Last week, we gave you suggestions for safe, natural sunless tanning lotion. But if you want to be absolutely sure the ingredients you're putting on your skin are safe, you could also try making your own with ingredients that are right under your nose. You can get a bronzed look from all-natural items in your pantry (no trip to the pharmacy with lists of chemicals to avoid required). Basically, you've got two options for an all-natural, DIY tan: tea or cocoa.
The tea tanner will last longer (three or four days from application), whereas the cocoa tanner will wash off as soon as you shower or swim. All of it reminds me a little too much of dying my hair with kool-aid in junior high (never a pretty process), but if you really want to know what's going into your tanning lotion-and save some money, too-you can't really beat a concoction you make in your own kitchen. Here's how to pantry tan:
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Tea Tanning
What you need: black tea bags, water, sesame oil and lanolin (a waxy substance derived from sheep's wool)
How to make it:
• Boil 3/4 cup water.
• Steep 3-4 bags black tea in water for five to 10 minutes.
• Pour ¼ cup tea in blender or food processor.
• Add ¼ cup sesame oil and ¼ cup lanolin
• Blend slowly, adding the rest of the tea
Application:
• Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray-coat skin, or apply with a sponge
• Wait 'til it dries completely before dressing so it doesn't stain clothes
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Cocoa Color
What you need: ¼ cup cocoa powder; 1 cup of any sort of natural, white lotion
How to make it:
• Mix the cocoa and the lotion
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