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Writer's pictureJoanne Thompson

DHA in Tan

The KEY INGREDIENT in Tan!



Do you know what DHA is?


How many of you use false tan week after week?


Do you know what the key ingredient is that is responsible for tanning your

skin?


Well, it is DHA Dihydroxyacetone!

Bit of a hard word to pronounce so we will just refer to it as DHA.

For such a fancy word, it is a nontoxic sugar derived from plants such

as sugarcane and sugar beets. This is why we smell very sweet after

applying tanning products or some people say they stink!

Some tans smell worse than others.


It is all to do with the amount of DHA in the product. The more DHA there is the

darker the tan will be.


In a nutshell, when DHA meets your skin it reacts with the amino acids which are

naturally present on the top surface layer of your skin the Stratum Corneum and

a reaction occurs with the pigment/melanin in your skin to give a tan color. The

response takes up to 6 to 8 hours so that is why it is recommended not to wash

skin until the next day.


It is dead skin cells so that is the answer to why tan only lasts 5 to 7 days as our

skin sheds. To prolong the tan skin must be prepped before by exfoliating and

after by moisturizing daily!

Interesting Fact !!!!


Did you know how tanning was first discovered?

Back in the 1920s. Yes, that long ago !!

A german nurse was connecting a drip to a patient and the DHA dripped onto the

skin and the skin turned dark.


By Lesley Anne Thompson


You learn something new every day……

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