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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Suffolk chapter.

 

Everyone loves summer vacation and having a healthy glow when they come back to school. But how long will your tan last into the school year? When will it start to fade?

Bronzed skin begins when the sun activates color pigments in the epidermal (top) layer of your skin. As time goes on, the bronzed color will only last between six to ten days due to the natural change of cells. We’re here to help prolong your tan with these six easy tips to maintaining that summer glow into the school year: 

1.     Cool Showers: taking hot showers can dehydrate your skin faster. Stick with cool showers, and use an in shower moisturizer. OLAY Ultra Moisture In-Shower Body Lotion is a good choice and it is about $6 at Wal-Mart.

2.     Moisturize! There is no better way to keep your summer glow than to make sure your skin is well hydrated. To keep glowing, it is recommended that you use a body butter and a daily body lotion. We recommend Burt’s Bees Mango and Orange Body Butter. This summer fragrance will take you right back to those warm summer days, and its only about $13 dollars at Target. For a daily lotion, we suggest Aveeno Moisturizer with SPF 15, to protect your skin and keep it hydrated. This moisturizer can be found for $11.99 at CVS. Lastly, do not forget to moisturize your face and neck! For these parts it is best to choose a face lotion fit best to your skin type.

3.     Exfoliate: Due to the build up of dull, dehydrated surface cells, it is important to exfoliate at least once a week to remove this layer. This can also prepare your skin for future tanning/self-tanning. It is best to use a sponge loofah with a long handle to reach all the spots on your back. We recommend the Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub from the Body Shop (for normal skin) for only $20. The Body Shop is also a great place to shop for many other body scrubs for all skin types.

4.     Gradual Tan: Instead of spending $30+ dollars on a spray tan that only lasts for 4-7 days, we recommend Jergens Natural Glow, a self tanner that is easy to apply just once a day. This tanner comes in two shades, fair to medium and medium to dark. It also contains a cellulite-fighting collagen and elastin to help keep your skin firm. This is only $8.49 at drugstore.com.

5.     Drink Water: Water is essential to your body, not to just keep your organs healthy, but also to hydrate your skin. Adding a few slices of cucumber to your water helps boost the flavor as well as keep your skin clear because of the antioxidants and silica infused in your water from the cucumber.

6.     White on White on White: Wearing white and lighter colors helps make you look tanner. It gives the illusion that you are tanner than you really are. So wear lighter colors and add a little bronzer to your face to make your tan pop. Clinique True Press Bronzer is lightweight and natural looking. There are three different shades that can all be found at Macy’s for $26. 

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Ellie Hawkins is a graduate of Suffolk University. She received a BA with Magna Cum Laude honors in print journalism. Ellie is an alumni of Theta Phi Alpha-Gamma Lambda chapter. During her time at Suffolk she was involved with The Suffolk Journal and the Journey Program. Journey is a leadership program that focuses on four focal points: leadership training, involvement, career exploration and service. She volunteered at the Paulist Center Soup kitchen and is still doing so today. Ellie recently went to El Salvador, in January, to help with Habitat for Humanity through her schools Alternative Winter Break program. Ellie enjoys photography, skiing, golf, and watching movies in her free time. Ellie is fortunate enough to live in one of the best cities in the world: Boston. This city provides her with many opportunities from having a marketing internship at the Franklin Park Zoo to taking long walks on the Charles river and exploring the city. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid in the summer of 2013 at the other Suffolk University location. My dream job is to either travel while writing about the different experiences I have or have a job at Discovery Communications in the PR department.
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Originally from Connecticut, Erica attends Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a senior, majoring in public relations, and minoring in marketing. She founded Suffolk's chapter of Her Campus along with co-Campus Correspondent, Mackenzie Newcomb. has interned at a few start-up companies including Quincy Apparel and Good to Go Organics. She was also a public relations intern at Regan Communications Group, and is currently the advertising/marketing intern at The Improper Bostonian Magazine. Erica also works on Newbury Street at Jack Wills University Outfitters, a British clothing company that is expanding across America. She is very interested in the world of fashion, and hopes to make it big doing marketing/PR for a fashion magazine or as a publicist in New York City or LA upon graduation. In her free time, she enjoys shopping, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, reading, writing, and dancing.