It’s that time of the year again. The time of the year where you want to see a little bit of bronze color on your skin, without the damage. I self tan all year round, so I’m going to write what my routine entails so that you can do it at home. It’s super easy and you won’t be scrounging for ways to remove self tanner after (FYI: lemon juice does the trick). So get ready to be bronze.
Prep
Ok,first things first. Do this at night. If you don’t want color on your sheets then wear some pajamas to bed. You get to wake up with a tan and you also don’t have to worry about any weird lines in your tanner because you’ve thrown on some constricting clothing after. Try to keep those clothes loose as a goose for the best results. Now you want to shower and scrub off all of your dry skin. Any dry skin patches and the color will stick right to them. Some people use a loofah mitt, some use an exfoliating body wash an some use a grittier scrub in the bath. I do all three. Plus, run a razor over those stems. If you have to shave after, it takes off some of your tanner because it will remove dry skin. When you’re done with the shower, apply hydrating body lotion to your elbows, knees, feet, ankles and hands. Tie your hair up and allow the lotion to penetrate a bit. Now you’re ready to begin.
Apply
If the product that you’ve chosen to use says to wear thin gloves, do it. A lot of good tanners pack a lot of oomph in their color so that you don’t have to reapply three times for the results you want. The thin, latex gloves work best and you can find them at most drugstores and grocery stores. Put a small amount in your gloves and rub together. I like to start at my face and work my way down to my feet. Always remember to put some behind your ears when you are applying the tanner to the back of your neck. Then, if you wear your hair up, you won’t have two white marks back there. Apply the tanner until you’ve covered your whole body. When you remove your gloves, run the excess that’s on them over the tops of your hands and wrists so that you don’t have glove lines. If you get a little on your palms, then add soap and rinse off carefully. Pat dry. Apply some more hydrating body lotion to your hands so that the tanner doesn’t just stick into any creases.
It’s just that easy. If you haven’t achieved the color that you wanted, then reapply the next night after showering. A lot of times you have to quickly rinse off in the morning because a lot of tanners have a residue tint in them so you can see where the lotion has been applied. So that I don’t start to look orange, I’ll do two applications of tanner and then over the next couple of days, I’ll do tinted lotion. Also, let yourself dry before you throw your sweats or pajamas on. That’s one of the major causes of streaking.
Products
There are many different tanners to choose from these days. I find that tanning lotion is great for penetration because I have dry skin. So my skin feels great after and is moisturized. If you have places to be, then try a spray, serum, foam or oil. All of these kinds of tanning products dry very quickly. If you have a couple of extra dollars to spare, then I recommend the St.Tropez self tanner family. It’s found at Sephora and most drug stores. Personally, it’s worth every penny and a little goes a long way. If you don’t want to invest that much, then try any of the L’Oreal Paris products found in any drug store. Every one of their tanning products is great, but I was super impressed with their new tanning serum and with their spray. Lastly, Fake Bake makes amazing tanners that turn a nice brown and last a long time. They are middle of the road price wise but you have to order online or look for them in places like Chatters.
I hope that helps when it comes to self tanners. I know that if you’ve never tried it before, it can be scary. No one wants to look like an orange zebra. However, with today’s range of products, it’s almost impossible to not get the results you’re hoping for. If you really feel like you can’t pull it off though, then go to a tanning salon and get a quick spray tan there. Please remember as well that when you’re outside getting some sun the old fashioned way, lather that sunscreen on. There’s no way around it these days. Just do it and live a little bit longer. Have fun getting your bronze on!
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