PolishSlayer0
Iron
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Carotenoidmaxxing: Everything u have to know
Hello, I'm coming to you with another looksmax that in my opinion is worth considering if you are near the end of your journey, and that is a carotenoid tan. Intrigued? Enjoy reading.
What are we going to talk about?
- How do carotenoids actually work?
- Ratios and product prices
- Results
- Is it realy worth it?
How do carotenoids actually work?
Carotenoids are polyunsaturated hydrocarbons or xanthophylls possessing a long chain of conjugated double bonds, which makes them highly hydrophobic and extremely lipophilic. In plain English, this means: washing them down with water is not enough. For them to be properly absorbed, you need to consume them alongside a high fat meal. Every time I take them, I take a solid bite out of a stick of butter, and that is more than enough. Carotenoids accumulate mainly in the stratum corneum of the skin, but due to their fat solubility, they also deposit in subcutaneous fat. In simpler terms: even after shedding skin whether from a sunburn or a peel the carotenoid tan stays behind, creating a deeper skin undertone.
Ratios, dosing, and product prices:
Every day I take 7.5mg of beta carotene, by far the most popular and in my opinion the most overrated carotenoid. It is the only carotenoid you need to be careful dosing with, as it can lead to a yellow rather than a golden hue. As most of you probably know, it is naturally found in things like carrots. I paid around $25 for a bottle of 180 tablets and I take one a day it is also the cheapest product on this list.
Next up is lycopene, which I take at 40mg daily. This is a very high dose, but if you're on a budget you can drop down to 30mg or even 20mg. It is responsible for the red skin undertone, which contrary to appearances is essential and looks absolutely incredible. It occurs naturally in tomatoes, and I paid about $25 for 50 tablets at 20mg each.
The most expensive and easily the best supplement on this list is astaxanthin, which I take at a whopping 24mg. Again, if you are on a tight budget you can drop to 12mg because absorption drops off significantly above that, though I still think it's worth it. Astaxanthin gives a peachy pink tone to the skin. You can find it naturally in salmon, and brace yourselves: I paid around $40 for 50 capsules at 12mg each, and I take two a day.
With these ratios, based on what I've researched, you get the ultimate carotenoid tan that a regular sun tan can't even compare to. The prices are quite high largely because of the brands I chose: NOW Foods, and BioAstin for the astaxanthin. These are absolute top tier when it comes to product purity and bioavailability.
Results:
Was it worth it?
Personally, I definitely think so. If you have $60 a month plus an extra $40 a year to spare, I see no issue. The only downside besides the price is that once you stop taking them, your natural color returns. So this is one of the final looksmaxes I'd recommend, but the skin tone you get is truly insane. I only noticed real results once I pushed to these extremely high doses. Let me know how this works for you. See u next time!
