The weird but wonderful way to self-tan

While it’s not as strange as washing your hair with soft drink or slathering your skin in placenta, there’s a new beauty trick doing the rounds: using black tea to fake tan. It sounds kind of bonkers, but I have to admit, I’m rather intrigued.

We all know the perils of spending hours in the sun, and self-tanning is a staple in many a beauty junkie’s weekly routine. Now that winter’s nearly here, our limbs are very quickly turning a translucent shade of white under long-sleeved shirts and jeans.

If, like me, you’re not keen to look like a Cullen all winter long, the idea of using tea leaves to tan doesn’t sound so insane.

As it turns out, our morning cuppa not only contains polyphenols (the fancy word for antioxidants) and caffeine, but it can be used to tint skin, too. Black tea is (obviously) dark in colour, and when brewed and applied to the skin, leaves a subtle, brown-tinged stain.

The bonus? It’s super cheap, and smells rather pleasant. Follow these steps for a natural-looking tan without stepping foot in the sun:

1. Take 10 black tea bags (any brand is fine) and boil in hot water.
2. Let the bags sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and then let the tea cool to room temperature or lower.
4. Pour into a spray bottle and spray your skin. Air dry and reapply if you want a deeper, darker colour.

And hey, while you’re at it, why not try some of these other kitchen beauty secrets – home remedies, come at me!

What do you think of tea tanning? Would you try it?