There is nothing more depressing than getting back from the holiday of a lifetime – namely your honeymoon - and watching that glorious tan you worked so hard on slowly fade away. Of course, there is nothing you can do to stop it from fading but there are ways to prolong the process so you can keep your sun-kissed glow for as long as possible.

Pre-Honeymoon Exfoliate

If you exfoliate before you go away your skin will be fresh, soft and ready to bronze. This will also help when you return as you will need to exfoliate when you get back but only just enough to get rid of the dead skin cells and not so much that you scrub away your tan. Naturally, the less dead skin there is to remove, the less likely you are to exfoliate your tan away.

Moisturise

Keeping the skin as hydrated as possible is absolutely essential to avoid peeling and the subsequent tan loss that comes with it. Oils are particularly good for this but if you’re not a fan of that oily feeling then a standard moisturiser is just as good. Do this as often as possible and you will be on the right path to a long-lasting holiday glow.

Drink

Drink water, that is. This relates to the previous point about making sure your skin stays as hydrated as possible. The easiest way to have soft skin that will hold on to a tan for as long as possible is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.

Cool Showers

Once again, this tip is about not drying out your skin. Hot water can actually dehydrate your skin and lead to your precious tan peeling away faster than it would normally have done. Stick to cool water and you’ll significantly increase the lifespan of your beautifully bronzed skin.

Tan Gradually

You might not know this but if you cake yourself in SPF and just spend an hour or two in the sun each day, your tan will build up a lot slower but it will actually last a lot longer. Those who burn themselves to a crisp on the first day might look more tanned than you but they will be pasty white long before you lose your glow. Slow and steady wins this race.