I went to a pool party and felt very pale in my bikini. I am unable to tan- my skin burns and sometimes freckles. I decided immediately I would do an at home tanner. I do not live near any spray tanning locations and decided it would be easier to just do it myself.
As usual, I did extensive research on products. I read mousses result in a more even glow and I bought L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Water Mousse in Medium at Walgreens for about $15.00. I did not realize the mousse forms a water very quickly and gets messy. There is no question I followed the directions properly and did a good job applying the product.
As per the directions, I waited for the product to dry. This took a lot longer than I expected. If you ever decide you want an at home spray tan, be sure to look for a quick drying formula. Even though my skin felt dry, the tanner stained my clothes. The tanner takes a much longer time to develop than advertised- in 4-8 hours I was only slightly tanner.
It was not until the next morning I woke up to a disaster: I was orange and streaky! Despite my even application, there were patches of paleness against an orange tan.
If the tan turned out well, it would have been great that it lasted so long. After six days of an awful tan, I could not live with it anymore. I did extensive research with my Mom on how to remove a fake tan. I ended up trying out the baby oil/baking soda exfoliant strategy. First, I sat in the baby oil for 20 minutes while watching a Youtube beauty tutorial, praying the oil would break down the chemicals in the fake tan. This sort of worked- I could see the chemicals breaking down in some places. Second, I applied a mixture of baking soda and water as an exfoliant to scrub off the color. The baking soda exfoliant was a disaster- it became a mess in my shower.
As I am writing this, I still have leftover patches of orange on my skin. If I have learned anything from this experience, it is to steer clear of self tanners. If I ever one day want a tan, I will have to spend a lot of money not just on the spray tan and tip, but the Uber getting there.
After I went through all of this, my friend told me she uses Jergen’s Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer for her skin and it looks amazing. When I began this self-tan journey, I did my research and decided against Jergens; I decided to do a self tanner because I wanted results after one application. After I get over my fear of an fake tanners, I may try out the Jergens and review it for you.
Comment below if you have any good self tanning solutions!
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