I have 99 problems, and a natural ability to get a golden tan ain't one. At the beginning of every summer, I think to myself: this summer I'm gunna be natural - that means I get to a darker shade of white, all by myself. Then I see all the tan, glowing people walking around, and I want to get my tan on, too.
I've tried everything! Sometimes they work, sometimes they streak, they all smell. Some are less offensive than others, but they all have that same, self tanner chemical smell.
When I got the opportunity to try Dear Baby Self Tanner and I saw the ONLY two ingredients are henna and black tea, I thought it would be worth a try!
According to the Dear Baby Etsy Website:
"This dihydroxyacetone (DHA)-free formula contains completely natural ingredients like organic black tea and henna...With just these natural ingredients, Dear Baby Self Tanner is safe to use when pregnant. I am not pregnant, but love the idea it is always safe to use, and not toxic or noxious! They carry through with their philosophy of pregnancy-safe, nontoxic ingredients to all their products, such as their Natural Hair Growth Treatment that Jackie recently reviewed.
100% Natural, Cruelty FREE, 100% Vegan Henna Powder. Our source provides us with a completely pure and fresh, pesticide-free, zero chemical, and zero metallic salt henna powder."
The Dear Baby Etsy site says the "henna has a lovely natural orange-red hue, which is balanced by the brown of the tea to create a beautiful rich golden tan."
Finally I got a day off so I could try this out! The instructions warn not to dress until it dries fully because it may stain clothing.
The Dear Baby Self Tanner comes in powder form in a glass bottle. Instructions say to fill to the 'fill line' and shake until well mixed. Then to add lemon juice for a darker tan. So I bought a lemon - bring on the tan, baby!
I was disappointed that there is not a spray top as advertised on the Dear Baby Etsy website. When I asked about it I was told they need to update their listing, as they are phasing out the sprayer. Sad face.
Washed, scrubbed, and buffed, I mixed water to the fill line and fresh squeezed some lemon juice into the bottle. I did ask myself if I was using too much lemon juice? Too little?
I squeezed a lemon quarter, just some of it until juice started to dribble on my fingers. My hand smelled lemony fresh. The contents of the bottle smelled of slight lemony goodness....and not much more. No bad smell.
The ultimate test is my husband's nose. I never tell him when I've gone to the salon for a spray tan, or have put on a lotion to add some glow He tells me I smell bad, and reminds me to never put "it" on again. He said, so smelled, nothing!
When applying the Dear Baby Self Tanner mixture, it was way more runny than I thought it would be. I used a cotton square to spill some from the bottle, then run the square up and down my leg. I did try to put some straight on my leg, and rub it in with my hand, but it would spill off my leg onto the counter, creating quite a mess.
I was worried about tanning my palms as I went, so after every time I rubbed some self tanner on to my leg, I would rinse and dry my hand. I was surprised to see barely a hint of color remained, only noticeable to my sister when I pointed it out. A plus!
The Dear Baby Self Tanner dried within a few minutes. I waited about 10 to get dressed, just to make sure I wouldn't stain my clothes.
Right away I could see a small difference in color. I knew from the Etsy site that the self tanner would take 24 hours to reach its full potential.
Sadly, for me that was about the same as the initial assessment. There was a tint, a glow, but not the "rich golden tan" I was expecting.
I looked back at the site and saw where it mentioned you could spray layers. I guess I forgot that part as I knew there was no sprayer.
I wish the packaging included written instructions, with best practices (like layers, and how much lemon juice to add), instead of just the bottle. Again, there are tips on the website, and I referred back a handful of times before attempting to apply the tanner, but something in front of me would have been more convenient. Were I to use this again, I would put it into a spray bottle to take advantage of the ability to layer, and to reduce the mess of applying it.
Dear Baby Self Tanner is sold on the Dear Baby Etsy website, and retails for $15.00.
I would not mind trying this product. I like that it is made with henna and black tea. Even a hint of color would make me happy right now!
ReplyDeletetwinkle at optonline dot net
I've never tried any products like this before, but it sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a way to keep down the damage to your skin. Thanks for sharing it at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your review with us! I've never heard of this product, but it sounds interesting. Thank you for sharing it with us at the Brag About It Link party!
ReplyDeleteI could see a bit of difference with your skin. Sounds like an interesting product, unsure if it'll work for me since I have a darker complexion. #ProductReviewParty
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try this! for a light tan. I haven't used self tanner lately, but when I do I usually water it down, so this being runny doesn't bother me, it can make it better, actually.
ReplyDelete