AFTER THE TAN
Shower lightly in cold – lukewarm water for 45 seconds ONLY after your desired development time. Use plain water, don't use shower gels, scrubs, shampoos or loofah during the first 24 hours after your treatment. Pat your skin dry. Do not rub or scrub your skin.
Do not apply lotion before self tanner -- moisturizer acts as a barrier so it will prevent the self tanner from working. Same goes for oils and perfumes. You want your skin to be as clean as possible!
Start with a quarter sized drop on your mitt and apply to the larger, less porous areas like your thighs and arms. Then whatever's left on the mitt, lightly pass over the more porous areas. You can also dilute the tanner with your favorite lotion for your feet, ankles, knees, handles and elbows.
05. Work in quick, circular motions The best way to apply self tanner is quickly. Depending on the formula you are using, some self tanners will dry very quickly on your skin (another reason why a damp mitt comes in handy) and working in quick, circular motions will ensure the most even application.
Skin Preparation: Shaving isn't just about hair removal; it's a form of exfoliation. By shaving a day before applying self-tanner, you ensure that your skin is smooth and free of any dead cells. This smooth surface allows the self-tanner to go on evenly and helps it adhere better to your skin.
Before applying self-tanner, it's important to prep your skin adequately. A key step to an excellent faux tan (that lasts!) is exfoliation. "Before applying faux tanner, your skin should be completely clean, dry, and exfoliated to remove any dead, dry skin," says Samantha Magill of Tournesol Beauty.
After extensive testing, we determined the highest rated self-tanner to be the St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mousse. It's an airy mousse that's easy to apply and blend and leaves you with a natural-looking glow. You can also customize the depth of color based on how long you leave it on your skin.
When applying self-tanner to your legs, it's essential to work in sections. Start from the ankles and work your way up to the thighs, using long, sweeping motions. Use a tanning mitt or a latex glove to ensure an even application and to protect your hands from staining.
Use a hairdryer. Once you have the perfect coverage, grab your hairdryer to help it set. Be sure it's blowing cool air and move it along your body. Not only will this help the solution dry faster, but it'll also help to kick the tanning development process into overdrive.
A: I usually put this on before going to bed at night. I'll wait around 15 minutes before getting dressed. Even after it dries, I wear a long sleeve pajama top and bottoms, as well as socks, to keep from staining my white bed sheets.
Dhesthetics has 2 recommended body washes to use in the shower to help preserve your tan. Aveevo Daily Moisturizing body wash or Cetaphil Daily Nourishing body wash. All of these body washes have great ingredients in them that will help to preserve not only your tan, but keep your skin healthy.
Not protecting extra-dry areas
And it's all those extra-dry, flaky, wrinkly or difficult to tan areas, like your elbows, knees, ankles and wrists. These spots are notorious for soaking up too much tanner and going too dark or muddy looking.
Yes, here's how: Take a large powder brush; spritz the self-tan spray onto the brush, then use circular motions, buff into the face, blend into the hairline and down towards the neck, and decolletage. You can always do a second layer, and just buff into the cheekbones to subtly sculpt.
Applying at night gives your self-tanner time to develop a natural tan look. Things like showering, rain, or tight clothes can mess up your tan when it's trying to settle. And some tanning products will also stain! As the self-tanner process can take up to eight hours, applying right before bed is super convenient.
If you showered after just a few hours, you might notice your skin is not as tanned as you'd expected. Don't fret! Your colour will continue to develop and darken for a few hours (and a spray tan takes up to 24 hours to develop fully).
The golden rules of tanning: 5 x pumps for your body, 2 x pumps per arm, 4 x pumps per leg, excess product on mitt for hands, feet and face.
Keeping the skin cool prior to tanning can help reduce strawberry legs as warmth can open the pores.
Exfoliate: use a dollop of body scrub on a tanning mitt or sponge to slough away dead skin cells and leave your skin smooth and primed to absorb a self-tan. Ensure you're exfoliating correctly, to avoid damaging your skin.
Spray tanning with hairy legs is absolutely your personal choice. However, bear in mind, excessive hair can hinder an even tan. It's recommended to remove unwanted body hair before the session for better results.