Melanin Popping: How To Stay Sun Kissed All Year Round

16 Oct

Keep That Summer Glow With These Expert Tips

Most people are surprised to learn that Black women, brown women, and other people with melanated skin, self-tan to achieve their year round beauty goals. Whether it’s to blend stubborn hyperpigmentation, create healthier and radiant looking skin during colder winter months, or wanting to lean into options that are much safer than tanning beds, self tanning mousse, lotions and creams can help you feel more confident in your skin and help you keep that sun-kissed look year round.
Phoebe Ellis is co-founder of Caribé, a self-tanning mousse (£25.00) made specifically for melanated people shares her advice on how to apply your self-tan perfectly, and a few BSD favourites to enhance your year round glow.

Pheobe Ellis’ self-tanning tips:

Make sure you moisturise your driest areas i.e. knees, elbows, hands, otherwise your tan will cling onto these parts on application making it harder to blend out.
Your tan needs to be applied on as smooth a base as possible so before you get started make sure you have showered and exfoliated.
In order to get the perfect tan on your hands, feet and face you cannot apply the mousse directly. We want to be using the leftover mousse on the mitt which will be present after smoothing tan over the body.
To make your tan last longer (up to 7 days) make sure you look after your skin. Keep it hydrated, don't exfoliate as you are just essentially scrubbing the tan off and avoid long baths.
We find it best to sleep in the tan. Put on your baggiest clothes and let the marination happen. In the morning, just rinse off the tan in the shower, no soap, no scrubbing and then you’re ready to go!

“To achieve a smooth finish to your tan, exfoliating the night and slathering your skin in moisturiser is key. A gentle body scrub will help slough off old and dead skin cells; follow up with a rich moisturiser to soothe and smooth the skin. A couple drops of body oil wouldn’t go amiss either to lock in all that hydration!”

— BSD Top Tip