The harmful effects of too much exposure to the sun have become more apparent in the last few decades, leading to a greater use of self tanners, products that give you the glowing bronze tan you desire, without getting into the sun. These self tanners use dihydroxyacetone or DHA, which interacts with the dead skin cells on the outer layer of your skin, causing them to darken.

Beginning self tanner tips – If you are just starting out with self tanners, then you will want to ease into it. It will appear more natural if you gradually add color to your skin. First, you need to prepare your skin for the self tanners. Clean your skin, shave, and get as much dead skin off as possible. Give yourself a good body scrub, and you will be ready to go.

Ease into using self tanning products. First use a daily moisturizer that has a slight darkening agent. This will start to give your skin some color, and is very easy to apply. Since it is a moisturizer, it won’t streak, and hence the color will be uniform. Use this moisturizer for at least a week. If at that time you are ready for more color, then you can begin to use a self tanning product. Even when you are using self tanners, continue to use the moisturizer to keep your tan fresh in between applications of the self tanners.

How to apply self tanners

Applying to your face – You want to be extra careful when applying self tanners to your face. First, pull your hair back, make sure it won’t flip into your face. Either put your hair in a ponytail or put on a headband. After you have exfoliated your face,  you are ready to go. Go ahead and put a little eye creamer on. This will reduce the color around your eyes, which is a natural effect. Then take some of the self tanner and some moisturizer, mixing it together. Apply this throughout your face and neck, don’t forget your ears and earlobes. For a darker color, use more self tanner than moisturizer. When done, wash your hands thoroughly. Let the color set for a few hours, touch up in areas if you need to.

Applying to your body – As always, prepare your skin first, exfoliate and shave.  To protect your nails when applying the lotion, first put some vaseline on the nails so the colorant doesn’t absorb into them. Then begin to apply the lotion to your body, one limb at a time. Start with your legs, applying to your lower legs down to your feet and toes, then work up to your thighs, applying it first in the front and working to the back. Do one leg completely, then go to the other leg. Next, apply the tanner to your body, your torso, hips, waist, and chest. Work up to your shoulders, and finally to your arms, again one arm completely, then the other.

When you are done, wash the lotion off of your palms, being careful not to wipe off the lotion on the other side of your hands. Wiping your palms along a wet cloth should do the trick. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes before dressing, and try not to shower or sweat for the first few hours after applying the self tanners.

Check out this video for more tips on applying self tanners to your face.

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