Your skin is going to be very red, hot and sore, so is going to need cooling, soothing and moisturising, preferably all in one go. Because your skin is incredibly sensitive when it is burnt, you will need to use a very gentle cream that is not going to aggravate your skin more or even worse cause an allergic reaction as your skin is so sensitive. Look for unperfumed creams or even better gels, as gel will be much more soothing on your skin and will soak in faster. One key ingredient to look for is Aloe Vera, as it is renowned for it’s soothing and healing properties, a tube of Aloe Vera gel kept in the fridge is the perfect thing for sunburn as it will be lovely and cool on your skin helping to take some of the heat out of your burn while it soothes and nourishes your skin.

If you have a large area of sunburn, then taking a very cool bath will help to take some of the heat out of your skin, and this can provide immense relief, just remember not to put any bubble bath in as this may irritate your skin making the situation worse. Once you have got over the initial heat and pain of your sunburn, which should generally be within 24-48 hours, then you will be able to apply a thicker, richer moisturiser to your skin to try and minimise any peeling. Unfortunately peeling is inevitable with most sunburns as the skin has been badly damaged so will dry and flake as part of the healing and regenerating process. However if you keep your skin well moisturised then the peeling won’t be so bad, and also won’t be so noticeable, nothing worse than realising you have large flakes of skin starting to peel off while you are out and about and not able to do anything about it.

Of course the best thing for your skin is to not over expose it to the sun so you can avoid sunburn altogether, but if you do find yourself suffering from sunburn, the best thing to do is to use a good skin care cream to give your skin the care it needs.

Even those that follow a wonderful skin care regime can find they have patches of darker skin here and there, and this is referred to by dermatologists as hyper-pigmentation. Providing you have ruled out some of the internal factors that can cause hyper-pigmentation such as excessive iron intake, deficiency of some vitamins such as A, B and E or even hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause, then you should be able to effectively even out your skin tone with one of the many skin brightening creams that are on the market.

There are many skin care creams that claim to be able to give you a smoother, clearer, fresher looking complexion with regular use, with most being able to give results within around 3 weeks of consistent use. However, for significantly darker patches, you may well need to use your brightening creams for up to a year to get a perfect skin tone. There are many different types of creams available, so you will be able to pick and choose one that suits you best. The most common active ingredient in skin lightening creams is Hydroquinone, however some people find they are not able to tolerate this on their skin. If you find that you seem to be having a reaction of some kind to a skin lightening cream that has Hydroquinone as it’s active ingredient, then you should discontinue use and look for a cream that has ingredients such as glycolic acid or tretinoin in.

It is worth remembering that you are in effect bleaching your skin everso slightly when using these kinds of creams, so if you have sensitive skin you should always test the cream on a small area of facial skin first. Many companies offer free samples so you can try their products before you buy, just so you can be sure it is compatible with your skin. Take advantage of these offers and try out a few creams so you can find the one that suits your skin best in terms of leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth. It is always important, no matter what kind of skin care cream you are looking to buy, to make sure that it is right for your skin and that you are going to get maximum benefits from it.

As winter draws nearer, and our summer holidays are starting to fade in our memories, finding a skin care cream that can give our skin a little bit of a glow becomes a priority for many of us. There is nothing worse than looking back over your holiday pictures to see yourself tanned and smiling, only to realise that your tan has faded to nothing, and your skin is starting to look a bit dull and lack lustre. This is where self tanning moisturisers step in to save the day, they have been around for a couple of years now, stepping in to rescue those of us who have either fallen foul of a shocking fake tan, or who have seen enough shocking fake tans to not even want to think about giving it a go. Self tanning moisturiser claim to allow you to build up a lovely golden glow, with no risk of streaks, patches or strange orange hues gracing you with their presence.

There are many different gradual tan moisturisers on the market now, with more appearing as their popularity increased, so the question now is which one is the best. Let’s take a look at some of the main players in the self tan moisturiser market to see how they perform.

Garnier Summer Body

This comes in two different shades, one for pale to medium skin and one for medium to dark skin so you can decide on your tan level. It smells quite sweet, and may even get a bit sickly if you are not one for sweet smells, but this does fade so it’s of no great concern. It’s a lovely moisturiser and goes on very easily, although you can’t really see where you have applied it as it is white, and absorbs very quickly. Garnier summer body has a nice consistency, which makes it very easy to apply and within about 5 minutes it feels like it has soaked in and there is no sticky “fake tan” feeling. It does give a good, even colour, with no hint of orange, and doesn’t really need to be used every day as the colour builds quickly and easily – you could probably get away with using it 2 or 3 times a week and maintain a lovely tanned glow.

Dove Summer Glow

This also has two different shades, fair to medium and medium to dark. It smells OK, although does have a little hint of fake tan smell about it, but nothing to overpowering. It goes on very easily, but again it is difficult to see where you have applied it as it is a pinky/white cream that disappears on application. The drying time seems to be a bit of an issue with this one, and it says on the bottle not to get dressed until the moisturiser has soaked in, which it never quite seems to do. There is a definite feeling of stickiness left over, and this doesn’t really go until you have showered. The colour is nice, but if you don’t apply enough then you are in danger of getting streaks, and of course you won’t know this until the next day. Still a good product, but needs to be treated with similar caution as full on fake tan – exfoliate and moisturise before applying, paying particular attention to dry areas such as knees and elbow to make sure they don’t go orange.

Johnsons Holiday Skin

This also comes in two shades, fair to medium and normal to darker. With the distinct smell of fake tan it can be a little overpowering, but if you use it at night then only you will be able to smell it! This goes on very nicely, although as with all these products it is a white cream so you cna’t really see where you have applied it. The moisturising aspect of Johnsons Holiday Skin is great, it leaves your skin feeling wonderuflly soft and silky. The colour however isn’t so hot. Unfortunately it seems to rub off on clothes and towels etc. after application, so not something to put on first thing in the morning if you are intending to wear light clothes. It is also a bit on the sticky side, although this does wear off after a couple of hours. It does give a lovely golden tan, but seems to go a bit streaky/patchy if you use it for a few days in a row, and starts to build up a bit of an orange hue. Definitely one to use two or three times a week, before going to bed so you can restrict the dodgy smell and colour transference to your bed.

Out of these three it seems to be Garnier Summer Body that delivers the best results, with minimal smell, stickiness and risk of streaks and for a reasonable price too – all of these self tan moisturisers retail at around £4, although you will find many shops have great offers on them from time to time, so if you have found one you really like then snapping up a couple of bottles while it is on offer is a good idea. If you are looking for a nice glow throughout the winter, and don’t want to subject your skin to sunbeds or risk a full fake tan, than you could do far worse than investing in a good bottle of skin care cream that lets you build up a tan as you moisturise.

There are other factors that can add to us having a less than rosy complexion, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, dehydration and lack of sleep.  All these things attack our skin not just from the outside but the inside too. Dehydrated skin is going to look thin and dull, and this can’t be cured with any kind of miracle cream, drinking water is essential to the health of our skin.

If you are making sure you have a good diet and are drinking plenty of water then your skin is going to be in good condition on the inside, you can then focus on helping your skin look it’s best by giving it some extra care on the outside. Many creams contain vitamins and anti-oxidants that can help smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and can boost the appearance of your complexion, or if you feel your skin needs a little more help there are some brilliant skin oils that can give dry skin a much needed boost.

It is important to understand there is a difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin. Dehydrated skin cannot be made better with any kind of cream or oil as it needs moisture from the inside, it it the actual cells that form the structure of your skin that are in need of moisture which can only come from inside i.e. drink water. Dry skin is skin that has suffered at the hands of the elements and pollution and can be helped with skin care creams as it is the outside of the skin that needs help.
Using a good skin care cream that matches your skins needs is a great step towards helping slow the aging process, making sure you look and feel great about your skin and how it is representing you – after all your face is one of the first things people see when they interact with you.