Self-Tanning: Nightmare or Dream Come True?

Now that summer is coming up, everyone wants that bronze “just came from the beach” glow, but with all the warnings about UV rays and potential threats of skin cancer, it can scare one away from laying out for hours to get it. Nowadays, drugstore shelves are filled with all kinds of self tanners that claim to give the “most beautiful” kind of tan, but is orange really the color you want to flaunt?
It is tough when trying to choose things like this because no one wants to end up streaky or the same color orange that UT fans seem to love, but here are some tips that might help.

• If you’re going to literally “fake bake” and use a self-tanner, then always exfoliate your skin beforehand, and make sure to shave your legs too. This will help the self tanner absorb better into the skin, and shaving before keeps the bronze color from disappearing after you do.
• Make sure you get the right color for your skin tone. If you’re white as paper, it’d probably not be best to get a self tanner that reads for dark skin, this can cause extreme unwanted orange.
• Apply evenly all over. If you need to, grab a friend to help you out with sprays, and you can even apply lotions with things like cotton swabs, although it might take a while.
• Always, Always, Always be careful around places like your knees and elbows because they tend to take product easily, if too much product is put in these places, you’ll for sure be orange. Also, never forget to wash your hands after apply lotion, because your hand will turn orange if you don’t, and trust me, its not cute.
• Skip your face. If you want a subtle glow on your face, opt for bronzing powder, or even try something like Jergens Natural Glow Face. It will take a couple of days to really kick in, but its better than look like your favorite fruit.
• In case of streaks, blotchy-ness, or even unwanted tones, you can always remove color by exfoliation. It might take a lot of scrubbing, but in worst case scenario, you might have to.

Good Products to Try?
Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer- It takes several days to notice a difference, but it really makes you look tan, not orange. Also, you can start off with your skin tone – Fair, for example – and move up after you finish a bottle without turning orange.
You can also give a try to Mystic Spray Tans, like offered at tanning salons such as Darque Tan. But be careful! If you don’t follow exact directions on how to get it perfect, you could end up with not-so-cute streaks down your legs, or even splotchy arms.