Self Tanners
How to use self tanners
With the increased information that has come up about getting skin cancer, it’s nice to know that there is safe way to get the color that you want without the melanoma – self tanners. These lotions can create that golden appearance that you want without subjecting yourself to the harsh rays of the sun – and those rays that can cause premature wrinkles and lines. But using self tanners isn’t as simple as it looks. To get the right look, you need to right guidance.
Scrub the old skin away
One of the first things that you will need to do is exfoliate your skin in order to get it ready to soak in the self tanner. To do this, you will want to use a loofah or a scrubbing poof in the shower when you are cleaning the skin that you want to apply the tanner to. Make small round circles along your skin so that you’re removing any and all dead skin cells that could affect the placement of the tanner. It’s especially important that you focus on areas with thicker skin – such as your ankles and elbows. However, you do not want to use an exfoliating scrub that contains oil as an ingredient. This will leave a film on your skin that will hinder the absorption of your self tanner. Some self tanners will come with an exfoliating scrub and these are fine to use.
How to apply
After you have rinsed your skin and dried it, you will want to get ready to apply the tanner. Most self tanners that are in lotion form tend to be the most popular, so we’ll start with talking about the way to apply those. Simply put a small amount of tanner in your hand (not too much) and rub into the skin that you want tan. The trick is that you don’t want to apply too much, just enough to soak into the skin. Try to apply sparingly to the knees, ankles and elbows as the thicker skin can soak up more and cause an uneven look. Also, be sure to apply tanner to the tops of feet as well as your hands to make sure that you’re not unbalanced. Let it dry completely before putting on any clothing.
And to avoid ‘orange palms,’ make sure that you wash your hands with soap and warm water immediately after applying the tanner.
For your face
A lot of people are afraid to use self tanners on their face because they’re afraid the results won’t look natural. A trick to get color on your face is to add a small amount of tanner to your everyday face lotion (so long as it doesn’t include antiaging ingredients like retinol, extra vitamins, etc.) and apply as you normally would. This lessens the overall effect and creates a natural look. Or you could focus the application of tanner on the parts of your face that would normally get tanned by the sun – the tip of your nose, forehead, and cheeks. If you’re still a bit hesitant, powdered bronzers can do the trick too.