Dry skin tends to shed more rapidly, causing the self-tanner to fade faster. By keeping your skin well-hydrated and moisturized, you ensure that your tan will last longer. Many hydrating lotions will alter the PH of your skin turning your tan orange or even stripping it from your skin.
The only thing to fade a tan is time, stay out of the sun, use a good sunscreen with zinc or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients, cover up your skin when outdoors and sunscreen if not covered.
Stop your skin from drying out
Moisturise regularly to prevent your tan from fading unevenly. Hydrated skin will hold onto the tan better and keep it looking flawless for longer. Try the Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion , which contains bitter orange flower to deeply nourish and hydrate skin.
Skin Cell Renewal: Your skin naturally sheds dead cells and regenerates new ones. This process, which takes about 28 days for most people, causes the tan to fade as the darker, tanned skin cells are replaced by new, untanned cells.
Self tanners can expect their golden hue to last between 7-10 days due to the natural turnover of skin cells. Or if you get a tan outside, you can expect your tan to fade in about the same amount of time at 7-10 days as well.
Dry skin tends to shed more rapidly, causing the self-tanner to fade faster. By keeping your skin well-hydrated and moisturized, you ensure that your tan will last longer. Many hydrating lotions will alter the PH of your skin turning your tan orange or even stripping it from your skin.
Raw oils like coconut, olive, or sunflower will work in a pinch, but be sure to pick up baby oil if you want the best results. When it's time to remove your self-tanner, simply slather your skin with the baby oil and leave it on for a few minutes. Then rinse it off in the shower using a loofah or washcloth.
Is it possible to get rid of a tan? Sorry, but no. The tan is due to an increase in melanin, which is basically a defensive reaction from your skin being damaged by the sun. It will slowly fade if your skin is exposed to low enough levels of UV rays (e.g., in winter), but there is no way to speed this.
Why won't my tan go away? When the cells become damaged with pigment, discoloration that doesn't fade occurs, leading to a tan that doesn't fade. In fact, it tends to stay dark unless you choose to have this hyperpigmentation treated professionally.
Limit long, hot showers or excessive washing, which can speed up fading. Instead, stick to quick, lukewarm showers and use gentle, sulfate-free body washes. To maintain hydration (and your tan), apply an oil-free, non-exfoliating moisturiser daily.
Once you have washed off your fake tan moisturise your skin daily to increase the longevity of your tan. Dry, dehydrated skin will cause your dead skin cells to shed quicker, taking the fake tan you worked so hard for with it. Use an oil-free moisturiser as oil can break down the product [2].
Use an exfoliator mixed with a touch of olive oil to gently remove the dead skin cells sitting on the surface of your skin and in turn lighten the fake tan. Avoid using a harsh exfoliator because it might take your tan off in patches.
The quickest steps are the basic (olive, coconut or baby) oil, soak in the tub, then use an exfoliating body mitt and body scrub or the specialist products designed to remove fake tan efficiently.
Shaving after a spray tan can remove some of the tan, leading to uneven or patchy results. Waiting 8-12 hours after the session and using gentle shaving techniques is important to maintain the tan.
Hop in the shower and use an exfoliating mitt to help lighten those too-dark patches. While regular exfoliating (like with a scrub) can also help fade your tan, Evans recommends using a mitt in small, circular motions for added precision.
"DHA has been shown to cause an increase in free radicals in the skin," says Chere Lucas Anthony, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Boca Raton, Fla. "This can contribute to skin aging as the free radicals break down collagen and elastin in the skin, which leads to wrinkling and skin aging."
If you want to prolong your tan, taking cold showers is the way to do this. When trying to maintain your skin's healthy glow, you should aim to keep yourself as hydrated as possible and exfoliate as little as possible.
Frequent sunburns or hours spent tanning can result in a permanent darkening of the skin, dark spots, and a leathery texture.
Although steaming your face and body is excellent for cleansing your skin, opening up your pores and removing blackheads, it can also make your tan fade a little quicker. This is because treating yourself to a steam actually encourages your older skin layers to flake away to reveal fresh, smooth skin.
When looking for the best soap for tan removal, you should opt for a formulation <br />of skin-brightening agents such as Vitamin C, Turmeric, Saffron, Coffee, etc. It is best to choose a toxin-free soap with the above properties. For example, you may try Mamaearth Ubtan Soap.
For quick sun tan removal, exfoliate with a scrub or alpha hydroxy acid to shed pigmented surface cells and apply natural lightening agents. For more immediate results, consider professional treatments that can remove the top layers of tanned skin.
Arnold shares that she specifically likes to use it on more stubborn areas, like the palms and bottoms of the feet, to remove self-tanner easily. "Dawn dish soap (especially the DAWN Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray) with a pumice stone works amazing,” Arnold says.
Vinegar is best used on small patches. Apply apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to a cotton ball and dab onto dark patches of tan. Leave for a few minutes before rinsing off. The acidity will work to lift the tan from your skin.