have your gf or someone do it for you (make sure to tell her to wash her hands well).

...I think i might look into it, also the Oxsoralen/Trisolaren and jollyrogers suggestion. thanks for the help guys

What he mentioned is called Mystic Tan and lots of tanning booths now have it. Works good from what I hear... I just don't see why you would pay $15-25 for an application twice a week when you can get a $10 bottle that will last for 3 or so applications (try Au Courant, Clinique Lab Series for Men, or Neutrogena Bronzer)... you want bronzer (can easily see where you have put it for even application) not just lotion.

[trimunex]

Neutrogena foam works pretty damn good.

9

[ichiban]

Mystic tan works OK. A friend of mine does it and she looks good. She does it once a week. However, you have to be careful not to sweat or get anything wet near you for the rest of the day. Also, if you workout alot, it can rub off.

Have you tried laying out or tanning in a bed with like 30 spf sunscreen? This works for people with fair skin. Gives you some sun without the burn.

[Prinz]

No one should ever use canthaxathin in the doses that tanning pills use to dye your skin. Long periods of use will cause a condition called retinopathy. A crystlization of parts of the retina that is irreversible without surgery and takes many years to correct even with surgery.
I too am somewhat fair skinned and use the tanning bed and the natural sun some. The key is to start out very slowly....I go maybe 3 minutes on my first time and then add one or two minutes only twice a week. Laying the natural sun once a week for about 30 minutes will help give your pink tone a more brown look. Tanning beds filter the uva rays that give you the more brown look.....I never get dark...I just get "not white". The key is to never let yourself burn...that is bad of course. I have used most every spray, foam, lotion on the market and the Neutrogena foams are the best...but get a separate bronzer that is made just for faces.