Your most intimate clothing: your SKIN!

Skincare. It's something everyone has at least thought about. We're getting older by the second, which means our skin is, too. And, although sometimes fleetingly, we think about skincare, but sometimes we just don't know where to start. There are tons upon tons of skincare products out there that can do this, and they can do that, and they range from as little as $10 for a 10oz tube all the way up to above $100 for a 1oz tube.

We aren't here to tell you which product you should use for your needs. We are here to tell you some interesting facts that we have learned about our skin. You should know about them, too, right? I mean, it is your skin that you have to live with for the rest of your life!

• The average human being has 21 square feet of skin and about 300 million skin cells. That's a lot of skin! 
• Your skin is the largest organ on the body. Also, it weighs somewhere between 12-15% of your body weight.
• Your skin is always renewing itself from the bottom up and take 52-77 days to shed it's cells.
• Humas shed about 600 thousand particles of skin every hour (that's about 1.5 pounds a year!). By 70 years, you will have lost about 105 pounds of skin. (That's exciting news for us, but also oddly disturbing!)
• There are 2 different types of skin: Glaborous skin (the type that doesn't grow hair, like the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands) and Hairy Skin.
• There are over 40 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being. (Wow, just imagine how quickly those nerves work!)
• 70% of the dust your find in your home is from dead skin. In fact, dead skin accounts for about a BILLION tons of dust in the atmosphere!
• Each half inch of skin has approximately 3.2 feet of tiny blood vessels, 10 hairs, 100 sweat glands and 15 sebaceous glands.
• Goose bumps are actually little pimples that help retain a layer of warm air over our body.

Skin facts were found at Good Skin Health.

Red Light Therapy?

So you've come into the salon and we told you about our Sun Dazzle package (or we maybe even called it our Red Light Therapy package). And you had no clue what we were talking about. And we went over it briefly with you, told you to test it out and see how you liked it, told you about the products to enhance it and sent you on your way.

Well, here we are saying we're sorry. Not for telling you about the greatness of the Red Light Therapy treatment, but for not telling ENOUGH about the Red Light Therapy treatment. This whole post will be dedicated to those who want to take care of their skin, who want to look younger, who want to look more radiant and hide some of those skin imperfections.

After 18 sessions of using Red Light Therapy

Red Light Therapy (RLT) is the use of red light waves in order to stimulate the body's natural healing system and bring relief to various ailments. RLT uses heat and concentrated red light to stimulate circulation and blood flow throughout the body as well as boosting the collagen production to enhance the body's natural ability to heal. In as few as 4 weeks you will start to see amazing results, with your full results appearing in as few as 12 weeks.

RLT is non invasive and UV-free. The red light waves from the infrared spectrum penetrates the skin tissue up to 10 millimeters. This extra energy from the light will actually help the skin cells increase the production of new collagen and enhance the turnover of elastin fibers, the two main components for skin renewal.

RLT is not just for women who want younger looking skin. It also helps with acne and other skin problems by helping to clear out pores. In the same way natural sunlight helps with mild depression, RLT sessions can improve moods and diminish depression in the winter months.

In short (and this is probably what we told you in the salon), RLT will help your body produce collagen and elastin, diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, help your body retain moisture, help even our your skin tone, diminish the appearance of scars and stretch marks, help with any acne issues, increase circulation and blood flow and even brighten up your gloomy day!

Do I have to? Really? But I don't wanna!

Lotion. Lotion. Lotion. We love lotion. You secretly love lotion. The smell, the feel, the results. But you hate to put it on, don't you? It takes time. And it's so cold putting it on your skin. And you get greasy if you put too much on. Or you sweat too much in the bed, and you feel like you're in a slip-and-slide. We get it. But you should spoil yourself and your skin and put some lotion on before tanning.

Let us tell you why you should be putting on lotion every time you get in the tanning bed.

Using a lotion while tanning will keep the skin moisturized, which leads to more light being absorbed. Did you know that dry skin will actually deflect the light? Moisturized skin will tan quicker. We all like to be darker quicker.

All lotions that we carry for in the bed actually have a intensifier in them. Basically, they help your body produce more melanin quicker, which means you won't plateau as quickly. Some have bronzers in them. Some have tingles in them. Some have both. Some have neither. Also, most lotions have many vitamins and nutrients that your skin needs, along with hydrators and emollients. Some of our lotions even have age-defying and firming ingredients. Skin care, we're all about it.

And did you know that tanning actually dries your skin out? Well, now you do. And if you don't apply lotion before going into the bed, your skin will look scaly in less than a week. We promise. Which leads us to our tan extending products.

Our tan extenders help your body retain moisture. And, yes, they are so much more amazing than anything you can get over the counter from your local drug store. They are chock-a-block full of butters, aloe, melanin boosters, hemp seed oil, and any other amazing moisturizing ingredient you can think of. And the bottles are HUGE. Use these twice a day and your skin will feel like silk. Or as smooth as a baby's bottom. Which ever you would like to reference.

Oh, Baby! It's hot! More about Tingles

We're all victims of it: putting lotion on our bodies and then getting this heat wave while we're in the tanning bed. You think, "My body is on fire! There's no way I'm burning at 3 minutes into my tanning session! I don't know how much longer I can take this!" Then you jump out of the bed to find your whole body is bright red and you feel like you're getting eaten on by some really angry fire ants. You hurry to get dressed and run out and ask us, "What was that?!" Welcome to your first Tingle lotion experience. Some people love it, some people hate it. We won't sugar coat it for you. But we will tell you why you should love it.

Tingle lotions are for the advanced tanner who likes to experience a warming sensation during tanning and see a reddening effect on their skin after tanning. Or someone who feels like they are plateauing with their everyday lotion. You should not use these products if you have sensitive skin. And they should never, EVER be used for outdoor tanning.

These lotions range in intensity from Tingle 2 to Tingle 100, and if you're a first time user you should always start at the lowest tingle and work your way up to stronger tingles until you are comfortable. Tingles use an ingredient known as Benzyl Nicotinate, which stimulates and increases microcirculation of the skin for greater, more intense tanning results. Basically, the reddening of the skin brings the blood up to the surface to tan you quicker. This is similar to the flush you feel when your blood flow increases when you begin exercising. The increased blood flow increases the oxygen level in the skin, which aids in the delivery of required nutrients.

So how long does the burning and itching last? It depends on the intensity of the ingredients and the sensitivity of your skin. The tingle responds fairly quickly once applied to your skin (about 3-5 minutes) and will last anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours.

So why should you love it? Because we all want the best tan possible. The best advice that we can give you: Don't put it on your face or your under arms. Oh, and the blue aloe is the best for taking the tingle out of your skin quicker. You'll thank us later for those golden nuggets.

Will it make me look like an Oompa Loompa?

Oh, Mystic, we all love to hate you. We've seen that episode of Friends where Ross does the Mystic tan 2 times in one day and forgets to turn around. We've seen pictures of Snooki looking more like a cheese ball and less like meat ball. Yet, we love you. You make us look nice and tan in less than a full day when our busy schedules don't allow us to get into the sun.

Let us tell you the answers to all of your most common questions about the Mystic Tan:

Will I be orange? The honest answer to this is probably not. We feel pretty comfortable in saying that you won't be orange, but every skin type is different. 99% of the people who don't like the Mystic is because they feel they get too much color too quickly. It's like a mental thing ... "but 4 hours ago I was see through, and now I look like I've spent the last week on the beach - I MUST look unnatural!" But you don't, we promise. We would tell you, that's how we are, and then we would tell you little tips and tricks on how to get that excess Mystic off quicker.

What you think you look like:

What you really look like:

Will I streak? As long as you don't put on anything the day of doing your Mystic Tan, and you follow our directions, then you won't. Shaving cream is a huge No-No (oils to make your skin soft and shiney also block the Mystic Tan absorbtion). You shouldn't use conditioner on your legs either. Yes, we know, it makes the shave so much less stressful to have something on your legs, but just this once use plain soap! Please, for the love of God, exfoliate with a loofah sponge and not with anything other than that. We just want you to sluff the dry skin off, not make it have a healthy glow to it as well. And please, please, PLEASE don't put any lotion on your skin. We know, your skin is dry, but we have something that you can use in place of your daily moisturizer that is compatable with the Mystic Tan!

How long before I can take a shower? At least 4-6 hours, but if you can please sleep in it. It will only get darker the longer it will sit on your skin through 12 hours.

How long does it last? Well, let's be honest. If you have super dry skin, it will probably only last 4 days if you don't maintain it properly. For the lucky ones out there who don't have dry skin it can last up to 7 days without any extra maintance. Lucky for you, we have tons of products at Salon Tropics to help your Mystic Tan last longer.

Will it stain my clothes? No. Short and sweet. Yes, you may have some transfer, but all of it will wash out when you do your laundry. Don't want to see the transfer? Wear dark under garments. Oh, and if you don't want smiley faces under your boobs, you probably don't want to wear an underwire bra. And if you don't want panty lines, wear a thong or something loose around your hips. And you don't want a flip flop tan line? Go straight home and take off your shoes, don't do anywhere else for the rest of the day! Some things are just unavoidable, but since you can't get wet or sweat for 4-12 hours after doing a Mystic Tan (and those areas tend to sweat more) you may not be able to avoid that. But, since you're a busy person and probably can't take the WHOLE day off when you do a Mystic Tan, we have a product that is great for that!

What do I wear in the Mystic Tan? Nothing. Be free for 45 seconds of your life! No one will be in there with you, so no one will be able to see you dancing around in your birthday suit while you're getting ready for the Mystic. If you still aren't comfortable wearing nothing in the Mystic Tan, just remember that whatever you have on will leave a tan line, so make sure you plan in advance (if you're wearing a strapless dress, don't come in wearing a string bikini. And make sure if you're using a bandeau top that your dress with cover any tan line you may have!)

Hayden, we love you, but really? Tan lines?

Don't make this mistake!

Bronzers, a tanner's best friend!

So you walk into Salon Tropics to buy a lotion, and the first question you're asked is "Do you want a bronzer?" Of course! Why wouldn't you? Then you're asked, "What type of bronzer would you like - Natural Bronzer or DHA?" Did we all of a sudden start talking Greek to you? If we didn't, then congratulations! You're one of the few people who are able to decipher what we're talking about when we ask that question.

If you didn't know what that meant, it's okay, we're okay with it if you roll with the punches. This is for you, we're trying to help you decide which bronzer is best for you! So what we've decided to do is let you know what the difference between the two are, that way you don't have to wing it next time (although we encourage you to ask us questions!)

All of the products that we carry in our salon have different combinations of different bronzers at different levels. Yes, we know, that's a lot to take in all at once. Basically what we mean is that you tell us exactly what type of color you want, we'll make it happen. That's what we're here for! But, if you're like us, you want to know what you're putting on your body.

Basically, the more advanced tanner you are the more you're probably going to need a higher dimension of bronzer. This ensures that you can achieve amazing color at any point of your tan!

Let's start with Natural Bronzers (sometimes we'll call them immediate bronzers):

These bronzers use natural based extracts to provide instant color to the skin that will last 1-2 days. Some examples of these bronzers are walnut oil, walnut shell extract, caramel, henna, carrot oil, bananna, or black tea extract. These natural bronzers are considered cosmetic bronzers because they add additional color to the skin, much like a cosmetic make-up. They are designed to encourage the tanning process and establish a base tan while building a darker natural tan without the use of DHA.

Walnut Shell

What is DHA you ask? It is a sugar cane extract that chemically darken the protein in the skin. The more DHA used the darker the shade of brown. This technology is what is used in our Sun Shower as well. The color will typically last between 4-7 days and is seen within 2-4 hours after application. You should always wash your hands after using anything with DHA (otherwise you may have brown palms!) They are designed to give an extra boost of color for faster visible results (for the impatient tanners ... or the tanners who waited too long before a big event) and will help to keep you color for longer.

Sugar Cane

Lastly, as if the above wasn't enough, we have Mahakanni bronzers. These are our favorite type of bronzer on the market! Think of this: Natural Bronzers & DHA Bronzers had a baby. And it took the best of both. That's a Mahakanni bronzer for you. Pure bronzer heaven in a bottle. But, since we're here to inform you, let's tell you a little more about it. It develops quick, rich, color, distributes color evenly, and provides longer lasting color that can last up to 10 days! It is another type of self-tanning agent, and the longer you leave it on the more intense the color becomes, without having to wait a minimum amount of time before taking a shower. Ah-mazing! We love it.

Mahakanni plant (you will need to click translate to read more about it)

And there you have it! Now you can walk into our salon with confidence about the lotions, and when we ask, "Would you like a Natural Bronzer or a DHA?" you'll know what we're talking about!