Over the past couple of months, I have been asked frequently about my self tanning routine. I have tried quite a few different self tanning products & found the best one for different skin tones – YAY! Here goes!
Recommended Tanning Products based on Skin Undertone
Cool Undertone Skin: My ALL TIME FAVORITE product for self tanning is definitely Loving Tan brand. It is $40 and completely worth it. I use Dark or Ultra Dark 2hr Express and I have been very pleased with the quality of the tan and how long the tan lasts (4-5 days). I allow 20-30 minutes to let the product dry on my skin (usually while I am getting ready for the day) before putting clothes on the treated area. There is no transfer onto clothes when you allow for 20-30 minutes for it to dry!
Warm (Olive) Undertone Skin: For an olive, warmer undertone skin, I would recommend the Bondi Sands brand. I used the Dark or Ultra Dark self tanning foam and loved it until I found the right shade for my cool tone skin. I loved how long this tan would last me (4-6 days)! The only downside to this product is the scent. A lot of the reviews that I read for it before I used it did not mention that the scent was too strong. But in my personal opinion, the scent was too much. I would highly recommend letting this product dry for as long as possible before covering the treated areas. I found that if I did not let the product dry completely (30 min-1 hour+), it would transfer onto my clothes. However, it does wash out in the washer.
Application Mitt: This application mitt is a MUST HAVE! It is so soft and applies the foam evenly. Using a mitt prevents the product from building up on the palms of your hands. I wash this mitt in the washer after every use with other colored towels.
Tan Eraser: I really love this tan eraser foam, this exfoliating mitt, and this exfoliating scrub! Without these products, I found out with personal experience that it is extremely hard to remove. I bleach this mitt after every use.
The Routine
STEP ONE: EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN I always use exfoliating scrub and shave my legs the night before I use any self tanning products so that the tan is evenly applied.
STEP TWO: USE MITT TO APPLY TO BACK FIRST A major tip that I have is to start applying the foam with your mitt on your back first. Since the mitt hasn’t been used yet, I always slide the mitt over my round hair brush (crazy, I know!) and use the round brush handle to apply the self tanner to my back in the areas where I normally wouldn’t be able to reach. If you do not want to use this back application tip… you can purchase this tool to help apply the product to your back! 1-2 pumps is normally enough for this area. (P.S. this is MAJOR KEY if you do not have someone to help you apply the product to your back)
STEP THREE: REMOVE MITT FROM BRUSH AND APPLY EVERYWHERE ELSE I usually use 1 pump for each arm and my chest/neck area & 2 pumps per leg. Depending on which tanning foam you are using, allow the tanning foam to completely dry before clothing the areas applied (refer to the product description above)!
STEP FOUR: MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE If you want your tan to last, I highly recommend using a super moisturizing lotion each day after you apply the self tanner.
STEP FIVE: REMOVE Once your tan has worn off and you are too splotchy for your liking ;)… I use this tan eraser, the exfoliating mitt, and the exfoliating scrub! I apply the foam in all the areas that have tanning product and leave it on for about 5 minutes. I hop in the shower with my exfoliating mitt & scrub to remove all the unwanted tan!
GO BACK TO STEP ONE Now your skin is exfoliated and ready to be tanned again. This is a perfect opportunity to start the process over!
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments or shoot me an Instagram DM! 😍