The golden rule for safe sunbathing is to know your skin type, as people react differently to the sun. So before spending hours in the scorching sun, not to mention spending your hard-earned cash on inappropriate suncare products follow this advice to achieve an attractively tanned body with minimum effort.

Skin Type 1: (Approx 2% of all Central Europeans)
Extraordinarily light skin, reddish hair, blue eyes, very strong tendency to burn easily and never tans - remains red. If you fall into this category avoid sunbathing and use Hawaiian Tropic higher spf’s 45 / 30 range while you’re out and about. If you cannot get a tan, don’t even attempt it, because its not worth all the pain and heart ache that will evidently follow. Remember that fine, pale delicate skin is a blessing because it does not age as quickly as other skin types, that is your tanned mates will get wrinkles long before you do!

Skin Type 2: (Approx 12% of all Central Europeans)
Light skin, blond-medium brown hair, blue to grey or green eyes, slightly burns than slightly tans. You need to protect your skin with high spf’s such as 25/15 at the height and during the summer months. Towards the latter part of the season you can use a lower sun protection factor but not lower than spf 8. Don’t be tempted to opt for lower spf’s in the hope of gaining a more defined tan, you will ruin your already existing tan and turn a nasty lobster shade!

Skin Type 3: (Approx 78% of all Central Europeans)
Normal skin, dark-blond to brown hair, grey to brown eyes, very slight tendency to burn followed by a moderate tan. People with this skin type should wear Hawaiian Tropic spf 15 to get a base before switching to a lower spf, but not lower than an 8. You still need to protect your skin against the strong ultraviolet rays in the sunlight.

Skin Type 4: (Approx 8% of all Central Europeans)
Light-brown to olive coloured skin, dark hair and eyes, rarely burns and tans extremely well. You should start with a spf 8 sunscreen, followed by spf 6 or spf 4 to complete your tanned look. Your skin type adapts more quickly to the sun than those people with skin type 1,2 or 3 but air on the side of caution because you are still susceptible to the damaging effects of the ultraviolet rays.