Sunless Self-Tanning With Tea Bags Or Cocoa: Is It Safer Than Tanning Beds And Spray Tans?


In their quest to look better, people often continue to visit tanning beds to gain a healthy-looking glow. As reported by the Inquisitr, however, even one visit to a tanning bed to get a free killer tan — as depicted in the viral YouTube video — can increase a person’s chances of skin cancer by 30 percent or more.

As reported by Allure, two New York tanning salons had lawsuits filed against them due to misleading tactics. Tanning bed users were allegedly led to believe that their tanning sessions weren’t as dangerous as they were, according to skin cancer experts. Certain tanning salons claim that customers should visit tanning beds in order to up their vitamin D production. But the danger is evident in the fact that 14 states across the nation thus far have banned minors from using the tanning beds.

Therefore, it’s no wonder that folks who understand the skin cancer risk have turned to self tanners, even new gradual ones from St. Tropez that help you tan in the shower, reports the Daily Mail. Tanning in the shower might be a good alternative to having to wait for a long time for other tanners to dry so they won’t leave marks on sheets and other clothing.

However, some point to the active chemical called DHA that’s found in plenty of self tanners as another dangerous chemical that might only be the lesser of two evils when compared to tanning booths. As such, you should ask your spray tan technician just how much DHA is contained in your application, says Extra. The level of Dihydroxyacetone or DHA apparently matters — and most spray tanning salons should offer a way for patrons to cover their eyes and noses during the application. However, plenty of people forgo such coverage in order to avoid the “raccoon eyes” look.

All of these issues are why some have turned to black tea bags and other ingredients to provide a truly natural tan.

Videos like this one showing a user utilizing black tea to tan have gotten a decent amount of views over the years. Others show the DIY way to use cocoa as well as black tea to get a tan.

Newer YouTube videos showing the best ways to fake a tan recommend users steep about 10 bags of black tea and wait until it cools to place it in a spray bottle and begin to use to darken the skin. This method helps users escape the dangers of tanning beds and the bad smell of spray tanners.

[Image via YouTube]

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