Toss it Out Tuesday - Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

Who doesn’t want nice bronzed skin for the summer…. I know I do! And since laying in the sun is not a safe option the obvious alternative is to look for a sunless tanning cream!

For years I have used drugstore sunless tanning creams and my favorite was Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer! It was my answer to sun kissed skin! It's a sunless tanning cream that provides a gradual tan within a few applications.

However, like most drugstore brands they incorporate many harmful chemicals into their product to give you that sought after “natural glow”. Here are a few ingredients listed in the product… DMDM Hydantoin (a well known human carcinogen), Fragrance, Methylpharaphen and Propylparaben (hormone and endocrine disruptors with possible links to breast cancer, Dihydroxyacetone (this is what give self-tanners their bronzing effect however since it's a hormone disruptor this bronzing effect comes at a price), Petroleum (possible carcinogen) and BHT (toxic to the organ systems, endocrine disruption and encourages tumor promotion)…. If that wasn’t bad enough its rated a big fat 10 on the Think Dirty App.

If I wanted to maintain a bit of colour this summer I need to find a replacement ASAP. Thank goodness there are a few “chemical free” sunless tanner options out there, Chocolate Sun just happens to be one of them!

Chocolate Sun products are free of mineral oils, dyes, lanolin, parabens, PABA, alcohol, petro-chemicals, sodium lauryl sulfate, and formaldehyde. They are never tested on animals, are non-comedogenic (won't clog your pores) and are vegan friendly. These sunless tanners do use DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) however they use a natural plant sourced DHA which is not chemically based!

Chocolate Sun has several products to choose from:

Cocoa Face and Body Tanning Cream in 3 strengths:

• Lite - Fair to medium skin tones

• Glow - medium to dark skin tones and

• Absolute Sun – for dark skin tones

All of these products are gradual self-tanners.

Coca Fleur Tanning Atomizer also comes in three strengths: Fair to medium, medium to dark and dark.

This is a spray self-tanner and will give you a natural sun kissed tan.

Cocoa Illume Sunless Lite Tanning Face Gel comes in two strengths: Fair to medium and medium to dark.

This is a tanning gel for the face and is best used on normal to oily skin. This product will give you an instant glow and the tan will develop over a few hours.

Since these products are not cheap I decided to first purchase a sample from Clementine Fields online store which can be found here…. A sample will cost you $2.50 and its enough product to test on your legs but not your whole body. If you want to have a fair test on your whole body I recommend purchasing two samples. I choose Coco Glow Face and Body Tanning Cream in 2 (medium to dark) and it was perfect for me, I think the #1 level (Lite - fair to medium) would have been too light since I am little bit impatient to wait 2-3 days before I see a deeper colour develop! You can also purchase a full bottle for $48.00 Canadian directly from Clementine Fields.

I am just going to say I love this product! It actually tanned my skin better that Jergens Natural Glow. One application was sufficient for a sun kissed glow but if you are looking for a deeper tan I would apply a second or even a third application. After you reach your desired "tan colour" using it 2 times a week should be sufficient to keep up your tan! **Sorry I forgot to do a before and after photo :-(

The smell was amazing…. it smells like chocolate but it wasn't overwhelming and it didn't produce the weird after scent that most self-tanners do!

You can purchase a full size bottle from the Chocolate Sun Website. The website gives you detailed step by step instructions on how to apply these products to get the best results. The prices range from $34.00 to $42.00 US a bottle. Shipping is free if you spend $45.00 or more!

A quick tip is to always exfoliate before you apply any self-tanning product and make sure your skin is free of any other cream or moisturizer before applying your self-tanner. I like to apply my self-tanner before bed after exfoliating in the shower! Just be careful when applying around your knees and elbows because they will absorb more product and get darker than your skin! Also remember to wash the palms of your hands thoroughly after your done your application otherwise you will end up with orange palms!

Happy SAFE tanning!

Simply Truly Jenny…