Fake and Bake

Here's the dilemma: You want a pretty summer tan, but you don't want to lie out in the sun or go to a tanning bed. What's a girl to do? Try using a sunless self tanning lotion!

Many people have been apprehensive to use these at home tanners because they used to look so orange. To make things worse, they can be tricky to apply and using them incorrectly may make you look blotchy or stripy.

Here are some things to consider when using a sunless tanner:

1. Buy the right product. There are so many on the market and they all come in different shades. Make sure you get the product that's right for your skin tone.
2. The most important step of this whole process: EXFOLIATE! Even if you think you have the smoothest, softest skin on the planet, dead skin cells and dry patches will make for a blotchy end result. In the shower, use a textured washcloth or bath mitt and buff your skin in a circular motion with light pressure. Don't be too rough on your skin!
3. Make sure your skin is completely dry and free of any moisturizers.
4. Protect your hands. Since you're using your hands to apply the tanner, you may want to wear rubber gloves so they don't get overly saturated. If you don't have gloves, be sure to wash your hands every couple of minutes.
5. Work quickly in a circular motion. Avoid areas like your knees or elbows--they'll soak up the product differently than the rest of your skin and will end up looking splotchy. Give your hands a final wash.
   
6. Tan your hands. Using a cotton ball, lightly apply tanner to the tops of your hands. You don't need to worry about the palms of your hands or the spaces between your fingers.
   
7. Give yourself time to "develop." Allow at least 30 minutes for your tanner to dry and do not get dressed during this time. After 30 minutes put on an old robe or something old and loose that you don't care about--your color could come off on to the fabric. After a full hour, it's okay to get dressed. In that time, avoid getting dressed.
8. Don't reapply right away. Give yourself some time to see how the color looks before you reapply your tanner. When you do reapply, follow these steps.

Here are some fixes to common self tanning mistakes:

1. If you have splotches or stripes: exfoliate the area thoroughly and then reapply the tanner.
2. To remove self tanner: sprinkle some baking soda onto a damp cloth and exfoliate the area that has the excess tanner. If this doesn't work, try Flavours Freedom Sunless Eraser--it's designed to remove tanning lotion within 4 hours of application.
   

If using a self tanner is too much work for you, you may want to consider a self tanning moisturizer like Jergen's Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer. There are a lot of these on the market and I have used them in the past. They go on just like a normal body moisturizer but build up over time to give you a subtle tan without all the hassle. Plus they're easy to get (available at all drugstores) and don't break the bank!