Have you wondered how long your self-tanner will last? Surely, you want it to be there for a little while; after all, you’ve put a lot of effort into making sure your skin is glowing and radiant, and you’ll want that look to last. Generally speaking, high-quality self-tanners will last between three and seven days. However, with proper preparation, you can stretch out your glow and make the most of your tanner application. This can have a lot to do with picking the right products and prepping your skin in the best ways possible to easily get ten great days out of your faux glow.
Choose a High-Quality Self-Tanner
When you’re looking for luminous skin care products for your body, opt for a mousse over a lotion for full-body coverage. For your face, go for a tanning serum that’s specifically formulated for facial skin. This will help ensure you’re not dealing with clogged pores and oiliness that can cause pimples and other unsightly side effects from self-tanners that aren’t meant to go on your face. Tanning lotions can be thick and a little tricky to apply. Often there are complaints of it leaving streaks and spots.
Prepare Your Skin for Self-Tanner
Self-tanners cling to dry patches and dead skin, which is why it’s imperative to exfoliate before you even think about slathering on your glow. Exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells and anything else on the surface of the skin thus providing a blank canvas for your self-tanning mousse. This will also help guarantee a streak- and blotch-free finish and your tanner to have its full effect on your skin.
Apply Self-Tanners with Proper Application Mitts
Sure, your hands are readily available to do the work, but do you really want orange leftovers on your palms when you’re finished? You could opt for rubber gloves, but you’re almost guaranteed to have strange streaks and stripes going up your calves and thighs. To avoid these pitfalls, place your hand inside a mitt that’s specially designed to do self-tanning duty. Look for a soft, dual-sided mitt that’s made with long, silky fibers; these hairs will capture your self-tanning product and spread it around your skin evenly.
Don’t Shower Too Soon
It can take six to 10 hours for a self-tanner to fully develop. In that time, you don’t want to shower because you can literally wash all of your efforts down the drain. Avoid showering or bathing until this critical time frame has passed.
Maintain Your Tan
Even with great preparation, you’ll need to do some maintenance as most outer skin cells shed every five to ten days. Since that’s the layer upon which you spread your self-tanner, your tan will begin to fade as those cells fall away. To keep your glow looking its best, continue to exfoliate every few days. Sure, that will get rid of some of the color-infused cells that reside on the top layer of your skin, but it will also help prevent color buildup and ensure you have an even tan during your next application. It’s also important to moisturize daily, but avoid products that contain citrus, as they can strip away the elements that created your beautiful self-tan in the first place.
The healthier and more moisturized your skin is, the better it will hold onto the color you’re applying with your self-tanning mousse or serum. Plus, it’s just good practice to take care of the skin you’re in.
If you’re considering an all-natural self-tanning product, be sure to opt for a brand that has a reputation for caring about the skin its customers are in. A great self-tanning mousse can totally change the way you look at your skin when you’re trying to figure out how to tan better while keeping your body beautiful and healthy.