What is the key to the perfect at home tan?
All tanning whether it’s at home or in a salon preparation is crucial, along with choosing the right tanning solution for your skin type and tone.
How do you prep the skin and what does this mean for the finished tan?
Skin prep should start 24hours before your tanning session to allow your skin cells and pores to settle. This should involve a mammoth exfoliating session using a body brush or exfoliation gloves to really lift and remove dead surface cells.
Remove any unwanted hair at this stage then finally pat dry and hydrate your skin all over.
A few tips before you apply your tan:
The following day after your skin Prep (now your tanning day) after your shower try to avoid body moisturiser, (especially an oil based product) no deodorants or perfumes as this may cause a colour reaction. Once you have ticked these off the list you can apply an aloe Vera based lotion to your typical dry areas hands, wrists, elbows, knees, feet & ankles along with any eczema or psoriasis areas, this will help to achieve a smooth and even tan with a longer lasting fabulous colour.
Which type of tanning product is easiest and why?
The simplest tanning product to use at home comes in a mousse consistency – Vita Liberata PHenomenal in medium is a fav of mine as its super easy to manoeuvre and fast drying, a tanning mitt is ideal for application.
However it is personal preference and can depend on your skin type, for example when my skin is feeling dry I will opt for a lotion as this has a hydrating base and a tanning gel is ideal for men as it glides through hair.
How much of the product do you need for each section of the body?
It’s important to use enough product on your mitt, less product will dry quicker and possibly not cover the full area leaving streaks behind. So I start at the top of my body (remember you don’t always tan all over depends what part of my body is on show)
Self Tan Application:
Arms, chest & hands – 2 full pumps of self tan onto the mitt sweep from around the shoulder and down to the wrist spreading the tan, now work fast in a long sweeping motion up, down and round the arm & under the armpit. Slide across to the chest adding another 2 pumps to cover the chest area, Swap the mitt to the other hand and work the arm in the same way.
Now with the left over tan on the mitt form a claw like position with the opposite hand and slide the left over tan on the mitt over your hand and fingers leaving behind a light gentle glow.
Torso – 3 pumps of tan onto your mitt begin in big circular motions from the the chest down over your tummy and around the waist, now add another 2 pumps turn your hand inside the mitt using the back of your hand to go round your back in large circular movements.
Legs & Feet – 3 pumps of tan onto your mitt starting at the top of your leg round your bottom working up, down & round the thigh, slide down over your knee onto your shins working the tan evenly covering the whole leg. Finally again with the left over tan on the mitt slide down the front of the foot and round the sides up to your ankle blending into the leg. Use the back of the mitt or a clean one to buff away any unwanted or uneven tan lines.
Remember to keep it light and natural leave your self tan on for a minimum of 8 hours unless the product says otherwise, shower off and pat dry your skin. The key to a prolonged tan is an oil free moisturiser daily, taking warm showers only and a gentle exfoliation from day 5 of your tan to keep it looking fresh and even.
