Self-tanning the natural way

I gave up sunbathing many years ago, after a youth spent basking with great relish in the African sun. So ironically, after spending the first half of my life trying to get as dark as possible, I have spent the next half trying to preserve my skin and becoming paler and paler.

But oh how I miss sunbathing and being a glorious, flattering golden hue

And I tanned well. No lobster pink and burning for me. Well that’s not quite true actually.  I did once burn my nose so badly that it peeled 12 times in the course of 3 weeks. I’ve been waiting for it to fall off ever since. Fingers firmly crossed.

But what to do? At the very least it’s nice to have tanned summer legs

Thankfully there is the option of self-tanning.

However self-tanning versus sunbathing can very much be a Sophie’s choice

Do you tan in the sun, thereby ageing your skin and risking cancer or do you plaster your body in a chemical soup that will give you the semblance of a tan while pretty much giving you a toxic overload?

The good news is that the choice has got a whole lot better in recent years, with some decent natural self-tanners beginning to pop up. And I’ve tried quite a few. Some ok and some with a dodgy colour and texture.

But I live in hope and set out to find one that was not only without the toxic mix but that was also organic and nourishing to boot. And gives a great colour. Omg wouldn’t that be amazing?

So I looked and hallelujah, I found my dream product

In Australia. Well not actually “in” as I’ve never been there. More like “from”. That I bought here.

Australia has long been at the fore front of organic beauty

Of course, being Australia, they also know quite a bit about sun and the damage it can cause.

The one I found is by Zuii Organic and it turns out they have a whole host of wonderful sun-tanning products.

I like a daily moisturiser that gently builds a tan

No awful streaking or terrible smells just a gentle build of a great colour. Zuii Organic make a wonderful body lotion that does just that. It’s hydrating and nourishing with wonderful ingredients like bamboo juice, calendula, cucumber, olive oil and lemon peel oil to name a few.

Now anything that changes the colour of your skin can streak, no matter what anyone says

However, this was easy to apply and the effect was smooth and and not at all patchy. Whatever you’re using you need to be careful on your feet. I use a bit of moisturiser round the edges of my feet and apply very sparingly there.

And of course it’s very important to exfoliate before the first application and once a week thereafter. The colour from Zuii Organic is great. Warm and flattering and quite intense for an every day moisturiser so I use it about 3 times a week. The smell is fresh as it goes on but after a few hours there is a very slight self-tan smell as happens with all self-tanners. I like to apply at night, put on pyjamas and shower in the morning. So I do it on nights I’m not going out. Which of course is every single night at the moment!

I absolutely love this product as it ticks all my boxes:

• no toxic chemicals
• organic
• nourishing
• great colour

I will be indulging in some of their other products for sure. They have a few foaming self-tanners and do various products for the face. They even do a dry oil designed to hydrate and extend the life of your self-tanner! That one is definitely on my list.

Zuii Organic Flora Gradual Tan Body Lotion

Zuii Organic Flora Dry Oil Self Tan Extender