There are so many reasons to remove self-tanner. Most people do it because they notice speckled splotches and uneven streaks. Fortunately, it is not a problem that cannot be fixed. You can solve these beauty blunders by knowing how to remove self tanner from your skin.
Self-tanners can fade away on their own within a week. However, you can still speed up the process to get your original skin tone back. One crucial element in removing spray tan is exfoliation. Self-tanners stick to the upper layer of the skin. This means that cell turnover is needed to fade the pigment. When you slough off the skin’s outer cells, you can remove the tan without waiting for it to come off naturally. It is easily one of the best ways to return your skin to normal.
If you notice that your palm is yellow or orange, there is no need to panic. You can still even it out and get your skin back to normal.
Reasons to Remove Self Tanner
Self-tanners are a revolutionary invention as it helps prevent melanoma and even premature aging that you may be risking when tanning in the sun. Still, it has its drawbacks, which could bring less than stellar results wherein you’d need to remove it quickly as possible. What are some reasons to remove self tanner?
Blotchy Elbows, Hand, and Ankles
The elbow, hands, knees, and ankles have lots of dead, dry skin and self tan clings to these parts of the body. Some self tan labels suggest that users exfoliate before tanning. When you do so, pay attention to those areas. However, it still does not guarantee that some areas won’t be blotchy after tanning.
Uneven Application
No matter how careful you are with the application, you can still have a streaky finish with self tanners. This is more common where the product does not have tints to show where you have applied the tan. It could be more obvious in tricky areas to reach, like your back.
Wrong Color
Not all spray tans are created equal. Some have different shades. What looks like a perfect match on the bottle may be muddy on your skin. Some may even look orangey or too dark. This could leave you in a difficult situation.
Old Tan
Even if your spray tan was applied by a professional, it could still leave some patches when it begins to wear off. The outer skin cells shed after five days of applying the tan. When they do, it is rarely even. So your perfect sun-kissed glow could still become flaky after some days.
How to Remove Self Tanner
There are a lot of ways to remove self tanner. This guide will cover both DIY and other ways to remove self tanner.
Baby Oil Method
If you have done everything right and exfoliated, baby oils can help. Some people opt for raw oils like coconut oils because of their skin benefits. However, baby oil is the best bet to remove a spray tan.
To use baby oil, slather the skin in the oil and leave it there for some minutes. Rinse it off with a nubby washcloth or a loofah. The oil plumps up the skin and opens it up for exfoliation. When you’re done, your skin will be down a shade. If you used a less concentrated spray tan, it might successfully remove the tan without a trace.
Specialized Products for Removing Self Tanners
There are products made specifically for removing self tanners. If the self tan needs a more advanced removal method, these products can help. Tan remover mousses are made with a mix of baking soda, urea, cotton extract, and citric acid.
To use it, apply a generous amount to the skin while it is dry and leave it for five minutes. When it is done, rinse the skin under a warm shower. If you choose to use this method, wait for 12 hours before trying to get a tan. This is because some remover may still be on your skin. The tan will come off immediately.
Homemade Removers
If you cannot get store-bought removers, then you can whip some up by yourself. Baking soda and lemon juice may do the trick. The best part is that you won’t need to spend any extra money. These are ingredients you’ll likely have in your refrigerator.
Take the baking soda and mix some tablespoons of the substance in lemon juice. It should become a fluffy paste when you’re done mixing. Rub the paste on your skin and rinse in a warm shower. The tan should go right off.
Depilatory Cream
Another popular method is hair removal cream. This can remove the color entirely as well. How does it work? It works by using active ingredients such as potassium, hydroxide, and thioglycolate. This ingredient breaks the bonds down in the hair’s keratin. It exfoliates the top layer of the skin and removes your self tanner in the process.
Use your hands to apply it to your skin. However, it would be best if you were careful not to leave it on for the recommended time on the label. Reduce the time drastically, or you may experience irritation.
Whitening Toothpaste
Lots of products contain sodium bicarbonate, and these substances keep your teeth gleaming. This Ingredient makes it possible for them to remove uneven patches of self tan. It is one of the oldest methods. However, it may not be ideal for larger areas in the body.
This is why you should only use this method on the small areas in the body like elbows and fingernails. This method may not be efficient for fingernails as they are more difficult to treat. Cuticles often cling to self tanner permanently. This means that the best remedy is trimming. Your nails may look yellowish for some time still. This is why you should wash your hands when you are done applying the self tanner.
How to Remove Self Tanner from Different Parts of the Body
Removing It from the Feet
Feet are tricky to cover with self tanner. If your ankles and heels are cracked and dry, they can absorb too much tan. This will result in a patchy finish. However, you can remove the excess tan from your feet and have a uniform glow.
You can choose to use tan remover mitt on the ankles, feet, and heels. It will buff away the tan, or you can massage the mousse on the dry feet. Always focus more on the dry areas like in between the toes, the ankles, and the heels. Please leave it to sit for five minutes and rinse it off with warm water.
Removing It from the Face
The skin of the face is far thinner than other parts of the body. This means that it is more sensitive. This skin renews itself naturally more quickly than other parts. Therefore, tanning and getting rid of self tanner is different with the face.
Tan remover may not do the trick so opt for skin-specific scrubs or exfoliating acids. Apply them to the face and repeat the process once every three days to help it fade faster.
Removing It from the Hands
As stated earlier, you can remove self tanner with several substances. There are also store-bought removers that you can apply and wipe away the tan. For some other parts of the body, it may be tricky. The hands are culprits in this regard. If you find that your tan is not even on your hands or it looks patchy, you can easily remove it with tan remover.
First, apply the remover to your hands while they are dry and massage it into the hands. Focus on the back and the sides of the fingers as they may be harder to reach. Then move to other dry parts of the fingers like the knuckles. Move in between the fingers to reach all areas. You may need to wait for five minutes for the mousse to soak up. Rinse the hands with warm water, and the tan should go off with it.
How to Keep Self Tanner Off of Your Hands
If you don’t want to stain your hands while applying self-tanner, you can use a tanning mitt. It is like a regular mitt but is made with velvet for a smooth application on the face. If you do not use a tanning mitt, you may end up with dark palms. Using a general method to remove the tan on your palm may remove other applications on the fingers. You can fix that problem by following these steps.
Use a tan remover mitt to exfoliate the palms. It will buff away the tan on your palm without removing the ones on the back of the hand. If this is not enough to remove the patchy look on the palm, use tan remover mousse on the palm. Rub your hands together, moving up and down. Rinse it after five minutes.
Before applying self tanner, using an oil-based moisturizer on the palms of your hand can be helpful. It prevents the tan from attaching to the palm.
What To Avoid While Removing Self Tanner
Tanning streaks may be annoying, but there are worse things in the world. You have to be careful when trying to remove them, so you do not damage your skin. Here are some things you should not do.
Panic
Don’t panic even if you don’t like how your self tanner looks on your skin. In some cases, you may need to wait for a while to see the full effect. This can take several hours. So try not to panic. Before considering exfoliation, wait for six hours at least to see if the tan will even out on its own. The best way to remove some streaks may be to apply more tan to even out your complexion.
Bleach
If you get an uneven tan, don’t attempt to bleach your skin using harmful products like hydrogen peroxide and bleach. If you use astringents, toners, or witch hazel, it may make the blotches more noticeable.
Lemon juice may be ideal for removing streaks on the hands but should not be used on the rest of the body.
Over Exfoliation
Exfoliating may remove the streaky looks, but you may harm your skin if you overdo it. Limit all exfoliation sessions to twice a day to allow your skin to generate new cells and recover.
If you notice that your skin is irritated or red after exfoliating, then you need to allow it to breathe. Wait for a few hours before trying again. When the skin is over exfoliated, it is susceptible to wounds and cuts and can cause complications like infections.
Tips For Self Tanner Application To Avoid Uneven Tan
- Shower before applying self tanner. It would help if you were not sweaty while applying self tanner. After tanning, you can shower for six hours as well. It is ideal to shower before tanning.
- Exfoliate your skin before applying self tanner. You can use a wet washcloth to cover the legs, arms, and other parts with thicker skin. For your face, use an exfoliating cream before self-tanning. Don’t leave any residue of the product before self tanning.
- Use latex gloves to apply self tanner. In the absence of latex gloves, you may need to wash your hands every two to three minutes while applying the product.
- Don’t cover the entire body at once. It is ideal to apply self tanner slowly and intentionally. Do each section at a time.
- Stay in a well-ventilated room for the process. DHA smell is powerful, and you may not like the choking scent of the product.
- Wait for ten minutes after applying the product before dressing up. This will help protect your tan and your clothes.
- Blend the tanner into ankles and wrists, so they do not look too obvious.
- Don’t forget that you still need to wear sunscreen. Self-tanners cannot fully protect you from sunburn. Sunburn can also ruin your tan and open your skin up to other complications.
Conclusion
You may need to remove your self-tanner if it appears streaky or uneven. There are so many ways to remove it, such as tan remover mouse, toothpaste, baby oil, depilatory creams, and other homemade removers. You need to employ some technique to remove self-tanner from some parts of your body, and the tips in this guide will help you.
Related Articles
21
Dec
How Long Does It Take to Get a Noticeable Tan?
Tanning sessions can take five minutes or a couple of hours. Two main factors responsible are the source of light and your skin tone. If you have fair skin, you'll take longer to see it change to a stunning darker[...]
20
Dec
Does Coconut Oil Help You Tan?
We use coconut oil in so many ways that it's almost correct to say it's a super ingredient, whether in cooking or beauty. If you haven't heard, there are also people using it as a tanning oil. Tanning is a[...]
20
Dec
Why Don’t My Legs Tan? Helpful Tips on How to Tan Legs
Getting a perfect tan is a process. You have to control exposure to get an even tan without overexposure to some body parts. When the sun is too hot, you get sunburns instead of darker skin. If you stay out[...]
Categories: Tanning
