Is it ok to swim with a spray tan? And does chlorine actually turn your hair green? Whether you’re holidaying or at home the hot months of summer can bring plenty of beauty confusion. From the golden rules of tanning to the how-tos of hair removal, there’s a lot of #fakenews out there. Not sure how to tell the fact from the fiction? We’ve busted this summer’s biggest beauty myths so you don’t have to. Read on to find out more…
By Jo Hoare
-
1 You can stay out in the sun all day if you’re wearing SPF
WRONG
Whilst slapping on the SPF means you can enjoy the sun for longer you still need to be careful. Noella Gabriel Co-Founder and Creator of ELEMIS Spa Therapies says: “Having excess sun exposure will leave your skin feeling dehydrated, this kind of external factor can also cause pigmentation and most importantly too much sun also puts us at risk from UV-related ageing causing fine lines and wrinkles and skin cancer in the cases of greater over exposure.” A nourishing facial the week you’re home will cure the holiday blues and put back some much needed moisture.
-
2 You can’t tan through a spray tan
WRONG
Course you can! It’s not a raincoat! Celebrity tanning expert @julesvonhep explains why: “Spray tanning does not protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. Therefore you will achieve a tan from the sun even with a spray tan on but you must wear SPF to protect your skin while you build colour.” Booking a spray tan just before your holiday is a perfect way to ensure a little more confidence on swimsuit day number one and as it fades your natural tan will have built up.
-
3 You don’t need a specific after sun, body lotion is the same
WRONG
So says the person who has never slapped on a body lotion full of petroleum and realised it’s literally basting their skin…Some moisturisers trap in heat so buying one specifically for post sun exposure is pretty key.
-
4 You can’t swim with a spray tan
WRONG (ISH)
Chlorine will break down your spray tan quicker than shower/bath water (note this means a swim in a chlorinated pool can help fake tan disasters too so take a dip to get rid of those streaky heels or stained palms) but it will fade rather than strip it off. Salt water causes less colour loss so if it’s a choice between the pool and the beach you might wanna opt for that shoreside cabana to fight the fade. When you’re home a salon body scrub treatment will get rid of the last vestiges of fake tan and remove dead skin, helping your own natural tan look brighter and last for longer.
-
5 You don’t have to reapply water resistant suncream after swimming
WRONG
Sure you don’t. If you haven’t used a towel to dry yourself off. Or touched your skin. Or sat on a lounger. Or got sand on you. It’s not the water washing away your water reisistant SPF but anything coming into contact with your skin rubbing it off. This means a reapplication after a swim is on the safe side.
-
6 Fake tan protects your skin
WRONG
Similar to the myth about not being able to tan through fake tan, it’s another no to this popular myth. Jules dispels it and tells us when to apply too: “Fake tan just gives colour to your amino acids and top layer of your skin, so apply your fake tan at night and in the morning apply SPF.” Let biscuity smelling sheets be the hotel’s problem, not yours….
-
7 You shouldn’t have your hair colour done before you go away
WRONG(ISH)
The reason for this myth is that colour tends to lift and fade in the sun but if you want your hair to look its best on hols and in your holiday pictures (if you don’t Instagram did you even go away?) then have it done before and just make sure you’re really careful about protecting it- FYI you should be doing this anyway unless you want to come home a haystack. Pack hats, headscarves and use SPF protective products and you should keep your colour. If you get back and feel you want a boost then a quick toner at your salon will help.
-
8 Chlorine will turn your hair green
WRONG
Now we’re being a bit pedantic here…and if you’re a light blonde then yes, you may notice a greeny tinge after a pool based holiday but chlorine isn’t the culprit. That dishwatery shade ruining your ‘do is actually down to metal traces found in the water, usually copper (think how that bargain necklace turned your skin green) prevent it happening to you by soaking your hair in clean water before diving in and rinsing as soon as you’re out.
-
9 It doesn’t matter which order you have your wax and spray tan in
WRONG
Waxing acts like the ultimate exfoliant in that it rips off your dead skin cells along with your hair so having your spray tan just before your wax means you could be shortening your tans lifespan. So post wax is the optimum time to tan but give it 24 hours, any sooner than that and your pores will still be open and you’ll run the risk of getting those dreaded dark little dots.
-
10 Sunshine is good for spots
WRONG
In some cases a little sunshine can help breakouts or acne but it’s not that simple and anyone with sensitive conditions like rosacea should be extra careful, Noella Gabriel explains why: “The skin becomes so much more vulnerable after excess or unprotected sun exposure. Burning the skin will also cause the sebaceous glands to overproduce sebum and therefore pores will appear larger and open. When the skin’s barrier function has been compromised by excessive sun exposure, the epidermis can react in defence, leading to further redness, sensitivity and further break-outs. Once the skin’s defences are up it can be difficult for it to find balance again.”
-
11 Seawater dehydrates skin
WRONG
Of course seawater dehydrates us if we drink it but if we bathe in it? Not so much.”The minerals from the water and can help pores, balance the overproduction of oils and kill bacteria which will subsequently help increase cell turnover.” Explains Noella Gabriel, but you do need to keep an eye on how long you spend: “too long in the water it will have the opposite effect on the skin and therefore dehydrate skin.”
-
12 IPL is the best hair removal for summer
WRONG
There’s no doubting IPL is a fantastic hair removal method but if you were thinking of having it done over the summer you might want to think again, it’s recommended you stay out of strong sun six weeks before and after treatments so put it off til winter and schedule waxing for now.
-
13 Hair grows faster in the summer
WRONG.
Sorry, we’d love it if we did too but your hair doesn’t conform to a calendar we’re afraid…..