Spray tanning is awesome if you tan with the right brand. VersaSpa being my favorite and one of the most popular always looks pretty natural and not too orange. It’s a safe way to get that glow that you’ve been looking for without the UV rays. On average a spray tan can cost about 30$ though, and only lasts for about a week- a week and a half. With the life of a spray tan being so short and the price being a little high, it can really cost a lot to spray tan. So unless you have a machine in your home, there’s other ways to achieve this tan without shelling out all the money.
You can get a spray tan membership, which is still pricey but much cheaper than individually paying. You can get an in home airbrush system, or you can do what I do and buy self tanner at your local drugstore.
Self-tanners are usually found with the sunscreen and there’s a few different kinds. There’s spray, mousse, and lotion. I prefer the lotion because most of the time it has a little tint to it whereas the others go on clear and don’t give you much indication of where you have and haven’t tanned. Most of them are around 10.00$ and can last you a while. My staple self-tanning lotion is L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Lotion. This lotion has always gone on smooth for me and has never been tricky. You can choose to do this with your hands like I do, or use a glove meant for self-tanning, or the new body beauty blender.
Self-tanning is something you want to spend a little time on though. Don’t rush this, because if you do you WILL miss spots and it will look terrible. I always do this right out of the shower once my skin is dry and my legs are shaved. Make sure you do this in small sections, because too much area at once can allow for missed spots.
Before you self tan remember to shave the day before so you don’t need to shave once the tan is applied because it will lighten the color. It’s always best to put self tanner on clean skin as well so I suggest putting it on after you shower. Make sure beforehand you exfoliate to get rid of any dry skin because it will cause your tan to be patchy.
I always start by applying it to the face and the neck. I’ve never had a problem with putting this lotion on my face; it has never clogged my pores or caused a breakout. Make sure you rub all over your face, into your hairline, and yes on your ears. Then move to your neck and go all around, again getting into your hairline. You’re going to move down to your collarbone and your shoulders and make sure you get rubbed into the crease of your collarbone evenly. Don’t let it bunch up in one area. From there I go to my upper chest and underneath my arms, and you’re going to want to let it dry for a minute before you put your arms down.
From there I do my sides making sure I don’t just target my front or my back. The stomach is pretty easy to do, and as weird as it sounds make sure you get in your belly button or it could look a little weird. From there ,move to your lower back, which is easy. The hard part is getting your upper back and shoulder blades. You have to twist your arms in weird ways to reach this, so if you have a roommate or a sister around to help that would be the best. After my back is done I move to my lower legs. When you’re doing the bottom half of your legs make sure to get your ankles, your feet, and your toes. If you don’t want to get self tanner on your toenails, (and your fingernails as well) apply a regular lotion to your nails so the tanning lotion doesn’t ruin the color. From there you’ll do your upper legs and your knees.
After that all that should be left is your arms and your hands. Before I start my arms I wash my hands so my hands aren’t orange with excessive amounts of lotion. Then once dry I lotion all over my arms, wrists, and hands. I usually put my hands up on the wall so that there are no creases in my arms and it can dry evenly. The reason you should do your arms last is because of the fact that you are bending your arms and you don’t want to crease the lotion. After that let yourself dry in front of a fan for about five minutes and you can put clothes on.
I suggest putting on baggy clothes so that they’re not sticking to you and pulling off the lotion. Depending on the self-tanner it will take 4-8 hours for the color to maximize, and then after that you can shower. When you shower the extra bronzer in the lotion will come off and you’ll be left with a nice glow.
Tips for making your tan last- in the shower don’t scrub yourself with a loofah or a harsh scrub because it will pull the color. Gently wash your body and pat your skin dry. As for your face it doesn’t matter as much because you can always even it out with makeup. To keep the tan from getting blotchy remember to moisturize!
This can be repeated every week or biweekly, depending on your preferences. Just be really self-conscious about wearing white or lighter colors, especially during the summer. You can sweat the tan out onto your clothes.