The sun is the leading causes of skin aging, it leaves dark spots, encourages wrinkles, and causes cancer. Enough to make you want to avoid it at all cost, right? Yeah, maybe not. My desire for a rich-even tan during the summer outweighs all that. Here's how I've achieved a super dark tan over my past few weeks of travel, but in the safest (kinda) way possible.

Leading up to my vacation I boosted my omega intake. Omegas are shown to boost your skins natural defenses against the sun. This in combination with sunscreen can help prevent burning.

With only a few shirtless hikes on Runyon under my belt, I headed to St Thomas on a family vacation without a base tan. Generally I like a little colour to prep my skin for the intense island sun, but I just didn't have the time for it. So during my first day in the sun I did the Sun Bum SPF 50 Clear Zinx Oxide on my face and a L'Oreal Quick Dry SPF 30 on my body. I got hardly any colour, but I didn't burn, so that was a plus.

Day 2 I kept the Sun Bum SPF 50 on my face but switched to Kate Somerville Body Glow SPF 20 for body, I had received it a few months prior and was excited to try it. I was even more excited when I realized it had gold shimmer in it, cause nothing says "vacation" like gold shimmer. Now the second day of sun was slightly more booze fueled than the first and I may not have been reapplying my sunscreen correctly. *You should always reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or after a lot of time in the water*. Since it's usually only my shoulders that burn, there's where I was reapplying. This vacation was an exception to that, I burned my stomach around where my sternum is, so random, but it got super red. I brought along with Kate Somerville Tan Maximizer, I applied this liberally every evening to calm down the redness. It has that distinct sunscreen smell, which I'm not a very big fan off, but whatever, I needed the hydration.

Day 3 Since I was still feeling a bit burnt, I kept using the Kate Somerville SPF 20 on body and switched to my favorite Jurlique Sun Specialist SPF 40 for my face, it just smells so damn good and feels rich and hydrating. I wear it on the daily even though its designed for beach use, its just so good.

Day 4, I needed a break from the sun and pretty much slept all day, had a quick workout, and bathed in after sun lotion.

Day 5 Still feeling a bit worried about my not yet peeling burn, I bought some Sun Bun SPF 50 for my body so I wouldn't get anymore burnt. My tanning had haulted, but I wasn't peeing yet. I stopped by a shop in St John and got Solar Recovery - Save Your Skin that has a concoction of natural oils to stop burns. The label even said something to the effect of "We don't know how it works, it just does" sounds good to me! My skin looked better over night, it is such a nice light hydrating spray and smells amazing. I'm still spraying it on myself when I get out of the shower every morning.

Day 6 I wasn't about to leave this island without a dark tan, time to call in the big guns! I busted out my absolute favorite Lancaster SPF 6 Tan Deepener, and proceeded to bake in the sun, seriously nothing is better! Without fail it got a beautiful tan and my burn didn't get any worse, woo-hoo!!

I continued using the Solar Recovery Spray to prevent my tan from fading, but I knew my tan would start fading if I didn't find something heavier for hydration so I grabbed the Coola ER+ Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion and instantly fell in love. Almost 100% natural ingredients, an emollient formula designed to prolong your tan and reduce inflammation. It's been my body moisturizer since.

The following week I was working in Vegas, my sister was kind enough to get me a cabana at the Caesars Venus Pool for my bday. I laid out for about 4 hours using the Lancaster SPF 6. I would have stayed out longer, but when you're getting free drinks and they're the size of a big gulp, nap time comes a bit sooner than normal.

And the week after that I went in Hawaii for work, I took full advantage of the little sunny free time I had (about 4 hours total in 2 visits) and again used the Lancaster SPF 6. This stuff is legit a tanning miracle, every time I use it I get amazing colour without burning. Only problem with it is the sheer tint is a bit staining on white clothes. Being that I was sporting my white AussieBum booty shorts, it can be a bit of a problem.

In case you couldn't figure it out, here's my formula for tanning. Start off with a high SPF to get your skin use to the sun and gradually lower your protection to get darker once you've built up a tolerance. Always use hydrating and anti-inflammatory after sun products, this will calm down your skin, prevent peeling, and help maintain your tan for a longer period of time. It's been 2 weeks since I've been in the sun and the tan on my body hasn't faded at all. My face does get a little lighter due to all the exfoliants and retinoids I use, but a few drops of the Clarins Radiance Plus Glow Booster helps fix that problem. This is my routine all summer long, then come winter it's time to break out the chemical peels and heavy retinals to get rid of all that sun damage I just caused...

If you’ve ever met me I’m sure you’ve heard me mention 1,000 times how my mom is a Naturopathic Dr and how many supplements I take. If you haven’t, my mom’s a Naturopathic Dr and I take a shit ton of supplements. Years ago I started working for this company called Glowelle (which is unfortunately no longer) they created a drink that contained a ridiculous amount of nutrients and and anti-oxidants for the skins benefit. I was 24 at the time I started working for the company and back then I even noticed how hydrated it kept my skin and how “glowy” I looked. This was back in 2008, the economy was in the crapper, and people didn’t understand “beauty from within” and couldn’t afford $120 for a 30 day supply. Now That I’m a bit older and definitely seeing signs of aging, I wish and pray every day that this product comes back. Until it does, I’ve endlessly researched different types of supplements to keep my skin in top shape from the inside out. You are what you eat, and what I don’t get from my diet I supplement with supplements :) Here are a few new and old that I can’t live without.

In August last year I decided the Man Bun was fading out of style a bit too quick and I wanted my long hair back, but damn was it going to be a bitch to grow my sides out to match the top of my hair. It was time to buy some Biotin! I first started with the Maxi-Hair for Men from Country Life as it was the most popular one I could find. I went through about 3 bottles of this and wasn’t very impressed. I noticed a little faster hair growth, but it wasn’t anything outstanding. When I was going to replenish one day I ran across the Irwin Naturals Biotin-6000 with Bamboo Extract, being a sucker for packaging this one really appealed to me. I’m on my 3rd bottle of it and I’m SOOO happy. My hair has been growing much faster and much healthier, my nails, which have gotten brittle as I’ve gotten older, have been growing much stronger, even my lashes have been staying healthier! I’ve also noticed it helping my skin as it contains ingredients to help with elasticity, hydration, and free radical protection. The only slight issue I have with the pill is that they do tend to leak just a little, so be careful not to get them on anything white, there’s usually 1 pill in the bottle that isn’t totally sealed, these pills are however easier to swallow than a lot of other ones I take. 2x a day the bottle will last you 1 month. Irwin Naturals Biotin-6000 4.5/5 Stars $16.49 a bottle (I usually buy 2 so I don’t have to pay shipping)

Now my mom, being the loving and caring person that she is, loves to help out my neurotic beauty habits by sending me over any skin and health related articles and information she receives. She also loves to send me different supplements she thinks may help my skin. Regeneplex is definitely the best beauty supplement I’ve taken, Momma bear sent it to me a few years ago and I can’t stop taking this miracle pill. After 2 weeks of taking Regeneplex I was trying to figure out why I was getting so many compliments on my skin, it looked brighter, plumper, rested, and just all over glowing, then I remember of yeah, that new pill I’ve been taking! Whenever I run out its like okay, sad face, I need it ASAP. It’s rich in Carotenoids -Lutein, Beta Carotene, Lycopene- help fight free radical damage, fight photo-aging, and even improve skin smoothness. Also high in Zinc and Vitamin C to boost collagen and fight free radical damage. A proprietary blend of a bunch of other ingredients like Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin B, and Camu Camu just add to this amazing supplement. 90 Pills in a bottle 2x per day for best results. Now, the only problem is its not exactly easy to find, you have to buy it through an authorized retailer, non of which are online (I found one bottle on Amazon for $130). Standard Process Regeneplex 5/5 Stars, If you want to get a bottle and can’t find a retailer, hit me up and I can order some for you, its $42.50 a bottle just shoot me a message ihrichak1@gmail.com.

I’ve recently become fascinated with Ayurvedic medicine, one of the worlds oldest holistic healing systems. Turmeric is probably the most well known of these herbs. Its mostly used as an anti-inflammatory, which is why I originally bought it, I do so many peels and aggressive skin treatments that my skin does get inflamed and irritated, as well as my muscles being inflamed from either stress or exercise. Turmeric has also been show to help detoxify the liver, inhibit growth of skin cancer, help with psoriasis, speed up the healing of wounds, help with depression, aid in weight management, natural painkiller, it pretty much does your laundry and makes you dinner. I’ve been taking it for a few weeks now and noticed less redness in my skin, my body aches have definitely gone down, and one friend said that its made my skin look more tan? I guess eating a lot of something thats yellow can make the skin more yellow, but I can’t find any studies on that. I’m enjoying the Gaia Turmeric Supreme 4/5 Stars $20.99 for 120 pills per bottle, 1 pill 2x a day with food.

Being one to buy anything that says it’d good for the skin I’ve decided to give He Shou Wu a try. This ancient Chinese secret is said to nourish the blood, hair, skin, nervous system, shen (Spirit), and Jing (primary essence/life force). The last 2 I clearly copied from their website cause I have no clue whats thats all about, but count me in. People are said to have had their grey hair turn back to black and hair grow stronger from this. It’s also said to help with liver and kidney tonifying. It tastes a bit like earthy sadness, so I recommend mixing it in with your favorite tea and a little honey. I’ve only just started taking this, so the verdict is still out, but I’ve found great reviews for it online, and I mean, when has an ancient Chinese secret ever been wrong? Sun Potion He Shou Wu available cheapest through Thrive Market (a new favorite store of mine) at $32.95 vs $55 check them out for 15% off your first order.

In addition I take a few other skin beneficial supplements from my favorite herb brand Natures Sunshine, which I’ve been taking for some 20 years.
Coenzyme Q10 100mg 2pills a day in the AM $41.95 retail, $27.95 member cost- Protects against photo-aging, stimulates cellular activity, stimulates collagen production, and free radical protection.
Super ORAC 1 or 2 pills a day $53.85 retail or $35.90 member cost, also available in the Super Trio daily supplement pack (thats how I take it) - Contains a whole slew of anti-oxidants to fight off free radical damage including Green Tea/EGCG, Mangosteen, Resveratrol, Acai Berry, Turmeric, Quercetin, Selenium, and Apple Fruit Extract. These are actually all the ingredients that were in the Glowelle drink I use to take.
These can be purchased through Natures Sunshine, hit me up if you want the details on how to get them at member cost (or just follow the link above), it doesn’t cost anything to join, ihrichak1@gmail.com

Have you found the potion to give you eternal youth? Let me know, I want to start taking it!

#Forever27