It’s officially summertime! And while you may be ecstatic about all of summer’s awesomeness, you – like us – may not be so keen to show off your haven’t-seen-the-sun-in-years, paler-than-pale legs.
At the same time, if you’re super pale – spending time in the sun for a natural tan is out of the picture since sunburn is more likely than a bona fide tan. So how does a pale beauty get her tan on quickly, effectively and most importantly – safely?
Well, we’ve been experimenting and rounded up the best all natural self tanners. They’re natural, formulated with organic ingredients and depending on which organic sunless tanner you use – they’ll get you anywhere from ‘golden glow’ to ‘baked in the tropics.’
Without further ado…
What’s the Best All Natural Self Tanner? Our Top 3 Picks!
1. Natural Self Tanner by Suntegrity
This is probably our favorite natural self tanner, especially if you’re looking to get just a sun-kissed sort of tan. Why? It gives the the perfect, very natural, glow-y, golden tan. It’s not crazy dark, no orange-ness – just a golden glow that looks like you spent just the right amount of time under a tropical sun.
Another huge perk is that it actually lasts. The color took some time to build up – you’ll start seeing yourself ‘darkening’ after a few hours and your skin will keep self-tanning itself for a few more hours afterward. The color you have after about a day or so is as dark as you’ll get on this self tanner – and it’ll last for over a week.
We noticed the fading began after after a week and a half and it was a very gradual fade-out – no splotches, streaks, just an even fading of color.
Our favorite thing about this self tanner, though, is that you get a LOT of skin-benefitting goodness along with the natural tan. Scour the ingredients list below and you’ll find tons of moisturizing ingredients as well as buckets of antioxidants.
Oh, and it does contain fragrance – that’s how it gets that yummy berry smell – but rest assured it’s phthalate-free and natural. As for the preservatives, yes, it has them, but they’re natural and among the safest currently available.
Price: Get it for $36
Ingredients: Water (Reverse Osmosis), Dihydroxyacetone (eco-certified Vegetan from sugar beets), Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Whole Leaf, Natural Fragrance, Natural Color, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Organic Simmodsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Organic Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Gluconolactone (and) Sodium Benzoate, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Botanical Extracts: Organic Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Berry Extract, Organic Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Extract, Organic Chamomilia Recutia (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Organic Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Fruit Extract, Organic Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Organic Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract, Organic Pyrus Malus (Apple) Extract, Organic Camellia Sinesis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Organic Garcinia Mangostana (Mangosteen) Peel Extract, Organic Morinda Citrifolia (Noni) Extract, Organic Passiflora Ircarnata (Passion Flower) Extract, Organic Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, Organic Camellia Sinesis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Organic Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Organic Extra Virgin Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter (From Organically Grown Seed), Sodium PCA, Ethylheyxlglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Vitamin E (D-alpha Tocopherol), Organic Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Oil
2. Coconut Milk Self Tanner by Whish
If you – like us – are a fan of two-in-one deals – you’ll want to scoop up this natural self tanner. Whish’s Coconut Milk Self Tanner does what it’s supposed to – gives you a gradual, golden, streak-free tan. And it’s not a golden glow like many other all-natural self tanners – expect to get several shades darker with this one!
But it also goes beyond that – this self tanner is also a skin tightener and it’s packing clinically proven ingredients like Seaweed Extract, Coffee Arabica Extract and Kigelia African Fruit Extract to increase your skin’s firmness by up to 32% in 8 weeks.
Extra perks? It’s full of moisturizing ingredients and smells seriously delish – which is rare in the world of self tanners. Oh, and of course it’s all natural, made with organic ingredients, and paraben-, sulfate-, DEA & TEA-, petrochemical-, and phthalate-free. Not tested on animals.
Price: Get it for $30
Ingredients: Water (Aqua, Eau), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dihydroxyacetone, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyl Dimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Propanediol, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate-60, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf (Ochamomile) Extract, Quillaja Saponaria (Soap Bark) Extract, Kigelia Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Algae (Seaweed) Extract, Pullulan, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance (Parfum), Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
3. Beach Colors by Caribbean Solutions
We love this organic self tanner for a few reasons – first off, it’s all-natural. And it’s very, very affordable (this is the best organic self tanner at this price range). On top of that, it doesn’t make you orange. But our favorite thing about this is how easy it is to use on a consistent basis.
To be fair – you’re not going to get crazy shades of dark from this. You’ll get maybe 2 shades out of it and you will have to apply every other day or so to keep your color. But it is moisturizing (it’s got organic aloe and organic shea butter, after all), easy to use (like a lotion), and fast drying. Plus, it gives you a lovely, natural looking glow even if you’re really, really white that is actually natural.
Application? It goes on colorless and doesn’t stain clothes. No streaking, either. The downsides? It doesn’t smell so great but the lack of phthalate-laden fragrances more than make up for that.
Price: Get it for $13
Ingredients: Organic aloe leaf (aloe barbadensis), natural derivative DHA, organic shea butter (butyrospermum parkii fruit), organic squaline oil, cucumber (cucumis sativus extract), mandarin oil (citrus nobilis peel oil), natural vitamin E from corn (tocopherol) sorbate/vegetable grade, essential oil
Runner Up: Organic Sunless Tanner by My Skin’s Friend
This is one of the best organic self tanners ever created (and probably the most natural self tanner) – the only downside is the price. It’s clean, simple, totally natural, made with organic ingredients and produces a deep golden, non-orange, caramel-ish realistic tan. Fairly long-lasting, too (about a week).
Keep in mind it could take a few days for the tan to really set in. You’ll want to do about 2 to 3 applications to get the color you want and then use every several days to maintain the color.
Price: Get it for $30
Ingredients: Fresh spring water, organic hand-filleted aloe vera, sugar extracted DHA, raspberry extracted erythrulose, certified organic jojoba esters, certified organic lecithin, bio-extracted wild crafted chaga mushroom, bio-extracted wild crafted frankincense, bio extracted water soluable certified organic cocoa, quaking aspen tree bark, bio-extracted horse radish root
Tips to Get the Perfect Glow with Your Natural Self Tanner
Just a few little tips and tricks to get the most out of your natural self tanner – I mean, these things cost money! Better get the best glow you can, yea?
- Always shower, shave and exfoliate before applying your natural self tanner! Check out natural exfoliants you probably have around the house to do this with 🙂
- Unless you think it’s fun to have super dark elbows, knees and feet – really slather on a thick, rich cream on these areas (elbow, knees, FEET, and even your nails) before you apply tanner.
- Don’t want orange palms? Wear gloves when you’re applying your body and after you do your wrists and hands – wipe down your palms immediately on a hand towel or with wipes.
- Streaks suck. To get a streak-free tan, apply your natural self tanner in circular motions, making sure you’re rubbing it in evenly.
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