There is no safe level of tanning. Tanning in and of itself is actually sun damage. Sunburn is also sun damage and if you use olive oil or baby oil or anything like that, you are likely to end up with a pretty bad sunburn.
Your best bet according to the Mayo Clinic is to use a topical sunless tanning product and follow the directions precisely. They also say that sunless tanning products, themselves, do not contain sunscreen, so you still need to wear a good sunblock (one that blocks both uva and uvb rays, often called full spectrum sunblock)
The Mayo clinic also has some other useful info, just in case you were considering it.
Tanning beds and tans from sunlight are both dangerous scroll down a bit to see another link to the best sunscreens.
Now for the anecdotes. One of my close friends from childhood developed skin cancer in her early 30’s. We all used to go to the beach and get tan (and burned) every year when we were teens. When the news came out in the early 1980’s that even “tanning” rather than just burning actually caused skin cancer, I started covering up and wearing sunscreen and learned to embrace my pastiness. My friend did not. She got skin cancer and had to have a bunch of lesions removed from her face, back and neck. A couple of aquaintences also developed skin cancer in their early 30’s, one of the girls had to have a big chunk of flesh removed from directly under her eye and some other lesions on her back and arm removed. She has a good sized scar on her face and has had multiple surgeries. Not pretty, not fun.
Some of my cousins just went on vacation to Cancun. They got some really neat self tanning gel (not sure of the brand) and used that, plus sunscreen. I didn’t know that they were using the self tanning product and when they came home, I started to panic when I saw them, because they looked lightly sun-kissed. They confessed that they were fake tans. It looked totally real and natural.
Bottom line. Don’t do something dangerous out of vanity. Learn now, at an early age to love and accept yourself and do all that you can to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Don’t give in to pressure to be tan or to do other unhealthy things like smoke, you’ll end up sick and/or addicted (and disgusted) in the end. Be a trendsetter. Be the person who makes pale seem awesome! Be the person who turns everyone else on to the cool new self tanning product. Be the person who everyone admires, because she is the picture of real health.
And be thankful for Twilight (Hot pasty people) and Harry Potter (other hot pasty people). And these 2 other hot pasty Potters!