Do you indulge in a weekly faux glow, only to be left with unsightly colour gathering at your knees, wrists and ankles (and anywhere else it could possibly go wrong)? Are your hands left looking as though you’ve been playing around in the mud? You sound like a tanning tragic – but don’t you worry, you’re not alone.
The thing about fake tans is, they’re always going to look a little fake unless you take great care in the application. Here are some need-to-know facts for when you decide to go down the bronzed and beautiful route…
Prevention is the best cure
Just like with anything, prevention is the best remedy. So before you take to your body with a bronzing product, be sure you’ve properly exfoliated from top to toe, focusing on your joints (think wrists, knees, ankles), as colour can gather in these areas. A hard working exfoliator like Shanga Body Scrub is ideal, as it works to remove dead skin cells while softening fine lines and improving skin firmness.
You should also ensure you’ve removed any deodorant or moisturiser before application, as most tans won’t take as well to any skin that isn’t completely clean and dry.
It’s all in the application
In order to ensure you don’t end up with unsightly brown hands, arm yourself with either a pair of cheap plastic gloves, or ideally, a tanning mitt that’s designed to spread the colour over your body more easily and evenly. We love Famous Dave Tanning Mitt, and St Tropez Applicator Mit, as they both ensure smooth results thanks to soft-touch material. (But don’t forget to apply a little tan to the back of your hands once you’re finished or you’ll be stuck with the ‘white gloved’ look!)
Another good way to ensure you don’t miss any spots on your body is to use a tanner that has an instant bronze tint (like Le Tan Instant Lotion) so you can see where you’ve already applied the tan. It’s also best to focus on covering one whole leg first, and then moving up the body area by area.
Stain pain
So you’ve applied your faux glow, only to realise that you’ve got major streaks on your legs? Eek! What’s a girl to do? Well, it’s time to get to work on evening out that colour right away. Firstly, jump in the shower to ‘soften’ the colour up a bit. It’s far easier (and better for your skin) to try and budge the colour when your skin is wet and the steam has helped to open your pores, than to rub it raw when dry.
Grab a handy in-shower tan removal mitt (we like Puretan Pro Reusable Self-Tan Removal Mitt,or the Tan-Off Mitt) and work it over the tan ‘faux pas’ in small, circular motions. Add a bit of shower gel to ensure you’re not dragging the skin. The bulk of the colour should begin to lift off easily.
Hint: If the colour still hasn’t totally budged, take a dry towel to your wet skin and rub in circular motions. The remnants should easily lift off!
Stockist: Tan-Off Mitt, $24.95, 03 9415 2007 & www.tan-off.com
Puretan Pro Reusable Self-Tan Removal Mitt, $24.95, www.puretan.com.au
What are your best tips for tan removal?
