#2: Ενυδάτωση

Το δέρμα μας πρέπει να είναι πολύ ενυδατωμένο για να παρατείνουμε τη διάρκεια του χρυσαφένιου χρώματος της επιδερμίδας μας. Επιπλέον, κάθε φορά που κάνετε  ντουζ μετά την ηλιοθεραπεία, φροντίστε να ενυδατώνετε το δέρμα σας με ξηρό λαδάκι για να «κλειδώσετε» έτσι την υγρασία (αυτό εδώ είναι το αγαπημένο μου).

Summer is here and everyone is craving beach trips and diving into the endless blue. So today I'm rounding up some tips on how to get sunkissed skin. Getting the perfect tan without causing problems to your skin is important and even though you are not at vacation yet, now is the perfect time to start working on that!

# 1: Use Sunscreen

It's obvious, but unfortunately not for everyone. Sunscreen will help you obtain deep tan with duration, otherwise your skin will peel off in a matter of days. Do not forget to refresh it if you stay in the sun for more than 3-4 hours, or swimming. It is also important to keep your face protected with sunscreen too, hat and a pair of sunglasses.

# 2: Hydrate

In order to extend the duration of your tan, your skin must be extremely hydrated. Drink lots of water and don't forget to apply body lotion after you shower, to 'lock' the moisture (this dry oil is my favorite).

# 3: Exfoliate

In order to extend your tan's duration, you have to do a deep body peeling. Now is the time to do a deep body scrub that will help your tan be even without any "patches".

# 4: Eat foods that enhance tanning

It may sounds strange, but there are foods that that can help you tan quickly without the side effects of solar radiation. All you have to do is to put the following food onto your summer diet:
a) Carrots: Contain carotene and are the best food for skin hydration and achieving a sunkissed color.
b) Eggs: The egg yolks are high in vitamin A, which provides a great tan. Also, eggs help revitalize your skin and make it look more radiant and youthful.
c) Cheese: Cheese contains high levels of selenium, which protects us from sunburn and helps us get better tan. White cheeses are richer in selenium than the yellow ones.
d) Apricots: Apricots are rich in B-carotene, which enhance tanning, has antioxidant action and protects the skin.
e) Dark green vegetables: Spinach, broccoli and generally all dark green vegetables besides the benefits they offer to our heart, also help our body with the production of melanin.
f) Oysters: Oysters are rich in copper, which is necessary for a beautiful tan, as it also helps with the production of melanin. If you do not like oysters or you can eat other shellfish, mushrooms or liver.
g) Olive Oil: Olive oil may not help to get sunkissed color, but can help maintain the tan. So use olive oil in your cooking.

#5: Take Time

A healthy and natural tan takes time to develop. Spending one to two hours a day tanning is enough for most people, and will let the tan build on itself. It is recommended to avoid sun exposure during peak hours (generally 12am to 4pm), and tanning during those hours may give you a sunburn.

Wrapping up this post, I'd like to point out the these last years, sun has become quite dangerous. As a matter of fact, scientists say that nowadays sun exposure is more harmful than smoking! So keep yourself safe and try to minimize the sun exposure!