Get a gorgeous tan with some of the best self tanning tips which help you avoid streaks, uneven coloration and other problems associated with self tanning. Whether you’re using a lotion or spray, try these self tanning tips.
Preparing Your Skin for Self Tanning
Starting with the right conditions on your skin can extend the life of your tan, so make sure you’re prepared. For the best self tan, you need to start working on your skin 24 hours in advance. Whether it’s waxing or shaving, take care of the unwanted hair removal a day before getting a self tan.
Right before starting, exfoliate again. You can use a product that uses chemical exfoliation (look for products with AHAs and BHAs) or try your own homemade body scrub with brown sugar. It’s very important to get rid of as many dead skin cells as possible to get a good tan. Forget about tanning on top of a previous tan, that will lead to uneven spots, and the best self tanning tips from professionals advise you against it.
Best Self Tanning Lotion Tips
Tanning lotion is one of the most popular self tanning products and it uses dihydroxyacetone (DHA) to color your skin. This sugar darkens only the top layer of your skin, so applying it correctly is very important.
Always use gloves when applying tanning lotion and leave your hands for last. You’ll be protecting your palms from staining and making sure the color goes where it’s supposed to.
One of the best self tanning lotion tips help you deal with dry areas, where a lot of color can accumulate. Mix the tanning lotion with a bit of moisturizer when applying to your elbows and knees, so you won’t get extra color in these areas.
Best Self Spray Tan Tips
If you’re using a spray tan, you’ll need to be even more careful. Mixing self tanning lotion with spray for the hard to reach places isn’t usually a good idea, since it will lead to an uneven tan.
Make sure you purchase a good tanning spray, which allows for spraying even when it is upside down and after exfoliating, apply your tan in the shower. The mist from the spray can go in unexpected directions, so it’s important that you keep it restricted in a small and easy to clean space.
The best self spray tan tips are usually the instructions on the can, but you should always start out slowly. Don’t keep the spray misting your skin in the same place for seconds, go for a quick and even application, so you won’t have to scrub yourself clean again because you went too dark.
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