Quick Sunless Tan Fixes

We have all been there; we applied out sunless tan product only to end up with streaks, dark spots, and areas that were entirely overlooked. After reading the directions, concentrating on the application and even exfoliating before application it is a little defeating to have your sunless tan show up incorrectly. Thank goodness though there are a few different things you can do to fix and ensure you have a great looking sunless tan. I’ll start with the quick fixes and follow up with some steps you can do to ensure these problems don’t happen again.

1. Dark blotchy areas on the palms or your hands and tops of your feet –

FIX – This is often a common problem no matter how careful you are when applying your self-tanning product. To correct this you can rub lemon juice on the blotchy areas to lighten them. I like to cut a lemon in half and actually rub the lemon directly on my skin. I find that this works well at quickly lightening any dark areas left by the sunless tan.

PREVENTION – Always always exfoliate your feet and hands before applying self-tanning products. You can also rub lotion into your hands and feet immediately prior to applying the self tanner. The skin on your hands and feet can be very dry, which is why they soak up so much self-tanner. Applying lotion moisturizes them a little, but still allows some of the product to still soak in. I like to really soak my toes and toe nails down with a double dose of lotion first.

2. Dirty Looking heels –

FIX– nothing is worse than having that brown lined look on the back of your heel directly above your heel. It shows easily during the summer when you are wearing sandals. I like to fix this problem with a foot file. Use the less rough side to gentle rub off the self-tanning product. This color is often sitting on top of the skin, never having soaked up. You could also rub the lemon on this as well.

PREVENTION – Go ahead and exfoliate this area with a facial or body exfoliating cleanser. You could also use the foot file as well. Be gentle though, there isn’t much meat between your skin and heel bones. A little lotion goes a long way here as well.

3. Massive streaks, leather hands and palms, and other major problems–

FIX – Ok, you have a major streak down the back of your leg or your palms look like they spent a day in the tanning bed. This is the worst, but it can be fixed quickly and easily with some Windex. Yes, Windex. The girl behind the counter at the Mystic Tan place filled me in on this one thank goodness. I like to spray the offending area with a few squirts of Windex, then douse a scrubby kitchen sponge with some more, and use the rough side of the sponge to scrub away. You will literally see your self-tanning product wash away. Yeah!

PREVENTION – These streaks often happen even when you take pains to apply yourself tanner properly because of other moisturizing products you use prior to applying the self tanner. I find this happens when I jump out of the shower, start slathering on some body lotion, and then try to apply my self tanner later. You should apply your self tanner immediately after getting out of the shower before you put any other products on. Moisturizers that contain mineral oil will clog you skin and prevent your self tanner from soaking in. Hence the streaks that magically appear. This method applies for your face as well. Always apply your self tanner, wait about thirty minutes and them moisturize your face and body as normal.