Tanning in The Shade: That’s How It’s Done!

You always have to lie under the blazing sun to get a tan? You thought wrong! You can get a tan in the shade – if you follow these three rules.

For a tanned complexion, no one needs to sit in the sun for hours – this also harms the skin more than it helps. To get a tan, you could theoretically sit in the shade. However, it depends on where the shadow is.

To understand: The sun’s rays hit the earth in total, only a fraction of which is UV radiation. UV-B rays cause tanning, UV-A rays cause skin aging. However, UV-A and UV-B rays do not reach the earth and people unhindered. They are refracted, such as by clouds and suspended matter in the air, or reflected. This is the reason for our first rule for shadow bathing:

Rule 1: Always tan near water

You’ll get a tan more quickly near a body of water, even if you sit in the shade under your parasol. This is due to the reflection of the rays from the water, which increases their intensity. Of course, tanning in the shade takes much longer, but it is more even and less stressful for the body.

Rule 2: Prefer wide areas

Those who also want to get a tan in the shade should do this on a wide area, for example in the park, at the beach or on the water. This is because the refracted rays of the sun do not hit the earth directly but from all sides. Bushes, trees and houses would take the intensity of the sun’s rays. On flat surfaces, 30 to 40 percent of UV radiation still reaches the earth even in the shade – but this depends on the time of day and the cloud layer. Which brings us to the third rule …

Rule 3: Do not forget sunscreen

As you can also get radiation in the shade, you must of course protect yourself with sunscreen. After the “shadow bath” it is also recommended to rub yourself with moisturizing cream. By the way: Glass panes also let UV rays through – and the bad UV-A rays as well. Here, too, you should always make sure you protect yourself.