Sun kissed skin.

Yesterday turned out being pretty boring. After school Madison and I went tanning and drove around for a little bit. Eventually we got bored and we both went home.

I smelt strongly of tanning lotion so I was just about to shower when my friend Brock sent me a text and asked if I wanted to hang out. Brock and I became good friends almost four years ago but in the last year we kind of grew apart; however it was nice to hear from him. Normally I would just invite him to come to my house for a movie but my mom is sick right now so we couldn't. I asked him if he had any ideas of what we could do and we decided to just go for a drive and find puddles. It stormed here yesterday therefore there were a lot of puddles everywhere. Brock hates the smell of tanning lotion so i had to change clothes and drench myself in perfume. He got to my house pretty quickly and off we went. I was pretty thirsty so he took me to Tim Horton's and we caught up on everything we've missed in the past little while. We drove around for a little bit and he showed me the truck he wants to get; it was a grey F150. After that we finally went to look for puddles. I was pretty excited because I had wanted to go through them all day however my vehicle cant go through them because it would probably break down. (Its old) Brock and I looked everywhere; there were no puddles to be found. I was pretty shocked because four hours earlier some streets were covered in huge puddles. Evaporation, you suck. After driving around for an hour he took me back home.

I decided to hang out at home for a few hours to play Sims3 and watch T.V. with my sister. It was pretty boring. Eventually I sent Madison a text and we went up to Subway because I was craving yogurt. Turns out you can only get yogurt in the morning so I was out of luck. It wasn't a complete was of time though because Madison and I split a six inch sub and it was made but the best sandwich artist in the world; Callum Lawrence. We stuck around for a little bit to keep him company however by ten thirty we decided it was time to go home. I was fairly tired last night so I went to bed once I got home.

I'm going tanning again today at lunch time because I have to work after school. I usually don't mind working after school but today is Friday and I have to work till eleven. I'm not impressed because I would rather hang out with friends on a Friday night but I am sure they will still be out when I get off. On the plus side, it's the weekend ! I will talk to you guys on Monday. Toodles!




Outside Article

1. Go to your local tanning salon and ask about the programs they have. Most salons have a variety of beds available:
   
   • Low pressure. This is the traditional tanning bed. UV rays are emitted in a spectrum that is similar to natural sunlight. The lamps produce fast color (instant gratification) but the risk of sunburn is highest in this kind of bed.If you burn easily, it's not recommended that you use this bed.
   • High pressure. These beds emit a higher proportion of UVA rays (versus UVB rays). UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn. In this kind of bed you'll get a deeper, longer-lasting tan, but it will be slow to build.Usually this bed is more expensive.
   • Booth. This is basically a vertical tanning bed. Instead of laying down, you stand up. Parts of the skin that would normally be hidden doesn't come in contact with surfaces that other people's skin has touched (and sweat on, perhaps naked). Plus, it's the best option for claustrophobes.
   • Whole body spray. Your body gets sprayed by a substance that darkens your skin through a chemical reaction. UV rays are left out of the equation, so this is the least cancerous way to go. Keep in mind that this tan might fade away in a blotchy, unappealing way if you don't keep coming back for more.
2. Take a tour. Visit a few salons and ask to see the beds. Is everything clean? Look closely at the beds. If you see any dirty buildup, like where the glass meets the edge of the bed, leave and never return. Otherwise, ask what kind of cleaner they use on the beds (glass cleaner won't wipe away bacterial infections, you know). Shop around, compare salons, and choose the one you like most.
3. Fill out a skin analysis form. Any decent salon will make you do it. The form is used to determine your skin type (so they don't accidentally fry your skin by putting you in a bed for too long). It should only take a minute or so.
   
   • One important thing to be open about is what kind of prescription medication you're using. Some can affect the way your skin reacts to tanning beds...in a very bad way.
4. Get goggles. Again, any decent salon will make sure you have goggles. If they don't insist, then they don't care about your safety (and they might be just as nonchalant about cleaning the beds in between uses). Don't worry, these funny-looking goggles won't give you raccoon eyes. They just make sure you won't go blind.
5. Don't get tyrosine-based tanning accelerators, lotion, or pills. Don't listen to any mumbo jumbo about tyrosine. Yes, tyrosine is an amino acid that your body uses to produce melanin, which is the stuff that makes your skin look darker. That part is true. But there's no evidence (none!) that tyrosine is absorbed by your skin (or through your gut, just in case you're tempted to buy the pill form) and finds its way to the melanin factory.Learn How to Resist a Sales Pitch if they get pushy, or just leave.
6. Go to your room. Strip down as low as you want to go. You can keep your underwear/bra on, or you can wear a swimsuit, or you can go nude. Use the same precautions you would take in a public shower. Remember that even though the surface of the bed should be cleaned between uses, the rest of the room probably isn't, so don't sit on the chair naked unless you're 100% sure the person before you didn't have crabs. Keep your socks on unless you're 100% sure the person before you didn't have foot warts. You know, things like that.
   
   • If you're really paranoid, and you don't mind the staff looking at you like you have ten heads, ask for a bottle of the cleaner so you can wipe things down yourself. Don't bring your own cleaner, though, because some cleaners (e.g. ammonia-based ones) can damage the finish on the glass in the beds, or irritate your skin in surprisingly unpleasant ways when you expose it to UV rays right after sitting on a chair that you wiped down in bleach.
   • Ask a staff member to give you a tanning bed crash course. Find out what all the buttons do. How do you shut the whole thing off? How do you control the fan? If there are separate bulbs for the face, how do you turn those on and off?
7. 

   
   Put on your safety goggles. This is a must. Don't even think about getting into that bed unless you have goggles or some kind of approved eye protection (sunglasses don't do the trick, no matter how stylish they are). Who cares how goofy you look?
8. Go to bed. Get inside the bed and shut the lid. Press the button to flip the lights. There should be a timer, and the staff person should have assigned you a small time (like 10 minutes), no matter how much you argued that you don't burn, or that you want to get the most bang for your buck. A good tanning salon employee will know better and will start you off with a "low dosage" and increase it gradually (depending on your skin responded) every time you return. As you're laying there, pray that your DNA will prove resilient. Beg the tanning gods to spare you a sunburn. Visualize your cells producing melanin and lots of it. Or take a power nap (unless you're in a booth; napping while standing is not recommended).
9. Get out of bed. If you're all sweaty and slick, wipe yourself down with a towel (which should have been provided). Put your clothes back on and swagger out of the salon.

 Tips

• For a tan that "sticks" even longer, exfoliate right before visiting the salon. This will expose a fresh layer of skin that won't shed for a while, although it may also increase your chances of sunburn.
• Don't shower directly after, let the melanin in your skin absorb the tan, it's a good idea to shower before and then bathe the next day if you can wait that long.
• It is usually expected that after you finish with the machine, you wipe up any remaining sweat you might have left in the bed with the small towel. This reduces the time they have to take when they clean the bed before someone else uses it. It also saves you from some embarrassment.
• Check for skin cancer regularly. Do a breast self examination while you're at it.
• Tanning won't be as efficient if you're very hairy. Consider shaving or waxing first.
• Moist skin tans better - stay hydrated, and be lavish with your favourite body lotion!