can tanning beds lighten your hair
Kristina Davis

Can tanning beds lighten your hair? Have you been in a tanning bed before, or are you planning to? Tanning beds are a magical way to tan your skin.

Everyone at some point wishes they were brighter or browner. 

One way to naturally achieve this is by exposing oneself to the sun for a couple of hours or the other, visiting a tanning bed.

Although unlike the tanning bed, which is more convenient and faster, it will take you several hours or even days to tan in the sun.

But as you tan, you do not want your hair also to, it just should be the skin. 

So, if you are asking, can tanning beds lighten your hair?  This is the blog to read. We will tell you much more.

Can tanning beds lighten your hair? It is a yes, they will lighten your skin and your hair too. You need to protect them while tanning and we will tell you how.

How Are Tanning Beds Used?

how to use tanning bed

Now, before we even get to understand how tanning beds can affect you, especially your skin and hair and maybe eyes or any other parts.

Shall we go through how these tanning beds work? 

So that before you even visit one, you have an idea of:

  • What happens,
  • What to expect,
  • What to know how long it will take you in it, and
  • How you should protect yourself while at it.

The Tanning Bed Advantage

select type of tanning bed

Rather than spending long hours basking in the sun to get a tan, tanning beds are an easy, simple, faster, and sure way

Although the sun is quite natural and bathes you with all the fragrance nature can provide.

Especially, if you are sitting at the shore of some lake or ocean, listening to the wind, breathing the breeze, and reeling in the beauty of nature.

You enjoy each moment of the tanning, thinking about your own life and all that. 

But again, the tanning bed also is a great place to get that quick and also quality tan. But have you ever thought of how it is used?

So, before you get in, this is how. 

Select A Tanning Salon And Type Of Bed

choose tanning salon

One very important aspect of getting a good tan, that does not affect you, is where you do it and the type of tanning bed you do it in.

So, when it hits you that you really and almost desperately need a tan, then start browsing.

Look around the tanning salons in your area, you must be able to figure out which one looks not to be great and which one is. 

Look at any reviews that have been left by previous clients if they have an online page or blog and see how people like them.

Engage solidly with the salon personnel to make sure you get the very best tanning.

Use A Tanning Bed With Low Or Medium Pressure

pressure of tanning bed

Low and medium-pressure tanning beds generate UVB rays with a wavelength spectrum similar to that of natural sunlight.

The main distinction is whether medium pressure tanning utilizes a higher wattage and tans your skin faster.

Since low-pressure tanning is perceived as the traditional tanning method due to its low projector severity, either of these will provide you with a natural-looking tan

Because the lamps in low and medium-pressure tanning emit UVB rays gradually, there is a risk of sunburn. 

Consider using a different method if you burn easily.

What are other factors to consider?

factors consider tanning bed

There are many other factors you are required to consider before trusting any tanning salon. 

Investigate the safety and cleanliness of their tanning beds, let them determine the type of your skin, it lets them know any forms of medication you are on, that might bar you from using the tanning bed. 

Then, prepare your skin well for the tan, to avoid irritation, you can get to the primary tan from the sun before moving to the tanning bed.

Exfoliate your skin, moisturize it, do not apply lotions and fragrances, and cover yourself well.

Get that tan you have been waiting for and wait to shower until four to five hours pass away.

So, Can Tanning Beds Lighten Your Hair?

Everyone who wants to use a tanning bed, whether male or female, especially female, we have observed, is so keen on their hair.

Everyone wants to protect their hair from anything that will mess around with its shine, and for the fear that turning beds will, people have been asking, and we are answering.

So as to be clear, tanning beds will lighten your hair. That is the hard truth.

But again, tanning beds won't lighten your hair if you follow what needs to be done to protect your hair from lightening.

What Makes Hair Lighten In The Tanning Bed?

what makes hair lighten

Can Tanning Beds Lighten Your Hair? Yes, What makes them? Let’s find out!

Tanning beds, emit ultraviolet rays artificially that aid to do the tanning.

These rays, from the lamps emitting the light, will tan your skin, but the effect hits differently to your hair. Why?

The difference between the skin and hair. Hair is made of layers of dead tissues, whereas your skin is made up of layers of living body cells.

When you expose your hair to radiant energy, the shaft expands, causing the pigment molecule to break.

The hair color may lighten as a result of this process.

Radiation can easily penetrate through the layers of your skin as it reaches it.

It reaches melanocytes to increase the levels of melanin, the hormone that stimulates your skin to darken. 

The more melanin there is in one’s skin, the darker the skin tone.

How Do You Protect Your Hair While Tanning?

protect hair while tanning

So, we just learned that the tanning bed will lighten your hair, but only if you do not protect it while tanning.

So, how do you protect yourself? 

Here is how:

Put On A Shower Cap

In a nice shower cap, enclose your hair completely before getting that tan.

Shower caps other than protecting it from lightning also help you retain the moisture of your hair while protecting you against UV light radiation.

Cover The Hair With A Towel

Although the towel could be heavier for your head, if you do not have a shower cap or are comfortable with the towel, then use it to cover your hair.

In fact, it works better than the shower cap due to the heavy fabric that keeps you shielded from direct UV light that will brighten your hair.

Use A Heat Protectant

use heat protectant

There are dozens of quality hair protectants on the market today. If you don’t want to wear a cap or headdress, you can use a heat protectant instead.

Prior to actually proceeding into the tanning bed, add a few drops all over your hair.

Start by applying it to the hairline and root hairs, then work your way down to the ends.

Use A Hair Conditioner

The use of a nurturing hair conditioner is another superb means to secure hair from UV exposure.

Applying a leave-in conditioner prior to actually going to a tanning bed salon will keep your hair from becoming lighter in the sun.

Conclusion

Does the tanning bed lighten your hair? If you have been noticing your hair appears lightened, then the tanning bed is a major culprit.

In this blog post, we have answered the question,” Can tanning beds lighten your hair?”

We have also gone ahead to teach you how to use it, how you should prepare, and how you should protect your hair while tanning.

So, as you plan your next or first visit to a tanning salon, make sure you mind your hair, and do all the correct stuff to ensure you get a successful tan without damaging your skin or hair.