Does Baby Oil Make You Tan Faster?
If we are being honest, who really has time to spend hours in the sun trying to tan naturally?
Most of us rush from one thing to the next and only find a small amount of free time here and there to tan.
Self-tanners and tanning salons can be expensive and difficult to maintain; some people simply don’t enjoy using them, which is why they turn to the sun for a tan.
However, spending time in the sun can be hot, sticky, and boring.
We live in an age of quick fixes and solutions to all of our problems, and many people swear that using baby oil when tanning actually helps them tan faster.
Is this an old wives’ tale, or is it really a way to speed up tanning?
Also, if it does work, will it ultimately cause more harm than good? Let’s dive into this a bit deeper.
First, let’s quickly address the question you came here for. Does baby oil make you tan faster?
Yes, tanning oil will help you achieve a faster tan. However, you need to be cautious, as baby oil can also amplify UVA and UVB rays, thereby increasing the risks associated with sun exposure.
Does Baby Oil Work For Tanning?
Baby oil does help you tan faster. It is one of the gentler products to use on your skin (not with regard to tanning).
It is essentially a mineral oil but has been combined with moisturisers that help soften and nourish the skin. Baby oil helps to lock in moisture and keep your skin hydrated.
Tans resulting from using baby oil are usually pretty even. You can achieve a more consistent tan using baby oil than with regular tanning oil.
However, you need to be very careful when tanning with baby oil. Read on.
Why Does It Make You Tan Faster?
The baby oil acts as a reflector when on the skin under the sun. It absorbs and reflects light directly onto the skin.
It then amplifies the UVA and UVB rays, making them more intense and powerful, thereby speeding up the tanning process.
It also acts as a medium to help the rays penetrate further into the skin. This is why people who use baby oil in the sun get a browner, deeper tan.
Is It Safe To Use Baby Oil For Tanning?
Whether you wear sunscreen or not, exposure to the sun is always damaging to your skin.
Using baby oil means that you are intensifying the sun’s rays and the UV radiation to your skin. This will obviously be harmful to your skin, but you can mitigate its effects with moderation.
The baby oil will allow UV rays to penetrate much deeper into your skin than they would if you were bare skin in the sun, so the damage done from overexposure will be significantly worse.
Think of it as using oil in a frying pan; the baby oil on your body traps in and intensifies the heat.
If there was meat in the frying pan doused in oil, the meat would crisp and burn on the outside. This is exactly what baby oil does to your skin.
There are safer products on the market that help your body moderate the amount of UV radiation taken in during tanning, but many people don’t have the patience for this and find that the benefits of a fast tan outweigh the dangers that overexposure may pose.
What Are The Risks?
Overexposure to UV rays can have numerous damaging effects on your body, including both short-term and long-term consequences.
While the short-term damages might seem to disappear after a few days, your body does not start afresh after a sunburn.
Your body accumulates exposure to UV rays throughout your life, and this accumulation can result in serious health implications in the future.
Sunburn happens when your skin is overexposed to the sun.
UV radiation damages the top layer of your skin, and your body responds by sending extra blood to the affected area.
This is where the red sunburn comes from. The white blood cells are sent to combat this, causing the itchy feeling and eventually leading to the peeling of the dead layer of skin.
Bottom line, you should always still wear a quality sunscreen.
Skin cancer – There are various types of skin cancer, some of which are more serious than others.
UV radiation can cause damage to the DNA in your skin cells, leading to the formation of growths and tumours.
These can be recurring or one-off, and are usually treatable when found early enough.
Corneal damage – Exposure to UV radiation can also damage your corneas. This is usually treatable with eye drops from a doctor.
Photoaging – Skin ageing is accelerated by prolonged overexposure to the sun throughout life. Saggy, wrinkled skin and darkened spots occur as the skin rapidly ages due to sun exposure.
When using baby oil on the skin, all damage done is intensified.
Sunburn will occur more quickly, and an accumulation of UV radiation can cause rapid ageing and potentially increase the risk of skin cancer.
It is essential to consider the risks associated with using baby oil when sunbathing, as although it may accelerate the tanning process, it also increases the damage caused and allows UV radiation to penetrate deeper into your pores, resulting in more severe and lasting harm.
Does Baby Oil Help To Remove A Tan?
Baby oil involves itself in the tanning world in more than one way. Other than being used to speed up tanning in the sun, here are its other uses:
Moisturiser after a spray tan – The best way to keep a spray tan looking great and lasting longer is to keep your skin moisturised after application.
Baby oil will help moisturise and hydrate your skin daily, keeping your spray tan on for longer.
For my comprehensive guide on moisturising and tanning, please refer to this guide.
Removal of fake tan – Baby oil can also be used to remove an old fake tan. Simply coat the area in a layer of baby oil and massage it into the skin.
After about half an hour, hop into the bath, using an exfoliating mitt or sponge, and rub off the excess oil; the fake tan will run off with it.
If you’re looking for all the best ways to remove self-tanner, check out my guide here.
With many different uses, it is worthwhile to keep baby oil around the house.
If you do end up being burned from using baby oil in the sun, baby oil will actually help re-moisturise the skin afterwards!
How Do You Use Baby Oil To Tan Your Skin?
Using baby oil to tan is a fairly simple process. Wait for a sunny day, but avoid going into the sun when it is at its strongest, which is usually around midday.
While some people simply apply baby oil to their skin, it is recommended to mix it with sunscreen to provide your skin with some protection, as it helps block UV rays from penetrating too deeply into your skin.
A thin layer of baby oil will be enough to achieve a brown tan, as you should only be in the sun for a short amount of time.
Rather do this a few short times than being in the sun with oil for one long period.
This way you give your skin some time to heal between tanning sessions, and there won’t be too severe damage done, and the damage won’t run too deep.
Once you have tanned in the sun using baby oil, be sure to moisturise often.
You will need to help hydrate your skin again with a good moisturiser or oil, such as coconut oil or Argan oil.
Your tan will also look a lot healthier if it is on properly hydrated skin.
I personally really like this baby oil gel, which can be found on Amazon.
What Are The Pros and Cons Of Using Baby Oil To Tan?
There are only a few pros and cons to using baby oil for tanning.
The pros are that it is actually quite affordable to purchase compared to other expensive tanning oils on the market.
However, the proper tanning oils will have added ingredients that help protect your skin from the sun.
The other, biggest pro, is that it cuts down tanning time tremendously.
Because it intensifies the sun’s rays, you only need to spend a short amount of time in the sun to achieve a brown tan.
People also find that they achieve a much browner tan using baby oil, as it helps the UV radiation penetrate deep into the skin.
The cons of using baby oil to tan are that it intensifies the rays too much, which can cause severe sunburn and potentially more serious health issues down the line if used too often.
The baby oil helps the UV rays penetrate deeper into the skin, which could actually give it a greater chance to damage cell DNA, potentially causing cancerous growths.
While a lot of this is up to your body and how sensitive your skin is to the sun, there is still a big chance that more damage will be done to your skin than just achieving a beautiful golden tan in a short amount of time.
Baby Oil And Tanning – Final Thoughts
To put it simply, yes, baby oil can help you tan faster. It helps attract the sun’s rays to your skin and helps your skin absorb them deeply.
This all results in a brown, even tan, but there are definite risks involved.
Spending too much time in the sun with baby oil on can severely burn your skin and cause lasting damage.
As with most things, practice moderation and remember that the well-being of your skin is more important than a quick-fix brown tan.
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