Can You Get A Tan After 5pm?

When you want to give your skin a golden boost from the sun, choosing the right time to catch the best rays for your skin type is the most important factor you need to consider. 

This is especially true if you have sensitive skin or skin that burns easily (something that you definitely don’t want to do). Not only will burning your skin cause wrinkles more easily, but can end up making you more prone to getting skin cancer.

So, when is the best time of day for tanning? Can you get a tan after 5pm? You can tan after 5 pm, particularly if you skin is fair. But it’s definitely not the best time to catch some rays.

In this blog post, I’ll explain why.

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Can You Get A Tan After 5pm?

Is it possible to get a golden glow after 5pm? It is possible to get color after 5, but after 5 is definitely not prime time. Before I go into detail, it may be worth mentioning this article, When is the Best Time To Tan? if after 5pm doesn’t suit you.

In general, regardless of your skin type, the best time of day to get a tan is in the morning, when the sun’s UV index is relatively low. This syncs with the body’s circadian rhythm to make your skin cells react to the morning light and get you the most tan for the least amount of expsoure.

However, when it comes to tanning after 5pm, when the sun’s high UV index during the afternoon drops, it is still possible to get a tan if you have a lighter skin tone. But it will definitely take longer to see a real difference.

This means you may want to try tanning in the late afternoon, particularly if you’re just starting out and don’t have a base tan. That way, you’re priming your skin for more intense tanning in the future. 

Also, if it’s a cloudier day, this can still work. That said, since the sun’s not at its strongest after 5pm, if the clouds are thick and heavy, don’t expect to get a golden glow.

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to tanning naturally from the sun. The standard party line of most dermatologists and cancer societies, getting a tan is the worst thing you can do for your skin, and that you should avoid it at all costs. 

I get that argument, and agree when it comes to sunburn. But there may be to the story that gets lost (see this article on the benefits of tanning).

UV exposure from the sun is what allows the skin to not only produce vitamin D, which is a vital component in helping to boost your body’s immune system, and it also gives your skin a healthy sun-kissed glow that will make you feel better overall.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, sunlight helps in Nitric Oxide production (NO). Nitric Oxide has a host of benefits, as mentioned in the article above, and further in studies like this one.

UV exposure from the sun is what allows the skin to not only produce vitamin D, which is a vital component in helping to boost your body’s immune system, and it also gives your skin a healthy sun-kissed glow that will make you feel better overall.

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What If My Skin Tans Easily?

If you have olive or darker skin, then it’s not very likely that you will get a tan easily after 5pm, because the sun’s UV index won’t be strong enough.

The more melanin that you have in your skin, the more difficult it is for the sun’s ultraviolet rays to penetrate when it is at a low index. 

Therefore, tanning after 5pm will only be really beneficial to you if you have very pale or sensitive skin that’s prone to burning. Tanning during this time will be safer for you particularly if you haven’t built up a base tan..

This means they will cause less harm to your delicate skin, but you’ll still need to use sunscreen!

Tanning after 5pm will only be really beneficial to you if you have very pale or sensitive skin that’s prone to burning.

The sun is at its strongest generally between 10am and 4pm.

This is the time the UV Index is highest, and when the day is at its hottest. If you have olive or darker skin, then it’s best to get a tan during this time period. That said, you should still limit your exposure to around 30-45 minutes, making sure that you wear adequate sunscreen so that you don’t burn.

See this article on outdoor tanning tips for more information.

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Getting Brown After 5pm

Although it’s not possible to get a full-on bronzed glow after 5pm, due to the sun’s weakened UV index, you can help to accelerate this process by using a product like Sun Bum Browning Lotion.

This innovative product works in conjunction with your chosen sunscreen to give you a deeper tan without having to spend so much time in the sun. This darkening lotion is octinoxate-, oxybenzene-, and paraben-free, plus it’s hypoallergenic, so is suitable for sensitive skin.

Sun Bum Browning Lotion is also water resistant, reef-friendly, and extremely moisturizing (important for tanning!). It includes soothing aloe vera gel, as well as marula, argan, coconut and avocado oil to nourish the skin, along with Kona coffee plant extract, which provides its tropical coffee scent.

Exfoliating your skin in the shower before your first tanning session will also ensure that your skin is in a hydrated and prime state before you lather on this tanning accelerator product.

And remember, even if you use a browning lotion like the one above, you won’t get a dark tan after 5pm in just one session. If you want to build up your color, then you will need to take a more gradual approach to your tanning process.

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Eat Your Greens (And Your Oranges)

Although you may never have thought that what you eat can affect the quality of your sun-kissed skin, we’re here to tell you that it can. In fact, all foods that contain beta carotene, a reddy orange pigment that is found in many fruits and vegetables, will improve your skin’s tanning abilities.

Beta carotene is also an antioxidant that works to maintain the health and appearance of your skin, and has been proven to help protect your skin when it is exposed to the sun’s UV radiation, which is why many tanning oils and sunscreen include it as an ingredient in their formulas (and some people use Beta Carotene pills as tanning pills!)

This powerful antioxidant, which is converted by your body into vitamin A, the vitamin that is vital for healthy skin, is stored in your fat cells just below the skin’s surface. This allows the pigment to poke through and give your skin a healthier glow.

This is why beta carotene will add a pleasant orange undertone to your skin, especially if you add foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, apricots, plums, and butternut squash to your daily diet.

And it’s not just orange-colored foods that contain beta-carotene. You will also find large quantities of this antioxidant in vegetables like spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce. So chomping down some on salad is not only good for your waistline, but it will also help to stop your skin from getting free radical damage and wrinkles if you end up spending too much time in the sun. 

It’s not just orange-colored foods that contain beta carotene. You will also find large quantities of this antioxidant in vegetables like spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce, so chomping down some on salad is not only good for your waistline, but it will also help to stop your skin from getting free radical damage and wrinkles if you end up spending too much time in the sun.

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Tanning Finish

When you decide to tan in the sun, make sure that you are well-hydrated and that you don’t spend more than about 25 minutes on each side of your body. Otherwise, you still risk overexposing your skin, especially if it doesn’t have much melanin in it.

So, can you get a tan after 5 pm? Well, that will all depend on your natural skin color, the sunscreen that you use, and whether or not you eat your greens every day! You can also try using a tanning lotion during this time to help accelerate the development of color on your skin.

You won’t need such a high SPF (a 10-15 rating will be more than fine at this time of day), because the sun is at its lowest UV index after 5 pm. Plus, it will take much longer for you to see a buildup of any color. 

However, building up a tan after 5 pm is much safer for your skin, because you won’t burn with a low UV index. And eventually, you’ll be able to rock golden limbs with the sun-kissed glow you’ve been dreaming of.