Is tanning only limited to tanning lotions? A tanning lotion might give you the desired tan but is it enough for a long-lasting tan? Tanning lotions might do the job for some hours. If you’re looking forward to a vacation after your tan and show off your beach body, only using the tanning lotion might disappoint you. Tan Extenders are lotions filled with DHA and moisturizing agents. Tan Extending Lotions help you have a long-lasting tan after your tanning sessions and hydrate your skin from the scorching sun. Let’s find out the Best Tan Extender Lotion available.
Tan Extenders do not let your skin dry and keep it hydrated. Dry Skin is unhealthy for tanning and damages your skin. Hydrated and moisturized skin is ideal for tanning, not just before but also after tanning. Dry skin tends to reflect light and causes the tan to fade quickly. Tan Extenders work as moisturizers and support your skin to hold the tan much longer. Tanning Lotions cannot provide a long-lasting tan, but tan extenders only work for the same. Tan Extenders are both for sunless and beach tanning. But you must remember certain things before buying a tan extender. You must never buy any tan extender with glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid as their ingredients.
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Finding Out The Best Tan Extender Lotion In 2021
Parameters
Tan Extenders are an after tanning product that should be used over the tanning lotion for a long-lasting tan. Not just that, a tan extender must have healing properties to reverse any damage that has been caused to the skin. We must remember these factors when it comes to buying a tan extender.
Moisturizing: A tan extender must contain moisturizing properties, ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, etc. Moisturising your skin will help you hold onto your tan much longer. It keeps your skin hydrated and enables you to tan faster as well. After an intense tanning session, our skin dries up and can quickly lose its tan. Moisturizers ensure that the skin is hydrated and ready for the tan to latch itself.
Anti-aging Properties: Tan extenders should be enriched with anti-aging properties. It’s vital as tanning sessions might damage our skin and cause wrinkles and lines on our sensitive skin. Without realizing it, we harm our skin while trying to get tanned and do nothing about it. To recover from the damage that we’ve made our skin go through during tanning, we must use a tan extender with anti-aging properties to ensure our skin’s health along with our bronze tan.
DHA: DHA stands for dihydroxyacetone. It is a type of Omega 3 fat. Naturally found in fish oil and some fatty acids. Recently it is being used in the synthetic format. DHA does help your skin in a lot of ways. It blocks the harmful UV rays coming from the sun and saves your skin from any sunburns. The significant role it plays is that it darkens your skin. After applying your tanning lotion, you will need to use extra protection to stay there for long. Prolonged exposure to the sun is harmful and may lead to significant sunburns and skin cancer. DHA might be present in your tanning lotion, but what harm does it do to have it in both.
Bronzer: Some tanning lotions don’t just ensure to make your tan stay but intensify it. Bronzers in the tan extenders increase the tan on your skin along with moisturizing and healing your skin. You must choose the shade you want to be, keeping in mind all the factors. If you feel you want to be darker even after using your tanning lotion, you can go ahead and buy any one of the best tan extender lotion with bronzer in it.
Scent: Scent is also an essential factor when we set out to buy a tan extender. Spending a day at the beach involves lots of sweating and waves. We must have something to combat that smell. Even if our tanning lotion has a good scent, it varies off, and we need something to replace it. A tan extender must smell good for you to relax after applying the lotion satisfactorily.
Types of Tan Extenders
There are two types of tan extending lotions, and they differ in terms of their ingredients.
Tan Extender without Bronzer: Tan extenders without bronzer do not contain any cosmetic or DHA agents to dark your skin. They are primarily to keep your tan intact and moisturize your skin. Dry skin fades off; hence it is vital to moisturize and hydrate your skin after tanning. Colouring agents or synthetic colors are not as essential as the health of our skin.
Tan Extender with Bronzer: Tan extender with a bronzer is famous because it has a synthetic bronzer, giving you a darker color. Bronzer helps you get a sunless tan and prolongs the tan which has already developed. You can use it to your advantage to fill up the patches and avoid going to a spray tan just for that. It gives you an even tan all over your body.
Best Hand-Picked Tan Extender Lotions
Best Tan Extender Lotion | Top 8 Picks
I went through many reviews and customer ratings to pick the top 8 tan extender lotions. They are the hand-picked lotions that have been proving themselves in the market time and again.
Lancaster Tan Maximiser Soothing Moisturiser
Lancaster Tan Maximiser is not a bronzer and purely works as a tan extender. It comes with no added color with the sole intention of maximizing and keeping your present tan intact for a more extended time. It has a secret TAC, which stands for Tan Activator Complex. The TAC is said to increase melanin production in the body.
Increased melanin would give you a more deep and darker tan which can almost last for a month. Users have described it as a “miracle juice” due to its moisturizing properties. It moisturizes your skin and makes sure it doesn’t dry out after a tanning session. The praise doesn’t end there, and it is enriched with anti-aging properties, which would repair any damage your skin went through during tanning and restore healthy skin. It also has a pleasant non-irritating smell to put the cherry on top.
Pros
- Moisturizing
- Anti-aging
- Fights Acne
- Tan Activator Complex included
- Deeper tan
- Hydrates Skin
- Damage Repair
- Paraben-Free
- Sulphates Free
- Brightens Skin
- Environment Friendly
Cons
- Expensive
- Company Recently Changed the Formula
Australian Gold Hemp Nation Moisturising Tan Extender
As the name suggests, Australian Hemp Extender is enriched with Hemp seed oil and fatty amino acids to moisturize your skin and make it silky. We can vouch for the moisturizing properties as it contains shea butter, jojoba oil, and glycerin. These natural ingredients smooth your skin by seeping in the epidermis and spread their magic there. After using the lotion, all the dryness due to tanning would be gone, and you will have silky smooth skin. There could be no way that the lotion did not have age-defying properties. Australian Hemp Moisturising Tan Extender does have age-defying properties and fights against all signs of aging. Also does not let fine lines and wrinkles be visible and heals them silently. Fusion of Vitamin A, E, and B5 has collagen-boosting abilities, promoting cell generation and repairing damaged cells. All the ingredients work in harmony and give excellent results.
Pros
- Moisturizing
- Hydrating
- Long-Lasting Tan
- anti-aging
- Collagen Producing
- Paraben-Free
- Tropical Dream Fragrance
- THC Free
- Lightweight Formula
Cons
- Very Thick
- Can run out soon
Best Tan Extender Lotion with Bronzer| By Devoted Creations
Finally, we have found a bronzer in a tan extender which works wonders. It moisturizes your skin, prolongs and protects your tan. Along with anti-aging properties, it also helps you keep your skin firm. It reduces sagging and makes your skin look firmer, and tightens it. With the addition of silicone and diamond dust, it just doesn’t smoothen your skin but also gives radiance to it. Argan oil helps in aging and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Dead Sea Mineral Complex repairs signs of aging, repairs skin, reverses the aging process, and gives you a better skin tone. Ideal fit technology in it increases elasticity and reduces skin sagging.
Pros
- Silky Smooth Skin
- Radiance
- Bronzer
- Moisturises
- Tightens and firms
- Even Tone
- anti-aging
- Hides Cellulite
- Pink Sugary Smell
- DHA Free
Cons
- Contains Alcohol
- Contains Parabens
- Irritation To Sensitive Skin
Australian Gold Moisture Lock Tan Extender
Another product by Australian Gold is to hydrate and moisturize your skin, along with helping your tan last a long time. It smells like orange and vanilla and makes you feel refreshed. No wonder it is just as delicious for the skin and nourishes it in the best way possible. Including a unique blend of ingredients, it locks moisture in your skin with the help of oils and makes your skin smooth and gliding. It protects your complexion and gives you glowing skin with an even tone.
Again, it tightens skin, and it is non-greasy and easy to apply. Australian Tea Tree Oil helps cleanse your skin with the trio of sunflower seed and olive fruit oils to hydrate and moisturize your skin, giving it a soft finish. Panthenol reduces itching and is a source of Vitamin B.Vitamin E nourishes the skin and boosts collagen production. The important part is that it contains natural tan lockers and keeps you tanned for a long time.
Pros
- Long-Lasting Tan
- Smells Good
- Organic Oils
- Locks Moisture
- Even Tone
- Radiant Skin
- Smooth Skin
- Firms Skin
- Easy To Apply
- Fast Absorbing
- Dye Free
- Gluten-Free
- Alcohol-Free
Cons
- Strong Smell
- Contains Paraben
- Not a User-Friendly Pump
Ed Hardy INK Moisturiser and Tan Extender
Wish to tan but also worry about your tattoo? This tan extender is for you! Ed Hardy Moisturiser and Tan Extender is a super-moisturizing formula that has shea butter and skin firming properties. This long-lasting nourishing cream keeps your tan intact. Along with tanning, it protects and provides nutrients to your skin to heal and repair. All the damage caused due to tanning might fade away thanks to this formula. Lotus Extract is a powerhouse of antioxidants and anti-aging properties, and it tightens your skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It protects the luster of your tattoos and does not fade away from their color. Easy to apply and gets quickly absorbed in your skin. Vitamin E and C boost up collagen production, reducing signs of damage and silently heal your skin.
Pros
- High Moisturising
- Hydrating
- Firms Skin
- Long-Lasting Tan
- Heals Skin
- anti-aging
- Tattoo Protector
- Easy to Apply
- Collagen Producing
- Vegan Product
- Paraben-Free
- Hypoallergenic
Cons
- Added Fragrance
- Contain Alcohol
- Irritating To Sensitive Skin
Maui Island Secret After Tan Sealer
Maui Island Secret After Tan Sealer is a lotion with nourishing properties of aloe and rose hips oil that heals your skin and keeps the skin hydrated. It is said to heal skin from irritation, sunburns, dry air, windburn, and more. It is ideal to use after your tanning session on a beach day. The moisture lock keeps your tan intact and nourishes your skin. The ingredients are mainly designed to heal the skin and protect it from the harmful rays of the sun and the damage caused because of it. Coconut Oil present in it hydrates your skin and keeps the tanning process ongoing. It is antibiotic and dye-free. All the ingredients are organic and cause no harm to the skin. Aloe Extract, Sunflower Oil, Rose Hips Oil, Shea Butter, Passion Flower Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Hawaiian Ginger, Vitamin C, Maui Coffee Extract, Green Tea Extract are the main ingredients. Shea butter and coffee extract moisturize and hydrate the skin, whereas Vitamins present boost collagen production to start the healing process.
Pros
- Moisturizing
- Hydrating
- anti-aging
- Smells Great
- Long-Lasting Tan
- Healing Skin
- Skin Repair
- Gluten-Free
- Dye Free
- Paraben-Free
- Fragrance-Free
Cons
- Not Teen Safe
- Thick Consistency
- Bad Odour
Golden Star Beauty Tan Extender
Golden Star Tan Extender is an organic tan extender lotion that makes your tan last up to 3 days. The formula is infused with aloe vera, argan oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and hyaluronic acid. The oils hydrate and moisturize your skin which helps your tan last longer and gives you silky skin. They replenish and nourish your skin. It is known to reduce tan break up and prevent the tan from fading.
Reduced patching makes sure you have an even tan over your body, and it does not clog your pores and provides smooth skin. Easy to apply and non-greasy. Works for all skin types and especially for dry skin. We usually get dehydrated skin after tanning and need a balance for our skin. The oils and aloe vera present in the formula hydrate and nourish. They also repair our skin from any damage that has occurred.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Moisturizing
- Vegan Product
- Long-Lasting Tan
- Non-Comedogenic
- Paraben-Free
- For All Skin Types
- Non-Greasy
- Easy To Apply
- Cruelty-Free
Cons
- Bad Fragrance
Jergens Natural Glow Tan Extender
Away for the beach weekend? Don’t forget to carry your tan extender. Jergens Natural Tan Extender makes your tan last up to 7 days. Its anti-fading technology delays your tan fading and makes it last for a week. The application should be daily replacing your moisturizer or sunscreen, and it penetrates your skin and keeps it moisturized for a long time. Thicker consistency and the formula could feel greasy. The trick to keeping your tan longer is to keep your skin moisturized because if you don’t moisturize, your skin will dry out, and the tan will eventually fade.
Pros
- Moisturises
- Hydrates
- Dermatologist Tested
- Lightweight
- Paraben-Free
- Cruelty-Free
- Natural Oils
- Vitamin E
Cons
- Bad Fragrance
- Contains Alcohol
Also read: 8 Best Tanning Accelerators to Try in 2021 (Buying Guide)
Closure
Tanning has become a hassle-free process now but letting the tan stay is a problem of its own. We discussed the Best Tan Extender Lotions and came across all the positives and negatives of each. It is imperative we decide the duration of our tan and accordingly think of a milder or stronger tan extender. Since many of them have DHA and antioxidants, many of them are also not good for health. We must be sure of using organic products on our sensitive skin as irritation and redness can spoil our beach day.
For me, the scent of the tan extender becomes very important as there has to be a pungent smell. Beach days involve going in the water and sand lathering on us. We need to have an extender that combats these smells and leaves us smelling great. Rejuvenating properties are essential as, after the tanning session, we need a healing agent to heal all the damage that occurred in the tanning process. Above all, look for a lotion that gives you the longest tan without the use of harmful chemicals and does not let your bronze shade fade away.
A mother who looks after her family and writes for publications in her spare time.