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Bodycare

How-to: Perfect your Self Tan

How-to: Perfect your Self Tan
Caro Dooling
Writer and expert7 years ago
View Caro Dooling's profile

Who doesn’t love a radiant, sun-kissed look? But as the sun’s rays can damage skin and fast track aging, self-tanning is the perfect, natural solution.

Here to help you bronze safely, follow our tips to achieve a gorgeous, believable tan all year round.

Smooth and Nourish

For best results and a streak-free, even-looking tan, shave or wax and lightly exfoliate skin using Exfoliating Body Polish 24 hours before you fake tan.

Follow by moisturizing with body butter or a thicker body cream such as Deeply Nourishing Body Cream.

Preparing in this way will ensure skin is soft, smoothed and pores are closed ready for your tan.

Good as Gold

Making sure skin is dry, use a tanning mitt or gloves to apply product. Start at your legs and feet, smoothing your chosen tan evenly, blending well around ankles, heels and knees – where color can cling to drier skin.

Moving to your stomach, chest and arms, pay careful attention to any dry skin around elbows. Then carefully move on to your back – taking your time to cover all remaining skin.

To avoid patchiness on troublesome areas like hands, feet and heels, blend out with a little moisturizer.

Wait a few moments before dressing and leave to develop. This can take anywhere between 2 – 4 hours or even overnight for maximum effect.

If using our Gradual Tan Body Moisturizer, wash hands after use and apply each day to achieve your preferred depth of color.

Double Up

For your face, apply a light covering in small circular movements – remembering to include ears (behind ears too) and neck.

However, to create a soft, healthy-looking tan with the usual benefits of your skincare regime, add Gradual Tan Face Concentrate to your moisturizer or to Overnight Hydration Therapy and wake-up to revitalized sun-kissed skin, or use on its own for deep, long-lasting color.

Smooth It

If the worst should happen and there are areas you’re unhappy with, fear not. To fix uneven patches, try adding a little more self-tan and blending really well with moisturizer to make less visible.

If this doesn’t work or you don’t have time, lightly exfoliate the area or use a little lemon juice to remove some of the color from areas such as your feet, hands, wrists, knees and elbows.

Maintenance

Your tan will naturally fade over 3 – 7 days depending on the type of product you’ve used. However, to maintain your bronzed glow, keep skin moisturized for healthy-looking radiant skin.

Our bronzing heroes

Caro Dooling
Writer and expert
View Caro Dooling's profile
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