Get Your Perfect Summer Tan with DIY Tanning Lotion
Achieve a beautiful sun-kissed glow this summer with our easy homemade DIY tanning lotion. Perfect for lighter skin tones, our self-tanning lotion guide includes tips on using watermelon seed oil for a hassle-free tanning experience.
During the summer, it is that time of the year to go out and enjoy the sun on the beach as a soft breeze hits your face. Though as we already know staying on the sun for a very long time may cause several issues such as
age spots
dark spots
freckles
Most of the times if you have Fitzpatrick skin type I and II, you can get skin redness and sunburn in the beginning but if you continue to expose your skin to the sun for longer time then you'll get photoaging on the skin caused by sun damage.
For those with Fitzpatrick skin type V and VI, at first they may not experience or ignore these symptoms like skin redness but hyperpigmentation on the skin is inevitable after long sun exposure as means to combat sun damage. Skin type III and IV can experience all those things in between. Consider reading this post
Read More: Homemade Sunscreen for Dark Skin Without White Cast
Homemade DIY Tanning Lotion
If you want hassle-free tanning without basking and baking yourself under the sun or most dangerously, sun beds that have even been reported to cause cancer, then making your own tanning lotion at home will be blissful. This tanning lotion is infused with watermelon seed oil that can make you get that tan look even faster. Now let's get started!
Selecting Ingredients
Distilled water: As part of making tanning lotion, using clean water to make the formulation is vital. Instead, using other options such as tap water and bottled drinking water can introduce bacteria and impurities in your tanning lotion formulation that can affect quality and shelf life of the product.
Watermelon seed oil: This is a fruit seed oil that is very significant and at the core of this tanning lotion. It is an excellent emollient that can improve your skin texture and can penetrate the skin and nourish it. It can also enhance the skin to gain that tan color faster.
Dihydroxyacetone: This ingredient binds with amino acids on the skin's upper layer to form brown pigment. This is what gives you that tan look. This ingredient is generally safe and will give you that temporary tan though this should not stop you applying sunscreen since its not an alternative to sunscreen.
Ethoxydiglycol: This ingredient enhances the function of dihydroxyacetone in this tanning lotion. It is a good humectant that can also help in the absorption of other ingredients in the skin. It is generally safe on low concentrations in formulations.
Glycol stearate: It is another good emollient that can enhance skin absorption of other ingredients, can soften skin texture and help spreadability and creamy texture of the tanning lotion.
Glycerin: This is one of the humectants loved in skincare products. It is hypoallergenic and a good ingredient to consider in your tanning lotion formulation.
Cetearyl alcohol: This ingredient is another emollient that can moisturize your skin as well as make your tanning lotion formulation more thicker and creamier.
Cetyl alcohol: Not to be confused with cetearyl alcohol, this is another fatty alcohol that can act as an emulsifier and thickening agent to your tanning lotion formulation. This ingredient can protect your skin from transdermal water loss and skin dryness.
Dimethicone: This is silicone based light oil that can condition the rough dry patches and soften them. It can form a protective layer that does not allow your skin to be dry and dehydrated.
Aloe vera gel: This is just a thickener but with anti-oxidant, hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to soothe your skin.
Guar gum: This ingredient is used as an emulsifier thickening agent, used in small amount added in water-based ingredient to make your tanning lotion formulation not too runny.
Vitamin E acetate: Also known as tocopherol, this ingredient can help your skin by quenching free radicals on the skin caused by sun damage or pollution and thus reduce oxidative stress. It is also a good natural preservative for your tanning lotion formulation.
Phenoxyethanol: This is added to your tanning lotion as solely a preservative. It is considered generally safe at lower concentration to be added to tanning lotion formulation for longer shelf life.
Citric acid: This ingredient act as pH adjuster. At the final product making you should end up with pH around 3.5 to 4.5 for your tanning lotion.
Fragrance oil: Adding fragrance is an optional thing to do but can help your homemade DIY tanning lotion stand out. You can choose to add it or go fragrance-free!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of distilled water
2 teaspoons of watermelon seed oil
1½ teaspoon of dihydroxyacetone
1½ teaspoon of ethoxydiglycol
1 teaspoon of glyceryl stearate
1 teaspoon of glycerin
⅔ teaspoon of cetearyl alcohol
⅓ teaspoon of cetyl alcohol
⅓ teaspoon of dimethicone 500
¼ teaspoon of aloe vera gel
⅛ teaspoon of guar gum
⅛ teaspoon of vitamin E acetate
⅛ teaspoon of phenoxyethanol
⅛ teaspoon of citric acid
10 to 15 drops of fragrance
Most of the ingredients on the list can be easily outsourced online at a more affordable price. Arrange for utensils and tools like heat-resistant beakers, measuring spoons, spatula or wooden spoon, kitchen thermometer, mixing bowl, hand-held mixer and designated well-sanitized bottle for your tanning lotion.
Instructions
Measure out all your ingredients except for fragrance oils and set them aside.
Mix distilled water, glycerin, guar gum, aloe vera gel and ethoxydiglycol in a heat-resistant beaker.
Turn on your stove top and place the beaker to low heat till 160 Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile take out another heat-resistant beaker and add your watermelon seed oil, glyceryl stearate, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone and vitamin E acetate and heat the mixture to 160 Fahrenheit as the temperature of the first beaker.
Cool your two beakers to 100 Fahrenheit and pour your mixtures in a clean mixing bowl then blend them together with a hand-held mixer at low to medium speed till smooth.
Dissolve dihydroxyacetone in water before you mix it with other ingredients.
Add dihydroxyacetone, phenoxyethanol and citric acid. Blend well with the hand-held mixer.
Add your favorite fragrance oil to the mixture and mix well.
Pour your mixture in a designated well-sanitized bottle and close with a lid tightly.
Your tanning lotion is ready for use!
About me
Hello, my dear gorgeous! Welcome to my blog and learn with me as you walk in your skincare journey. I'm skincare enthusiast and a student. I like sharing my passion of beauty and skincare with the world. I like blogging, reading and binge watching YouTube vlogs and Netflix during my leisure time.
