Your Guide To The Perfect Fake Tan

It might be time for that summer vacation or a fun day at the pool with your friends, only one problem. You totally haven’t had any time to tan. What do you do, go outdoors confidentially in your swimsuit rocking a shade of pale? That’s always an option, but you could also quickly fake tan to look like the sun has been kissing your body for weeks now!

 

Fake Tanning Tips

Tanning Beds 

In the spring it never hurts to get a membership to a tanning salon to create a nice base tan. This type of tan isn't exactly fake, but they also aren’t caused by the real sun. The thing to remember about tanning beds is to start off slow.

If you’re really pale then 5 to 10 minutes will be enough for your first few sessions. Also, if you tan in your birthday suit remember that tender skin that hasn’t seen the sunlight in a long time can burn very easily. Consider putting a little sunscreen on extra pale areas to prevent getting a sunburn.

 

Spray Tans

You could also go somewhere for a quick spray tan. Just remember to shave and do all of your hair removal 24 hours before your session. This gives any nicks or cuts time to close up and heal so they won’t get irritated by the tanning spray. Also, shaving or getting a wax after a spray tan could strip the color away.

Orange spots on the bottom of your feet can give a spray tan away, so either really step in puddles of spray tan on the ground to really cover your feet or cover your soles with some tape to prevent any contact with the liquid on the bottom of your feet.

 

Self Tanner

When it comes to self-tanners keep in mind that what you pay for is what you get. To avoid looking orange go for a more expensive brand. It may even be best to research your options to find the best brand.

Also, you don’t want to pick the darkest shade of self-tanner that you can find. In order to look natural only go a few shades darker than your actual skin tone. If you’re so white that you actually reflect the sun, don’t worry, there are lighter shades of fake tanner that you can use.

Before applying your self-tanner be sure to exfoliate all of your dead skin away so you can coat your body evenly. Then avoid putting any moisturizing products on your skin beforehand, because that will coat your skin and prevent the tanner from being fully absorbed.

However, dry areas of the skin like your elbows, knees, and heels can absorb more color and end up looking darker than the rest of your body. You can apply lotion to those areas to prevent that from happening.

Remember that your hair and eyebrows can actually absorb some of the self-tanner, so coat your hairline and brows before applying it. Then put on some latex gloves to prevent your hands from turning orange and your nails from getting full of gunk.

   
Then apply the self-tanner everywhere. Everywhere the sun hits including the back of your ears, neck, back of your knees, and more. Got a buddy to help with areas that you can’t reach or use a mitt on the end of a long scrubbing brush to reach your back.

After you remove the gloves apply a self-tanner to your hands with cotton balls. Be sure to get the creases in your knuckles and to include the areas between your fingers.

Then prepare for the drying phase. You can use a blow dryer to speed this process up, just remember to set the air on a cooler setting. You’ll wanna put on very loose-fitting clothes for the next few hours, and before bed consider putting towels down to avoid staining the sheets. Once you wake up and shower you’ll have flawless, darker skin.

 

Rock That Tan

There’s still time before that day at the lake or pool party to make it look like you’ve been tanning for weeks. Just find the best option for you between the tanning bed, spray tanning, and using self-tanner.

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