My Self Tanning Routine
When summer comes around, I pretty much use a self tanner once per week. Lets face it, I am a white girl but I love the look of tanned skin. I like to have a natural tan but it takes me forever to get dark from the sun, and besides I don't want skin cancer. I still lay out and sunbathe, but its just so much easier to use a self tanner when you want a tan fast. I used to lay out for hours, slathered in tanning oil. Now, I don't even have time for that. I also, don't care for going to the tanning salon to use those Mystic tan machines or have someone spray me professionally. I do it all myself and I think I get pretty good results.
So lets get to the point...
How you prep your skin before applying the self tanner is just as important, if not more important, than how you apply the tanner!
What I use:
Exfoliating gloves (Amazon)
Oil free lotion
St.Tropez Express Advanced Bronzing Mousse
Tanning Applicator Mitt (I use Loving Tan Mitt)
Medium size makeup brush
PRE-TAN PREP
So the first thing you want to do is exfoliate your whole body. I used to use a body scrub but I've noticed that a lot of them have oils in them that stay on your skin afterwards, which you don't wan, you want to stay away from oils when using self tanners. The oil prevents your tan to go on evenly and it just doesn't last long. Also, make sure to shave if you need to. I use the exfoliating gloves with soap to exfoliate my whole body.
After you have showered and toweled off, grab your lotion. Put on a layer of lotion on body parts that have the thickest and driest skin. Such as: knees, elbows, hands and feet. I also put some on to the front of my arm pit area. You want to do this so these areas don't look darker than the rest of your body. Dry skin tends to absorb a lot of the tanner.
TAN APPLICATION
Now I'm ready to apply the tan. I use 2-3 pumps of mousse at a time per body part. Pump it on the tanning mitt and rub it on in circular motion over a specific body part. I use the tanning mitt all over my body. At the very end, I put half of a pump on the mitt and dab the makeup brush in the mousse. Then I carefully paint it onto my hands. This can be tricky because a lot of times my hands can look much darker. If I sleep in the tan, I will keep the tan on my hand for an hour or two and then wash it off my hands with just water before going to sleep.
Since I use the St.Tropez tanner. You can leave it on for 1,2, or 3 hours and then wash it off. The longer it stays on, the more it "develops" on your skin, the darker it looks. What I usually do is put it on at night before I go to bed and sleep on it. But make sure you let it dry all the way on your body before getting dressed. I also sleep in a long sleeve shirt and pants, so my sheets don't get tanner on them.
In the morning, I will take a shower. I don't use soap or any or loofah. Just a rinse, to wash off any extra tanner that's on me. You want to make sure to use an oil free lotion daily. The reason why is so the tan comes off gradually and evenly. Otherwise you might end up looking like you have snake skin.
So there you have it. I hope this helps you get that golden tanned skin overnight! Check out my before and after photos below :) Leave a comment and let me know what you think, or if there is any tips and tricks you use for your tanning routine.
