How to Get a Tan in Winter

If you’d like a beautifully bronzed look in the winter months, you’ve come to the right place. Get your skin glowing even when it’s snowing.

WINTER TAN

Tanning in the Winter

As the days grow shorter and colder, you may find yourself missing the balmy summer months for a number of reasons - not least because getting a lovely, radiant tan is not as simple as heading outside and enjoying the sunshine for a few hours every day. The reduced exposure to sunlight in the winter makes getting a tan the natural way a near-impossibility in much of the Northern Hemisphere.

As a consequence, you may find yourself giving up on the idea of getting or maintaining a tan during the winter months. The good news is that there are lots of ways in which you can get a tan despite the reduced sun exposure in winter.

HOW TO GET A TAN IN WINTER

Self-tanning tips

If you decide that you want to apply self-tanner, start by exfoliating your skin: use NIVEA Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub to remove excess dead skin cells. Exfoliating before tanning removes dead skin cells, which means that your skin should serve as a good base for the tanning solution. This will make it easier to apply your tan evenly and ensure that it lasts for longer.

Then, apply NIVEA Q10 Firming + Radiance Gradual Tan Moisturiser. Use our tan moisturiser every other day for a fresh, summery scent to brighten up the winter months. You’ll also enjoy 48 hours’ moisturisation that will keep your skin feeling smooth and soft.

Our tan moisturiser is appropriate for fair skin and medium skin, and is most effective if you apply it in the following way:

Apply the lotion to your body in sections: gently massage into your skin in a circular motion, and apply in sections. You may find it easiest if you start with your arms, before moving on to your torso and legs. Wash your hands with NIVEA Rich Moisture Soft Hand Wash after you have completed each section.
Dilute the areas around the joints: your elbows, ankles and knees often absorb lots of lotion, so it’s best if you rub these areas with a damp towel in order to dilute the tanning effect
Leave enough time for it to dry: wait for at least 10 minutes before you get dressed.

We recommend that you use our self-tanning lotions, as they provide a safe and easy way to get your skin glowing again, regardless of your skin type.

We advise against the use of tanning beds, which use UV light to tan the surface of your skin, because the UV rays can be harmful to your skin and cause skin cancer. Frequent usage of tanning beds is a bad idea, especially if you have fair skin.

WINTER TAN

How to keep your tan in the winter

If, on the other hand, you already have a gorgeous tan and want to preserve it over the winter period, you need to do things rather differently:

lady inspecting her winter tan while sitting on the sofa

3 Tips To Maintain Your Tan

Avoid exfoliating: removing skin cells can take your lovely tanned look with them. If you can’t be without your exfoliation routine, try to exfoliate only once a week.
Eat healthily: foods that are full of beta-carotene, such as spinach, carrots and kale, can help you maintain your tan, and antioxidant-rich food can help your skin stay healthy. Find out more about the best foods for skin today.
Stay hydrated: without providing your body with adequate hydration, your skin won’t be as healthy, and the rate at which you shed your skin cells might increase - which, as we’ve seen, can cause your tan to fade. Drink plenty of water from November through to February, and stock up on celery, cucumbers and melons to give your body the healthy hydration that it needs.