I wanted to take a little bit to talk about some beauty products that I consider must-haves for the summer time. Especially for this particular summer, which happens to be a very hot one for many people.

East coast, west coast, you name it. We are ALL having some pretty severe heat and humidity waves, and it’s taking a toll not only on our bodies but also on our looks!

One of the biggest essentials for me this summer has been a great anti frizz hair serum or cream. I’m currently using the L’Oreal sulfate free line of anti frizz cream.

I like it, but I find that it works much better when I use what feels like too much to me. I’m not big on putting a ton of gunk in my hair because I don’t like it to feel weighed down, but with this stuff, it’s a light and watery enough cream that my hair doesn’t feel disgusting with more than usual in it.

I notice that if I am liberal with the application, my hair tends to fall more into it’s correct place when I blow it dry. It’s not the type of product that I feel I need to wait a day to get good results in other words. My hair actually looks decent when I blow it dry (well, most of the time!)

The second must-have beauty product for the summer time (any summer time, not just hot sticky ones) is a self tanner. At least a good one for the face and legs. Other than that, I’m finding that I really can’t stand to put self tanners on my belly and other body parts, so I rely on the sun or a tanning booth for that (yes, I do tan occasionally, I believe it can actually be constructive if you use it correctly).

I like to give my face color especially and give it that sun kissed glow. I hate having a white face or a face that looks ashen or unhealthy in the summer time, and self tanner helps me get that look without tanning it with the sun.

My face is one body part I still refuse to expose to the sunlight, as I definitely notice sun damage almost instantly when I do nowadays.

Now, for my last summer time essential beauty tool. Blush. I used to not be big on blush at all. However, I find that if you use it sparingly, it can really add some healthy looking color to your face.

I like to swipe a bit on my forehead, my cheeks (under the bone, that’s how it looks best on me, on the apple of my cheeks tends to make me look strange, decide how it looks best on you, it could be different).

I like that it give that instant color and a little bit of definition and depth as well.  It goes great with a nice self-tan on the face also. I like to use a pinkish color as I find this gives the healthiest, freshest look. I stay away from peaches.

Spray tanning has enjoyed a huge upsurge in popularity in the past few years. Sure, self tanners themselves still enjoy quite nice sales, but it seems that airbrush, or spray tanning, has really peaked lately.

It may be partly due to reality shows like Jersey Shore sporting cast members in spray tans and fake indoor tans, or it could also be that celebrities, politicians, news anchors, and basically everyone in the public spotlight seems to have indulged in the faux spray tan before, and usually they pull it off.

You can usually tell if someone has gotten a bad one. One year Charlize Theron had clearly had a bad date with the sprayer, as she looked too dewy, too warm and orangey in her gorgeous dress.

Not to take anything away from the blond beauty, but there are several examples of movie stars donning really bad fake tans. Lindsey Lohan has been a frequent offender, as have Paris Hilton, Snookie of Jersey Shore, and yes, some of the guys of Jersey Shore as well.

After all, too much DHA, the active ingredient which turns skin darker in self tanners, is never a good thing. Not only will your skin smell to high heaven if you get too big a dosage of the self tanning ingredient, but your skin is more likely to take on an orange glow, and not in a good way.

The DHA itself has been deemed safe for cosmetic use, but some are now saying they question the safety of something when it is used on the entire body, and many times repeatedly within one month.

While I myself am still the occasional fan of self tanning, I also question the total safety of DHA and self tanning products. I did read one article that suggested there simply is not enough evidence that it is safe when applied to the skin, or is totally nontoxic.

I also read that using DHA regularly can actually prohibit your skin from producing vitamin D. Some studies suggested that those who used DHA regularly had a much lower absorption rate of this vital, life saving vitamin.

This would suggest that just getting the regular sun could be healthier than using self tanner, however, that may not always be the case for everyone.  I believe that everyone needs to get natural sunlight, but I also believe that burning the skin is a surefire way to skin damage, wrinkles, age spots, and potentially skin cancer.

It’s that time again. The time where you (maybe unwillingly) are forced to wear more bare skin and show off that pasty glow that winter has so generously bestowed upon you. Or wait, do you really have to emerge from your hibernation for the winter in pale, ashy skin? Or can you emerge as a golden goddess that looks like she spend winter in Cabo?

Well, you can have the best of both worlds and spare you skin the repeated abuse of tanning in tanning beds ( although I personally don’t think that going once in a while is a bad thing, we need our vitamin D!).  Orrr…..you can buy a great self tanner like one of these, and get that golden, healthy looking, sexy glow in the comfort of your own home.

We’re very fortunate to have access to such advanced cosmetic technology. I remember the days of QT (Quick Tan), which left you with an oompa loompa-ish look every time you used it, and would wash off if you went out in the rain. With self tanners, I actually prefer ones that only have a light tint, as I don’t like when they rub off on my clothes. so that’s my preference. 

Some people like the darkly colored ones because they like that they give them an instant dash of color. I don’t mind waiting 2-4 hours for my “tan” to develop though, and if I’m going somewhere I usually apply it far enough in advance that the real tan will develop in time.

While there are numerous brands and types of self tanners to choose from, I’ve put together some of the best self tanners that I like to use. And believe me, I’ve been around the block enough with self tanners to know what works best and what doesn’t. I know the drawbacks and merits of certain brands of self tanner, and I have an allegiance to a few particular brands that I’ve been privy to for the past several years.

I do believe that you should get a little natural sun, contrary to how I used to think just a few years ago. I’ve been doing lots of research on vitamin D, and how people are deficient in it because they are so afraid to go out in the sun.  You can go out in the sun and get a light color, it won’t kill you. The most important thing is that you protect your skin from burning.

Burning is where the real DNA damage comes in, and that’s where the real danger of cancer enters the picture. Self tanners are just a great way to complement your summer tan, because some of us just don’t tan well, even when we’re repeatedly exposed to the sun’s rays.

Hello everyone. The following is a guest post by mom!  Enjoy!

I remember when I was a teenager, many years ago now, and how I wanted to be tan in the summertime.  The thinking and style of the day was that it made you look healthy and outdoorsy. At that time there were no tanning beds so you had to rely on the scant amount of northeast Ohio’s sunlight that you could soak up in the summertime. 

Even with that limitation, I got countless sunburns working my way into a tan.  Nobody used any sunblock in the 60′s and 70′s.  Now, in my late 50′s, I wonder how many fine lines or wrinkles I could have avoided if I would have stayed out of the sun more. 

Luckily, I haven’t had any incidence of skin cancer but I did not have the option of a tanning bed or a year round tan.  Today’s teenagers are no different, as they are concerned with how cute and tan they look today with no regard to the damage they are doing to their skin later on. 

For teenagers, having the option of tanning beds, is extremely hazardous to their health.  It’s of more concern than just extra fine lines and wrinkles at a younger age.  Dermatologists are seeing a remarkably higher rate of skin cancer occurrence at very early ages,in girls as young as their teens and twenties. 

A high rate of skin cancer used to be primarily a disease of older men and now it’s becoming prevalent in young women.  Because of this trend, the FDA is pushing for tighter restrictions on the use of tanning beds for people under the age of 18 and would like to eventually make that a ban for people under 18 years old. 

A recent report by WHO, the World Health Organization, connected the use of tanning beds to a spike in the incidence of skin cancer.  According to their results, the occurrence of the most deadly form of skin cancer is 75% more likely in individuals that used tanning beds in their teens and early 20′s.  More reason to use a great self tanner.

Some states are starting to require parental consent at the present time for tanners under the age of 18.  The FDA is considering adding bolder warning labels to the tanning beds.

The Indoor Tanning Association has countered with the health benefits of Vitamin D absorption from the sunlamps to which their opponents argued that Vitamin D could be derived from nutritional supplements.

Fair skinned people are more prone to skin cancer as they’re more apt to sunburn before tanning.  Sunburns at an early age are linked to a higher incidence of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

One thing that I feel can take years off of anyone’s face, and make anyone’s facial skin look much healthier and more toned, is a good self-tan.  Of course, your face is the one body part you really want to try to keep sheltered from UV light, so the only way I ever have color on my face is from UV light that happened to penetrate my multiple layers of natural SPF, or by putting self tanner on my face.

The latter is my favorite, because unlike the sun, it doesn’t dry out my face, give me age spots or prematurely age my skin (even more) than it has at this point.  I’ve tried a variety of self tanners on my face, but some of them simply don’t work well on the face because they don’t come out evenly enough.

I also don’t  like tinted self tanners on my face, because they tend to leave streaks and clumps when they dry of darkly caramel colored messiness.  I was shopping for a new self tanner to use on my face, and came across a small bottle of Jergens Natural Glow Express, which is a natural self tanner that gives your face a couple shades’ darker color within a very short time frame.

It actually started to tan my face about one hour after application, which was quicker than most self tanners, probably due to a higher concentration of the active ingredient in self tanners, DHA.  As you may know if you’ve used self tanner, DHA is a natural substance that is derived from sugar which interacts with oxygen and turns your skin a deeper color of brown over time.

As far as we know, DHA is nontoxic, and if you buy a good formula, it won’t turn your skin orange like a lot of earlier versions of self tanner.

I bought the Jergens Natural Glow Express formula in the formula for medium to tan skin tones since I wanted a more dramatic difference.  I applied it, like I normally do, with a makeup sponge so that I don’t have to wash my hands afterwards, and made sure I blended and contoured on my face so that I wouldn’t have streaks or an uneven color.

Usually, when I’m using a new self tanner that I haven’t had experience with before, I also add a bit of moisturizer into the mix so that it doesn’t turn out too dark.  As the day progressed, I noticed a nice, deep tone start to take shaped, and to my relief, I had no streaking or discolorations anywhere.

This is not a tinted formula either, which I love for use on my face.

Recently, there was a handout at a beach of several different beauty related items, but this handout was really a well disguised effort at communicating the dangers of sunbathing to people – mostly women. The whole trick part was that these women who were receiving tanning lotions with SPF and self tanners didn’t know that they were being subliminally disuaded from bathing in the sun.

They found that women who were able to tan via artificial means, and safely via a self tanner, were actually more likely to spend less time in the sun. So vanity really is at work when it comes to the reasons for sunbathing. DUH as if we didn’t already know that one!

As everyone knows by now, sunbathing, especially during peak sun strength times and in the direct sun, and for a long time, can be dangerous and push your skin to develop abnormal cell growth, or skin cancer. Especially if you do not take in enought antioxidants every day to kind of build up your “internal sunscreen”.

Yup, that’s right, it’s not just your genetic makeup and your heritage that can make is easier for your to burn or tan, it’s also your diet. Researchers are finding more and more that your natural tolerance for sun is affected by the food you eat, particularly by certain types of antioxidants. For example, it was found that daily tomato intake (for it’s lycopene) is extremely beneficial for preventing sunburn and giving your skin more of a leg up when it comes to internal sun protection.

Also, there is a lot more compelling and definitive research coming out that total sun avoidance is not good for your health. Why? Well, because it effects your vitamin D levels, and vitamin D plays a vital role in keeping cells healthy and preventing them from dividing irregularly and becoming abnormal – as in cancerous.

That’s right, the total avoidance of the sun that used to be preached is being rethought. But even more important perhaps is that you don’t overexpose yourself, as this can lead to cancer – and burning is still a HUGE no no.

Ok all you tan bed-aholics, July marks the beginning of a 10% tax on your tanning bed services, from your beloved federal government.  This means that every salon that offers tanning services will be charged a 10% additional tax over what they already pay for proceeds received from this often controversial, health questionable service.  Who is ultimately the winner here? Why, the federal government and their ballooning deficit of course!

Honestly, I don’t care that they are taxing indoor tanning myself, I think that the price may be more on the people who own these salons, and may put even more pressure on a lot of female small business owners, since most of these types of services are owned by female small business owners.  That, and the fact that the consumer will end up paying the tab in the end most likely.

Of course, one could argue that tanning is a nonessential luxury, but so are many of the things that make up the free market and ultimately make the American economy as strong as it is – or was, before this disaster situation happened.

The federal government, in an effort to help pay for the numerous stimulus programs and the massive bailout package that happened to prevent global economic catastrophe, has been looking for ways to save money. One of the proposals also included a tax on plastic surgery and Botox. I believe that both of those proposals were not picked up, but the tanning tax was.

I guess this means more and more people may be reaching for the self tanners, which could be a good thing, but it’s also still important to at least get some natural sunlight on your skin and get that vitamin D in.

Hopefully the government won’t ax any other “non essential” beauty needs, but I do think the tanning tax is fairly minimal and if it an help keep our deficit down while also not damaging businesses too badly (hopefully they can pass this on fairly easily to the consumer and that will be that), I’m ok with it.

Remember to protect your skin from the sun, but also try not to totally avoid the sun all together. More and more evidence is showing that responsible sun exposure is a good way to get vitamin D, which helps keep your immune system healthy and also may provide a host of cancer prevention benefits as well.

While I was vacationing in South Carolina and then Virginia for a few days, I was in a lot of drug stores, snooping around, seeing if they had anything different in the way of beauty products that I don’t typically see here in Ohio. I found one that is in Ohio, but that I thought was an interesting concept in self tanning and hair removal or at least in minimizing shaving your legs that I bought. The product is by Nivea and it’s called Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs Shave Minimizing gradual self tanning moisturizer.  Quite a mouth full!

But that describes the product in a nutshell. It is supposed to help cut back on hair growth on your legs, and also gradually self tan them with a subtle self tanner. The bottle is ten bucks, and it is almost 7 ounces. If you use it on just your legs (I used it on my whole body the first time), it will last you quite a few tans.  It’s a white cream, which I  like because even though I do like the instant tan of a tinted self tanner and the instantly dewy look it gives your skin, I don’t like those types of self tanners when I’m planning on putting it on right before bed time.

It will stain your sheets, especially if they are lighter.  Here’s the kicker about this product thought. I do think it helped my leg hair, maybe it made it softer, but I don’t think it actually inhibited it’s growth. I think their selling point may be that since your legs are tanner, the hair is less noticeable, because they don’t specifically claim that there are any hair growth inhibiting ingredients in it on the back label.

It says that with daily use, your hair will look less noticeable and you’ll have a beautiful tan. But I did notice there was some sort of starch in the ingredients list, and I did notice that it had a different feel to the cream itself when I put it on my legs, so I wonder if that was somehow supposed to soften the hair that was there. I’m too impatient to put it on several days in a row, so I would skip a day or two in between, which may have defeated the purpose of the shave minimizing part.

It does give a nice, subtle tan though in a few uses, and it doesn’t get splotchy at all, so I’d recommend it for your legs. As far as the shave minimizing part, you may need to use it every day to enjoy those benefits a bit more.

In what promises to raise a lot of teenaged eyebrows if it goes through, the FDA is currently mulling a decision on whether or not they will introduce a new ban on teenage tanning salon visits.

They had previously spoken about banning them except where parents gave signatures, but I believe this one will actually ban their use until the teens become of an age where they can make “better” decisions for themselves. I’m not sure this is really consitutional, but maybe they are looking at it like they look at putting an age on buying cigarettes and alcohol.

Tanning beds are dangerous, and I think the concern is that teenagers just don’t have the life experience to be able to know that this is really bad for their health. They also don’t understand that repeatedly visiting these beds is really what the problem is, it’s not just the fact that they go in itself.

It’s sure to raise some serious questions if it is ultimately decided on, that’s for sure. I think even some teen parents might be a little dismayed. But hey, that’s better for the self tanning industry, right? Then everyone will have to go to the bottle to get a good tan!

There is a new self tanner on the market that I will be reviewing soon. I’m going to try it first and let you know how I like it. It’s supposed to be formulated to look very natural. It’s a gel form, which is different than what I’m used to using personally, which are creams and sprays, so that should be interesting, and it’s supposed to also last long and be ideal for people with very pale skin.

Other than that I can’t tell you much, other than that there are a few good natural self tanners that I like to use, and some of them work better than others, so let’s hope this one is worth the price tag, which is a bit higher than some of the cheap shelf names you can get at your drug store.  I’ve used everything from high end to low end, so it certainly doesn’t bother me to spend the extra money as long as I’m getting good results from a self tanning product.

It’s the middle of the winter now, but I still use self tanners as a means to improve the way I look. Self tanning makes you look thinner, makes your face look more evenly toned, healthy and vibrant, and gives you a definite pickup when you’re not feeling so attractive during these dreary, depressing winter months. I love to have a little color, it makes me look ten times better.

Heck, sometimes it makes me look like a whole different person. It’s just that I’m not willing to damage my skin to attain that color, and self tanners are perfect for those of us that look a lot better with a tan, but who don’t want to ruin our skin with ultraviolet exposure, which not only can lead to cancer but also can lead to premature aging of the skin.