How to choose the right tanning lotion for different skin types?

You know, picking the right tanning lotion isn’t some universal formula - it really depends on who you are, your skin tone, and honestly even where you’re planning to tan (indoors, outdoors, beach, whatever). People often overthink it, so let me just break it down in plain English:

• Super fair or sensitive skin (like, the type that goes pink after 5 minutes in the sun)? Don’t mess around, go with something gentle, gradual, and with decent SPF. Moisturizing ones with aloe, vitamin E… your skin will thank you.
• Fair but not ghostly pale (burns but sometimes tans): bronzers with a bit of SPF are a nice middle ground. You’ll still get that glow without totally risking it.
• Medium-ish skin: honestly you’ve got more wiggle room. Accelerators or bronzers with low SPF usually work fine. Indoor, outdoor - doesn’t matter much, just go slow if you don’t want streaks.
• Olive or darker skin (lucky you, burns rarely happen): you can use accelerators or bronzers without SPF if you want a deeper tone. Just keep your skin hydrated - dryness ruins the look.
• Very dark skin: SPF isn’t really a concern here, but moisturizers are still a must. It’s less about color, more about keeping that natural glow and softness.

Oh, and this one gets ignored all the time: exfoliate before you even start. Dry patches = weird blotches. And moisturize after tanning - it’s seriously the difference between a nice even color and “why is my skin peeling already?”

Bottom line: there’s no magic one-size-fits-all lotion. It’s more about finding the one that works with your skin rather than against it. If you’re still not sure, we’ve got a whole section of tanning lotions sorted by skin type. Scroll through, read a couple of reviews, and you’ll probably figure out what feels right.