What will help get a real tan??

so im kinda of pale...not extremely but yea. i tan too, not burn. its just my mom used to always freak about the sun and tanning beds nd stuff till recently. well, i want to get a pretty good tan before prom. is there anything that helps you tan?? my friend used baby oil and iodine. idk about that. ne other ideas?? and i dont want to fake bake...so please dont tell me to use self tanner. thnks