Before you apply your tanning products you need to get rid of the old dead skin and leftover tanner to create a clear, smooth base.
I find that if you shave first, then exfoliate after you're not left with any areas where the tanner has sunk into your pores so that's always my first step.
Next up is the exfoliating, I alternate between using scrubs and exfoliating gloves and sometimes both so here are my recommendations..
(Left) Natural Collection Body Scrub in Vanilla - £3.99 for 200ml. These come in a variety of scents, have lots of tiny little beads in and get the job done really quickly.
(Right) The Body Shop Body Polish - £5 for 75ml. This is a really lovely one because they smell gorgeous, lather up, have tiny little beads in but exfoliate very gently so if you have sensitive skin these this would be perfect.
The Imperial Leather Foam Burst Shower Gels are without a doubt a firm favourite of mine. They come out as a gel and once they make contact with water they lather up like crazy and leave skin feeling silky smooth. You really want something that foams up well otherwise you'll end up using half a bottle of shower gel in one exfoliating session or end up scrubbing your skin red raw!
For stubborn tans that wont budge the best product I've found is Johnson's Baby Oil. A decent splash of this in a warm bath paired with a good 20 minute soak really helps soften up your skin making it easier to remove old self tan.
The next step is to moisturise.
I love, love, love the Body Shop Body Butters. They're thick and creamy and I'm never left with horrible dark bits when I use this, it is a tad expensive though. £5.00 will get you a 50ml pot or£12.50 will get you a 200ml tub.
Slather the moisturiser on elbows, knees, armpits, feet, hands, toes, wrists and any other parts you find to be dry.
Application.
Tanning mits will remove any chances of streaking or a patchy tan. These really help to buff the tanner into the skin evenly and overall results are far better. I always pop on a pair of gloves underneath just to be safe, no orange palms for me!
Hands
These are always a hassle for most people, the best way I've found to do the hands is to exfoliate really well, apply copious amounts of moisturiser and once dry, pop a squirt of tanner onto the mit and use that to spread around the hand, blending up the arm ensuring you get in between the fingers. Then pop a bit more moisturiser the mit and use this to blend out and tell tale tan lines on the wrists, knuckles and finger joints.
Maintaining your tan
Moisturising on a daily basis really helps keep your skin soft and help your tan fade more evenly. People have suggested to me in the past using a gradual tanner to maintain the colour but I hate the smell of those so I just use Palmers Cocoa Butter all over, reapply a bit more tan on the third/fourth day and allow to fade naturally. I always use a bit of vaseline around my hairline aswell and on my eyebrows because they tend to pick up colour really easily and the slight ginger tinge resulting from bad self tanning is not attractive!
I find that if you shave first, then exfoliate after you're not left with any areas where the tanner has sunk into your pores so that's always my first step.
Next up is the exfoliating, I alternate between using scrubs and exfoliating gloves and sometimes both so here are my recommendations..
(Left) Natural Collection Body Scrub in Vanilla - £3.99 for 200ml. These come in a variety of scents, have lots of tiny little beads in and get the job done really quickly.
(Right) The Body Shop Body Polish - £5 for 75ml. This is a really lovely one because they smell gorgeous, lather up, have tiny little beads in but exfoliate very gently so if you have sensitive skin these this would be perfect.
Slather the moisturiser on elbows, knees, armpits, feet, hands, toes, wrists and any other parts you find to be dry.
Application.
Tanning mits will remove any chances of streaking or a patchy tan. These really help to buff the tanner into the skin evenly and overall results are far better. I always pop on a pair of gloves underneath just to be safe, no orange palms for me!
Hands
These are always a hassle for most people, the best way I've found to do the hands is to exfoliate really well, apply copious amounts of moisturiser and once dry, pop a squirt of tanner onto the mit and use that to spread around the hand, blending up the arm ensuring you get in between the fingers. Then pop a bit more moisturiser the mit and use this to blend out and tell tale tan lines on the wrists, knuckles and finger joints.
Maintaining your tan
Moisturising on a daily basis really helps keep your skin soft and help your tan fade more evenly. People have suggested to me in the past using a gradual tanner to maintain the colour but I hate the smell of those so I just use Palmers Cocoa Butter all over, reapply a bit more tan on the third/fourth day and allow to fade naturally. I always use a bit of vaseline around my hairline aswell and on my eyebrows because they tend to pick up colour really easily and the slight ginger tinge resulting from bad self tanning is not attractive!
Feel free to leave your favourite tanning products and tips below to share with others!
