Dirty knees? Streaky shins? Do fingers look like you’ve been digging into the Cheetos? Oh, you’ve attempted to apply self-tanner—my bad. Look, self-tanner can go wrong, but it doesn’t have to. How to self tan then? Follow these easy steps:
Shave your legs. You don’t have to do this every time you apply, but for the first time, it helps.
Exfoliate. Pay closer attention to your: knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, tops of your feet. You can use a salt or sugar scrub, but a washcloth or loofah will do the job just fine. Dry off. Water left on the skin can make the tanner streaky. If you’re already using tanner, be sure to blot the water off instead of rubbing.
Apply moisturizer to knees, elbows and bend of the arm, ankles, tops of feet, in between toes and fingers. Take one leg at a time, working from the shin up to the thigh. I like to apply in a circular motion to minimize streaking. Once the shin and thigh are covered, lightly go over the foot, ankle and knee. The lotion you applied earlier will dilute the tanner so that it gets darker on those areas. Repeat on the other leg. After both legs are done, I move on to the arms in the same manner—forearm up to shoulders, then elbow, the crook of the arm and wrist.
For my torso, I often mix moisturizer and tanner together in my hand so that the result is lighter. Begin at the bikini line and work your way up—bottom to top, front to back. Remember to apply to your rib cage and lightly in your armpits. If that area is really pale, it will be obvious. Wash your hands with soap and water!! This will ensure that you don’t get Cheeto fingers.
How to self tan? Give yourself enough time to allow the tanner to dry. I usually wait at least 10 minutes before dressing. If you don’t have time to let it dry, don’t apply. Putting your clothes on before the tanner has been absorbed will make them streaky and it can transfer onto your clothes. With drying time, applying self-tanner takes about 15 minutes. Seriously. So why aren’t you doing it?? How to self tan is easy.
Troubleshooting: Too dark in one area or got some on your cuticles? Simply apply hydrogen peroxide to a cotton ball, rub the affected area, and it will come right off. An effective way on how to self tan.
