Sometimes, you just have to fake it. It’s about that time of year again when all the warnings about sun exposure and the potentially-carcinogenic effects of tanning beds have you weighing other options.

Let’s start with the option that has been taken off the table – tanning beds.   The World Health Organization upgraded tanning beds to a “Group 1 carcinogenic” category last summer. That means that using tanning bulbs to darken our skin is equivalent to smoking cigarettes or playing in asbestos.

So then, what’s the best way to fake it?

Three ways to achieve that instantaneous golden glow are air-brushing, spray-ons and self-tanning lotions, creams and gels.  You can do-it-yourself, have it done at a salon or spa, and even the Mayo Clinic is on board with sunless tanning.

• Air-brushing:  Usually done by a professional, a fine mist of color is sprayed onto the skin, coloring the top layer. The mist contains DHA, which works with your body to naturally darken the pigmentation of the skin.  The price range at spas is about $80-$100 and lasts for 7-10 days with proper care (noted below).  Air-brushing is generally thought to give the most natural-looking results because of the fineness of the mist and the control of the person applying it.  The price of home air-brushing kits for tanning such as Luminess Tan or Fusion Beauty’s AirGlow, starts at about $150 and rises quickly. If you tan regularly, though, it could save you money in the long run.
• Spray-on:  Probably the best-known spray-tan is Mystic Tan. This works much like air-brushing, but without the finesse.  In salons, you step into a booth for 10-20 minutes and voila! a bronze god or goddess emerges.  The cost varies, but averages about $30-$40 per visit, and has the same shelf life as the airbrushed version.
• More and more spray-on tans in a can are on the market these days as well, if you’re the DIY type. Dan Billett, the men’s grooming expert from About.com, likes Fusion Beauty’s Glow Fusion Micro-Nutrient Face & Body Natural Protein Tan.  Model Co. Translucent Tan Airbrush in a can is another that gets high marks from totalbeauty.com users.
• Lotions/gels:  Self-tanning lotions and gels have been a growing market throughout the last decade and in LookinGood’s own trials last year, we found the drugstore brands as effective as the high-end luxury brands we tried.  Many of these will now instantly (and by instantly we mean over the course of a couple of hours) start to darken your skin, and you control how tan you get by how regularly you use them.  Others, like the popular Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer line, gradually tan your skin.

For the most part, these have come a long way for the early days of orangey, streaky results that were obviously fake.  To reduce the messy factor, some companies have introduced towelettes and gloves that you just wipe over your body to apply the tanner.   Dan Billett mentions the Somer360 Tanning Towelettes, and DailyBeauty.com likes the Solerra Mitt Instant Bronzing Formulation.  Talk about golden gloves!