10 Tips for a Perfect Sunless Tan at Home

A healthy glow is flattering with summer's skimpy fashions, but, as we all know, too much sun is bad for the skin. What's a girl to do? You can go to your local day spa and spend a small fortune on a spray tan or you can give yourself a sunless tan at home and spend what you save on a new swim suit.

Applying self tanning products yourself takes practice and patience, but it can pay off in the flattering golden glow you crave. These 10 tips will help you achieve a streak-free, natural-looking tan in the privacy of your own home.

1. Exfoliate. Exfoliate you body well either the day before you plan to self tan or the next morning. Pay special attention to areas like the knees, elbows, and ankles that can be hardest to self tan evenly. Removing dead and dry skin will help to ensure that your sunless tanning product goes on smoothly and is fully absorbed.

2. Moisturize. Dry skin is the enemy of an even, natural sunless tan, so moisturize you skin well every day for the three to seven days before you self tan, as well as the morning that you plan to self tan.

3. Stay cool. Apply your sunless tanning product on cool, dry skin. If you shower or bathe first, be sure you are completely dry before you start self tanning. Also, apply your sunless tanning product in a cool, dry space (not a hot, steamy bathroom where it will be hard to keep your skin dry).

4. Ask for help. If possible, get a friend or family member to help you apply sunless tanning products. Although you can do it yourself, you are less likely to miss hard to reach spots if you have help.

5. Be patient. Applying sunless tanning products should be done slowly and methodically, progressing from one part of the body to the next so that you don't miss any. Start with your feet and legs, and move up your body, ending with your arms. Be sure to rub the product in well.

6. Dilute the sunless tanning product with moisturizer before applying it to knees, elbows and ankles or just use half as much on these areas. Since they tend to absorb more of the self tanning product, knees, elbows and ankles can easily turn a shade or two darker than the rest of the body if less product or diluted product isn't used on them.

7. Wear latex gloves when applying sunless tanning products. If you don't have or aren't comfortable wearing gloves, wash your hands frequently (every two or three minutes) during the self-tanning process.

8. Let your body dry for at least 30-60 minutes before getting dressed after self tanning. You can speed up the process with a blow dryer if you want to. Also, you might want to wear dark clothing initially, since some product may rub off on clothing if it is not completely dry.

9. To maintain your sunless tan as long as possible, moisturize your skin well every dry. Do not exfoliate, because this can rub off tanned skin, shorten the life of your tan and/or create uneven patches in your tan.

10. Depending on the self tanning product you use, your sunless tan may last a week to, if you are lucky, up to two weeks.

There are numerous self tanning products on the market, including sprays, lotions and mousses. Here are three highly rate sunless tanning products.

Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream. This cream contains aloe vera to moisturize as it tans. Its caramel color makes it easy to ensure complete coverage for an even, natural tan. For more information or to purchase this self tanning cream go to www.sephora.com.

Neutrogena Sun Fresh Foam. This light, citrus-scented foam goes on sheer and dries in five minutes for ease of use and a natural looking tan. For more information or to purchase this self tanning foam go to www.drugstore.com/Neutrogena.

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Towelettes. These individually wrapped towelettes make self tanning easy and convenient wherever you are, at home, on vacation, even on a business trip. Each towelette has enough lotion to cover the entire body. For more information or to purchase this self tanning product go to www.drugstore.com/L'Oreal.

Sources:

Jen Adkins, skincare.about.com, Self Tanning Lotion - Tips to Get a Streak-Free Tan from a Self Tanning Lotion

Christen Henderson, www.ehow.com, How to Apply Self Tanner Properly: eHow.com

Monique Hankinson, www.stylebakerybeauty.com, Top 10 Sunless Tanners for Summer 2009 - StyleBakerBeauty