Customer Reviews

Banana Boat Summer Color Self-Tanning Lotion, Deep Dark Color, For All Skin Tones, 6-Ounce Tubes (Pack of 3)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a great product and if used properly, you will get great results. My application process works great for me, but this is only advice and is not like what you'll find on the product packaging. I'm a guy with average skin color, I tan easily and dark without burning. But I like the near instant tan this product provides, without the dangers of the sun. I use it at the beginning of the summer so I'm not embarrassed to go to the beach, be aware it does not provide any protection from the sun, however being responsible with your sun time, it will blend in well with a natural tan. I also use it after the summer season to keep the tan I get from the beach.

First, remove all jewelry. Shower and exfoliate with a soft, yet abrasive spungie or similar item to wash off as much dead skin as possible with liquid body wash. If you don't, your tan won't last as long. Because it works with dead skin, you will have plenty left to make the product work. This will also remove excess dead skin from the areas such as the elbows and knees so that you won't over apply on those areas. Pat dry, but not completely and it's a good idea to leave some steam in the bathroom, but not so much that you can't see yourself in the mirror.

Some people wear gloves, but I don't. I find being able to feel the product allows me to better apply. I start by using a hand or body lotion on my hands. This important step prevents the tanning lotion to get into those places known for turning dark. Cover heavily until it soaks in. Then reapply body lotion until you see white under your fingernails and where your nails meet your fingers on top of your hands. Use excess to lightly apply to elbows and knees. Now the tanning lotion will not seep into these areas, since they are the first to be exposed..

Starting with the face, apply small amount on palms with a few drops of water. Dap cheeks and forehead then rub into face, using circular motion. Pull away from eyes and wipe gently under eyes and with eyes closed over eyelids toward ears, lightly covering outside of ears and behind them. Pull tanning lotion toward hairline; not away from it. You want to pull the product from the nose and center of face area toward the ears to blend it. Pull product from nose area over jaws mouth and chin into neck area.

Put more product on hands with a little water and start between neck and shoulder in circular motion to blend with what you did before from the face, working your way behind your neck and back and front of shoulders. Apply more product to hands and apply behind shoulders and blend to front in circular motions. Apply more to hand and rub each arm, dabbing it in places, then finally rubbing it while twisting your hands and arms. You never want to make a straight line. Cover elbows last when most of product has been applied.

With more rubbed into palms, cover breast area in circular motion. More product onto chest. Now, if you want a tan line, this is the only time you will make a straight line. Rub straight across where you want a tan line, then pull product up toward chest in a swiping motion. You cannot get a crisp tan line, so don't try to. Also, don't wear briefs or panties thinking you can get this result; you can't. It will clog where the fabric meets your skin and make it look unnatural.

Now the back. Apply generously to palm with a couple drops of water. Smear all of the product on the back of one hand, then use back of other hand to cover the back of both hands. Reach back and apply in circular motion to center and as far as you can reach on both sides of back. Then, reverse hands to palms and pull product down to waist. If you want a tan line, again wipe straight across where you want that line to be, just as you did with your front, then again pull product in swiping motion upward. Use your palms and back of hands to smooth out in the area between the back and front of your torso. Put small amount on palms again, wet if needed and reach behind shoulders. Use one had against your elbow and push to give you more leverage to reach further down back and blend in, then work in rest up toward shoulders, which you already did when you did the back of your neck and shoulders previously. Having someone else help you would be good advice here, but you can do it yourself.

For legs, apply product to palms with a few drops of water and dab thighs on sides and then calves. Then come back and smooth out in circular motion, leaving knees for last. Rub down to beginning of toes, but never touch them, If you blend properly, it will look natural as though your toes were in the sand at the beach. When you get to your knees, the product will be nearly gone from your palms and will look natural. If you want a tan line, circle your legs all the way around at the tan line point, then pull down in swirls toward your knees.

Now, this is the trick to an even tan for me. The instructions will not tell you to do this. Do the whole thing again. Yes, apply another coat right over this one. This way, you will cover any areas you missed the first time and by moistening your hands when needed, will blend in the lotion from the previous application. This process must be done as fast as you can, but don't let time stop you from being thorough and accurate. After a few sessions, you'll get really fast at it. It takes me about 5-6 minutes.

Immediately wash your hands with liquid soap up to your wrists, and just a little bit more. Clean well under fingernails and where nails meet fingers and knuckles. Then, wash them again concentrating on palms. Dab dry with towel, but don't rub. Then, rub back of hands only and lightly over forearms, top and bottom, rolling your arms to get a very light coating on the back of your hands, without disturbing the product on your arms. Do not include knuckles or fingers. These tan naturally in sunlight anyway. Wash palm again and dab dry, so as not to remove the light coating you just applied to back of hands.

If you find later (hours later) that you have applied too much, such on inside your wrists (which is common), you can use Avon's Skin So Soft and with a tissue, you can gently lighten these areas. Rub your wrists lightly together so you get a natural blending look.

If this is your first time, you will see where you made mistakes (if any) and reapply later. As with any artist, you are "painting" yourself. It takes practice, but after a few times, you'll be a pro. This is the best product I have ever used. It helps that it is not clear when applied (it's brown), which helps knowing how it is being applied. I wouldn't recommend the lighter shades, because you're wasting your time, money and product trying to get a tan. I use the darkest one available and it looks very natural. I typically use at night, so that the next day I can re-apply for a darker look or to blend any imperfections from the night before.

After applying, be prepared to stay nude for at least 10 minutes. You can use a fan, but I prefer just to walk around for a while, but don't do anything that would cause you to perspire, such as housework or sitting on leather. You can tell when it's dry enough to put on some loose clothing. After about 30 minutes, you can feel free to put on other clothing.

Guys who are balding need to do their heads also. This should be done when pulling into hairline. When product is almost gone from palms, rub lightly into balding area; it does not affect the color of your hair (at least not mine), but use sparingly and remember the circular motion.

I've tried about 5 different tanning lotions. I just tried a foaming product from neutrogena last night and it dries really quickly and doesnt feel oily at all. I love that about it, BUT the color isnt realistic enough. the color of this banana boat tanning lotion is by far the best. it looks great and it always looks like a tan - not orange at all - the medium color product banana boat sells is a little orangey (well its a word now!!) so I stick to the deep dark. the only drawback is that I feel a gooey with the banana boat all over my body but I still think its the best I have tried and keep going back to it. I'm getting a little concerned because it seems like its harder and harder to find in stores. now I can only find it online.
one tip: i sleep between towels the night I apply it so I dont get it all over my sheets, the next morning, I take a shower and bingo! instant where-did-YOU-go-on-vacation glow. : ) temporary relief to peoples' eyes from the corneal damage due to the reflection of light off my body (okay, not that bad but I go from pasty to a great skin color with this product). I would like to see this stuff come in a large pump bottle for easier application and volume savings though.

I bought the sunless tanning lotion this week and the results are in. This is truly amazing stuff and works as advertised!

I'm a naturally very pale guy, as in Casper the friendly ghost. If you're like me, don't make the mistake of getting the lighter formula, the lighter formulas will always leave you orange. The dark formula will not. If you're worried about looking un-natural or too tan, then all you do is apply ONE coat of the dark formula and you're good to go with a light natural looking tan. I actually used three coats over two days (night-afternoon-night) and it looks amazing like I'm from the Mediterranean. It works on you for three hours and then you need to shower to wash away the "color guide" (orangey residue that supposedly helps you tell where you put cream on).

For people that don't know how these latest generations of sunless tanners work, they are NOT dyes. These do NOT color your skin. They have a chemical which causes the dead skin on your body to react and brown. It's the same process that happens when you cut up an apple and leave it out (the "Maillard reaction"). It will brown in the same way your skin will with this lotion. Your live skin cells will not be affected.

As a result of this:

1) it's important to moisturize your wrists and elbows before applying the cream because they are full of dead skin.
2) the tan will go away as your dead skin naturally falls off so you need to re-apply often (once or twice a week)
3) your clothes and bed sheets will not stain because this is not a stain or dye, it's a cream that reacts with dead skin

Considerations:

I put moisturizer on my wrists but still messed them up with brown splotches on my first coat. Lesson: put LOTS of mosturizer, and rub almost no cream on your wrists. I also messed up my hands because I overlooked putting cream in the webbing and on the sides. That left weird demarcation lines of dark/white that I was able to fix with a pomus stone and adding a second coat to the white areas (the pomus stone is your friend!!)

I used gloves to apply all over my body, but stupidly I took them off to apply the top of my hands and also used my hands to wipe myself down a bit. As a result, my palms looked really un-natural after the first coat - I will not make this mistake again.

You're also not supposed to put this cream in contact with your eyes (irritant), but I had to rub it very close after the first coat because around my eyes were white compared to my cheeks and it looked a little like I fell asleep in the tanning booth with the goggles on.

Also, I would recommend applying it in a cool place or have a fan on you. I was trying to work as fast as possible on a hot June night and as a result I built up a sweat that was a real problem with getting the cream absorbed. I also noticed that I was sweating a lot more with the cream on which made the problem worse.

Conclusion

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this product. I will likely be buying 3-packs all the time from Amazon because I figure one bottle will last about at least 5-6 applications for a tall guy like me so a three pack is good for about 2 months, which at under 20 bucks is an amazing deal for a lifelong tan. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the "color guide" does not work. I can't tell at all where I applied the cream and I have to remember or risk streaks. The real drawback is the same as all the other lotions, you have to rub this stuff on every week, but that's the price to pay for looking good and not getting skin cancer.

Based on the "glowing" reviews here, I purchased this Banana Boat self-tanner, and used it for the first time last night. I woke up this morning to a lovely, dark tan!

In the past, I've used Jergens' gradual tanner and L'Oreal Sublime Glow, which both left me orange. Tan Towels have worked great, but they are expensive, which is why I wanted to give this BB one a try. My skin is pretty light (so light that you can see my blue veins peeking through), so I was worried that the color on this would look unnatural or too orange, but it doesn't at all. It's a very natural glow.

Before using the tanner, I applied a bit of regular lotion to my wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles, since those areas tend to pick up too much color. Then I used Safe-Touch Powder Free Vinyl Exam Gloves, Medium - 100/Box gloves to apply the lotion in broad strokes, making sure to use the palms of my hands to rub it in since using your fingers leads to streaking. (I also used the vinyl gloves since I had read somewhere online recently that latex gloves may react badly with the ingredients in the self-tanner, leading to discoloration.) To apply to my back, I used the AquaBella Easy Lotion Applicator, which made it so easy to spread the lotion all over. I let it sink in a few minutes since it does feel a bit thick, before putting on my pajamas.

This didn't discolor my pajamas or sheets at all, and was so easy to use. Also, it doesn't have that really strong self-tanner smell that other products have. It has a nice scent going on, and the self-tanner smell is barely noticeable.

Great product!


UPDATE ON 6/29/10: I've been using this for a couple of weeks now, and wanted to update my review to say how much I still love it. I've actually had people compliment me on how nice my "tan" is, which has never happened to me before. I've also found that this fades better if you use exfoliating gloves in the shower every two days -- it helps it fade more evenly.

UPDATE ON 7/10/11: I've been using the tubes of this that I ordered a year ago since I didn't use them all last summer, and they are still fresh in case you're worried about getting three-pack. I was recently at Ulta (a cosmetics store), and the saleswoman there mentioned that this was was her favorite self-tanner of all that they carried. While there, I also picked up two of their self-tanning mitts, and the mitts work better than the gloves I've been using -- and left no streaks!

I have used this tanner for 4 years. I am naturally really white but with this tanner people think I have a real tan. I love this product. I had to build up my tan by applying it more often like it says to. You have to remember to wash your hands or you'll end up with tanner palms and fingers.And the tanner smells alittle ,but if you apply it at night which is in my experince the most effective and then shower in the mornig it washes the smell completely away.

I've used this tanner for about a year now and I love it. I have tried other, much more expensive tanners and I always go back to this one. It doesn't stain your hands immediately like some do. As long as you wash them as soon as you finish applying the tanner, it washes off pretty well. It leaves a natural dark color, not orangy.

I'm a tanning enthusiast and have worked in tanning salon's for over 7 years and have tried almost everything...this banana boat self tanner is my favorite EVER. I swear by this stuff. It's tinted so you can see where your putting it on when you apply and it gives the best coverage and color. I am constantly putting it on all the time and layering it and it just gets darker and darker :o)

I recommend this product over EVERYTHING else. I think I would die if it was ever discontinued!

I really do love this product. I had purchased this after reading such great reviews because I have had bad experiences with other products in the past. I've used Tan Towels, Loreal Wipes, Neutrogena, Jergens, Versa Spa spray tans...nothing has given me as nice of a color as this. Even my boyfriend said how great this one product looked - he was always quick to mention how orange everything else made me look. If I had not read other reviews, I may have purchased the Light to Medium tint as well thinking the dark would be too much. However, this was the perfect shade. I made sure I showered immediately before applying the product, which is something I think everyone should pay close attention to. In the past, this was something I had not done and I believe this has a lot to do with flawed results. The oils in your skin will prevent the product from absorbing evenly and thoroughly. Also, the dead skin you had will only come off the next time you shower, and your tan will not last as long. I am not a fan of the tint the product has as a guide so you can see where you've applied it. I find this unnecessary and just messy, however, this is not something that would take away a star in my opinion because the end result is just too great. I had absolutely no streaks...because I have been busy and working a lot, I have not done another application and the tan is fading evenly, as opposed to other products I have used in the past. Like all sunless tanners, it has the same smell, however, after you shower the next morning, you shouldn't notice this anymore. After my first application, I stayed up about four hours, and then did a quick rinse and shower before bed so that the product would not over-develop. I also didn't want the guide to get all over my bedsheets, including the smell. So as a quick guide to my tips:

1) Shower immediately before use, using an exfoliating body wash.

2) Apply the product thoroughly and take your time, making sure all areas get rubbed in.

3) I suggest only taking a wet wash cloth and washing the palms of your hands only. I had washed the entirety of my hands and found the shade a little light on the tops of my hands. I suggest just going light on the tops and making sure your palms are free of tanner.

4) I stayed up for about 4 hours before bed, and just watched tv in a towel so that I wasn't wearing tight clothing to rub the lotion in any areas and ruin the evenness of my tan.

5) Before bed, about 4 hours after application, I did a quick body shower to rinse off the color guide from the application. The color still did continue to develop a little more while I slept, and then I took another shower in the morning. I had a great tan after one application. Good luck!

This stuff is great. I'm naturally olive skinned but do think that I look a lot better with some color, but won't fake bake and even feel guilty when I tan on vacations for the health of my skin. I've tried Jergens Natural Glow and quite a few other drugstore brands, along with more expensive ones like the Tan Towel, and nothing compares to this stuff. I think the main difference is that it's brown, not orange, so it really does look like a natural tan. Another perk of it is that the lotion itself is colored, so you can see where it's going to avoid streaks. It dries and develops fast, so if you put it on and sit on a towel or wait ~10 minutes, you're safe to (carefully) put on clothes without staining them. Another perk is that once you've built up the color, you only need to put it on 1-2 times a week to maintain it. My main recommendation is to moisturize well on the days you don't use it to keep it looking even and your skin looking healthy. I honestly don't rave about stuff like this but have recommended this to all of my friends (of varying skin tones), who also love it! Just make sure to get the Deep Dark Color, rather than the other shades. It's great stuff, and it's cheap, so try it out and prepare to be amazed!

Streakless NATURAL color without the unpleasant smell. Beautiful color. NOT ORANGE. And did not tranfer on to my clothing. NEW FAVORITE!! I have tried dozens from 50 dollars on down and this one is the best. I can't believe how nice it works, for so little money!