My first experience with the self-tanning products is hard to forget. It was a fiasco, as you already might guess. I bought a self-tanning cream, I applied it on my legs and I was convinced that I shouldn’t do anything more. Now, looking back, it makes me wanna laugh: not only that the tan was uneven, but I got “toasted” only up to the ankles, and hands, just up the wrists :).
The drama was that I was preparing for a weekend at the seaside with a boy I fell for head over heels. However, as I hadn’t been at the beach that year, my skin was milky white – that’s why I wanted to get tanned a bit while still at home: I just didn’t want to be the whitest girl the beach! All in all, I didn’t use the self-tanner properly – then, at the beach, I searched all kinds of excuses not to get naked until I finally told him the truth and we laughed together about it all.
However, even if you’re not 20 anymore, there is a high risk to obtain an uneven color if you don’t pay attention when you apply the self-tanning products – which, incidentally, remain the healthiest option for your skin. So, there are a few basic rules: take them into account, and you won’t have any surprises.
- Use a body scrub – ideally the day before you apply the self-tanner. Choose a scrub that doesn’t contain oil and apply it all over your body. Thus, smaller chances to get an uneven tan.
- Apply a hydrating body cream especially on the elbows, knees, wrists, and on the back of the heels. Why? The skin is drier in these areas, absorbing more of the product, and subsequently the darker colored spots are more likely to appear in these areas. The body cream must get deep into your skin before you apply the self-tanner.
- Choose the formula that you like most: mousse, gel, spray or cream. Here it really depends on everyone’s preferences. To me it seems that the mousse spreads the quickest and more evenly, although with the spray I can reach the less accessible spots without doing yoga exercises :).
- Try to distribute the product evenly. If you apply more of the product in a certain area, it will surely turn darker. And you don’t want that!
- Protect your hands! Wear gloves, and only in the end, apply the self-tanner on your hands. Otherwise, if you apply the product without gloves, your fingers and palms will be far too “bronzed”!
- Apply the self-tanner with circular movements, starting from the ankles. It’s the best way to go!
- Wait! If on the product’s label says to wait 10 minutes, then wait at least 15. Then use a thin layer of baby powder – there are lesser chances that the product will transfer on your clothes. If your self-tanning product doesn’t specify otherwise, then wait between 6 and 8 hours until you get into the shower.
- You’ve made a mistake? Not to worry, it happens! If a small area has a darker tone, cut a lemon in half and massage the skin with it. I can’t guarantee that it works with any self-tanner, but it’s worth trying!
- Take care of your bronze! Use a gentle shower gel, avoid the scrub and make sure that your skin is always hydrated.
- You now officially have an enviable tan, a pretty good reason to go for a walk in your sexy shorts!
