Zebra-striped legs, brown tinted palms, and a scary line that divides your dark face from your pale neck — just a few of the reasons we decided to write an article about how to apply fake tans.
Step 1: Prep Body: Shave your legs the night before to avoid skin irritation. You must exfoliate before you tan — dead skin sucks up color and gives you nasty brown patches. Slough off rough areas with a body scrub. Let your body dry for about an hour. Moisturize only the naturally dry, thick-skinned parts of your body that could get too dark, like elbows, knuckles, and feet, so they'll absorb less tanner. Face: The chemicals in self-tanners can make blackheads darker, so use a pore strip and toner to get rid of excess oil before applying. Protect your hair with a shower cap and smear your brows with Vaseline.
Step 2: Apply Body: Self-tanner can cover everything a thong doesn't, so aside from some latex gloves — brown palms are a dead giveaway — you're pretty much naked throughout the process. First, test a tiny bit of tanner on your butt or stomach to make sure you like the color and you're not allergic. Once you're satisfied, squeeze a small amount of product into your hands and rub it onto your body in circular motions. Keep your fingers together to prevent streaks, and keep knees and elbows bent as you apply it, so skin gets pulled tightly and gets covered completely. Go lightly on areas that don't tan naturally, like the insides of your arms. Recruit a friend for a little "I'll do your back if you do mine." After you've done your entire body, take off the gloves to do the back of your hands, but make sure self-tanner doesn't build up between your fingers. Try to cover your hands as quickly as possible, so you can wash your palms with soap and water afterwards. Face: Too much product makes your face look dirty. An M&M-sized blob is enough to cover the parts of your face that the sun hits first; apply down your nose and across your cheeks. Then feather the color out towards the rest of your face. Avoid eyelids, nostrils, and earlobes.
Step 3: Chill out and dry.
Drying times vary. Sprays and foams dry in about five minutes; lotions and creams take more like 30 minutes or more. Even though you may feel dry, it takes longer for the tanner to soak into your skin and for the color to set. Whether you hit the couch (lined with paper towels) or surf the Web (in the buff), expect to spend 30 minutes in your thong. Once the half-hour is up, you can wear dark-colored, loose-fitting T-shirts and shorts, but avoid pastels for another hour or you'll stain your clothes and ruin your tan. Also, wait an hour before going out in the sun or exercising, because sweat can sabotage all the hard work. Your skin should tan in 30 minutes with speedy formulas, but most will take three hours.
Step 4: Keep your tan.
Moisturize like crazy, wash with a mild soap, and pat yourself dry after showering or swimming. Your new tan will last anywhere from a few days to a week, so reapply every three days to keep the color fresh. Yes, it's a lot of work for a few days of bronzed bliss, but it's better than permanently sun-damaged skin.
Always remember: Fix your mistakes.
If you really screw up, don't panic, and remember: It's temporary. Here are a few ways to get a grip if your new tan looks less than perfect.
A good bronzing powder or cream helps fill in missed spots.
When faced with the dreaded streaks, exfoliate afterwards to speed up cell turnover, or rub your skin with half a lemon to help bleach away dark smears.
If you skipped the gloves, you can fix color-stained hands by washing them with whitening toothpaste — the hydrogen peroxide should get rid of any lingering color.
Apply self-tanner two days in a row. Your tan will look more even that way, and any mess-ups from the first day will blend into the second layer.
