Conversely, we won’t tell you to stay away from the pool. Rather, we’ll help you combine both activities. You will learn how to mitigate the fading of your tan while you swim around. The article is based on several months of research. In fact, according to our policies, we don’t want self tanners to prevent you from living your best life.
Self tanners have come to make human lives better, and not to replace any activities. At the same time, we don’t want you to get things twisted. Of course, swimming in a pool will fasten the fading of your tanner. However, there are a few tips to reduce the rate. After all, whether you swim or not, it’s only a matter of days before the tanner starts fading out on its own.
How To Stop A Fake Tan from Coming Off In A Pool?
Take Short Dives, Invest Heavily On Moisturizers, Apply A Gradual Tanner, Reduce The Number Of Times You Swim In A Pool and Choose A Self Tanner That Is Less Reactive.
You need to understand that swimming pools contain chlorine and other chemicals, and these chemicals will react with the DHA (dihydroxyacetone) in your tanner. Remember, DHA is the main active ingredient in all self tanners. This is the compound that darkens the pigments of the skin to the user’s satisfaction.
When the chemicals in a pool react with your tanner, it fades the tanner and lighten your skin. Logically, it means the duration of the tanner on your body will be reduced. Let’s assume that each time you take a dive into any swimming pool, the duration of your tanner is reduced by a day. Also, chlorine dries up the skin, leaving the tanner to flake up, dry out, and fade out much faster.
Since some swimming pools contain more chemicals than others in varying quantities, some pools will impact your tanner faster and more than others.
Furthermore, ocean water may contain little or no chlorine but it contains a high amount of salt and this can also react with your tanner. So, what you can do is to find a way to reduce the impact of the chemicals on your tan. Here are a few ways to achieve that.
1. Take Short Dives
Over the years, research has shown that the longer you stay in a pool at a stretch, the more you lose your tan. We tested this theory a little deeper and found it to be true. We also found out something interesting and we’ll talk about it now.
We told one of our tanned test volunteers to stay in particular swimming pool for a straight 1 hour. And we told another tanned volunteer to spend only 10 minutes in the same pool, come out, wait for 10 minutes before swimming for another 10 minutes. She swam in the pool for 10 minutes six times with 10-minute intervals in between her swimming sessions.
You know what we found out? The volunteer that stayed in the pool for 1 straight hour lost more tanner than the one that took six 10-minute swimming sessions. Remember that both of them spent a total of 60 minutes in the same pool. Also, they rubbed the same self tanner on their bodies the day before the test. We made sure that the tanner had developed fully before they took the dives.
So, if you want to preserve or maintain your fake tan, it is better to take multiple short swimming sessions. This is what we found out from the test.
2. Invest Heavily On Moisturizers
All swimming pools contain chlorine in varying quantities. And the chemical is known for drying up the skin. If your skin dries, your tanner won’t be spared. It will dry and fade out. So, you should always moisturize your skin immediately after every swimming session.
When you get out of the pool, the first thing is to dry your skin from pool water. After that, apply your moisturizer on your skin immediately. Of course, nothing stops you from taking your moisturizing lotion to the pool side. That way, you’ll be able to apply it immediately after wiping your body. Remember, the longer it takes you to hydrate your skin, the more your tan will dry.
3. Apply A Gradual Tanner
Instead of applying a tanner once, you may go for a gradual build-up approach. This way, you’ll be able to apply your tanner every day and after every swimming session. If you lose a little tan, re-applying it will help to replenish the golden glow.
Some users have smartly taken this tip a step further. They mixed their self tanners with their moisturizing lotions. So, they rubbed the mixture after every swimming session. They’re able to kill two birds with a stone. Applying the mixture is a way to tan and moisturize their skin at the same time.
4. Reduce The Number Of Times You Swim In A Pool
Instead of abstaining from swimming pools, we will advise you to only reduce the number of times you hit the swimming pool. It is logical. The fading of your tanner is directly proportional to the number of times you hit the pool.
5. Choose A Self Tanner That Is Less Reactive
After testing numerous self tanners, we can tell you that some of them fade off faster than others in a swimming pool because they are much more reactive to chlorine and other chemicals. You may go after the less reactive ones. They’ll fade out much more slowly.
Now that we have discussed a few tips on how to reduce the fading of your tanner while swimming in a pool, it’s time to answer some carefully selected frequently asked questions.
Will A Fake Tan Come Off In Swimming Pools?
The simple answer is yes and no. Yes, a little bit of your tan will come off, and no, not everything will wash off. This is because every pool contains chlorine and other chemicals. Chlorine will dry up your skin and its tan, while the other chemicals will react with the tan and make it fade. So, you have three clear choices at any given time.
- Stay away from pools after sun tanning.
- Reduce the number of times you play in a pool.
- Apply the tips above to reduce the rate of fading of your tan.
So, you must bear in mind that each time you, take a dip into a swimming pool, you’ll lose a bit of your tan. The way to mitigate this is up to you.
Is There A Fake Tan That Doesn’t Come Off In Chlorine?
The honest answer to this question is no. There’s no fake tan that does not react with chlorine. We have already told you why. The active ingredient in every self tanner is DHA and this compound reacts with the chemicals used in purifying the pools.
However, some of them come off faster than others. So, in addition, to the tips above, you may search for a self tanner that does not come off fast in swimming pools. Unfortunately, you may have to try several self tanners before you stumble on the one that fits your need.
Can You Swim In A Pool With A Self Tanner?
Yes, you can. By now, you should already know that swimming in a pool will make you lose a little of your tan and lighten your skin slightly. The more you swim in a pool, the more your tanner will fade out. So, you can avoid pools, reduce your pool dives, or find a way to reduce its fading.
Why Does My Self Tanner Come Off In A Pool?
That’s because every pool contains chlorine and other chemicals. The chlorine will dry out your tan while the other chemical will also react with your tan, dissolving some of it and making your skin slightly lighter. Every pool contains some chemicals for purification. So, you can either stop swimming in your pool or apply the tips we discussed above.
Will Sunscreen Ruin Fake Tan?
No, sunscreen does not ruin a fake tan. They have different functions. Fake tanners give you a tan and sunscreen protects your skin from the UV rays of the sun. In fact, we advise people to protect their skin with sunscreen even after applying a self tanner. So, you can apply sunscreen to your newly tanned skin.
If you’ll be going out under the sun often, then the application of sunscreen becomes a necessity and not an option.
Final Thoughts
Instead of staying away from swimming pools because of your tan, you can reduce the number of times you play in the pool, apply a moisturizer after every swimming session, or apply a self tanner after every session. Nevertheless, staying away from swimming is still the best way to prevent you from losing your tan in a pool.
