Skin of every colour is beautiful. With or without makeup, skin should be celebrated. Beauty, to me and, by my understanding, the majority of the Glow Journal audience, is about choosing products that are fun to use and make you feel good. For me, there is no product that possesses the confidence boosting sorcery of false tan.
I love the way my body looks when it’s awash in sunkissed colour, however I am vehemently against sun tanning (more on that here). For this reason, I have dedicated a large part of my adult life to mastering the art of false tan. My major learning has been that, even with a perfect application technique, a brand new mitt and the most expensive tanning formula, inadequate skin prep can be one’s undoing. Following much trial and error, I believe that I have landed on the perfect tan preparation routine for my skin. My tanning routine goes against much of the professional advice that I have read, and that is because my approach to tanning is to build up colour, in layers, gradually- my goal is rarely to achieve the darkest possible tan in the shortest amount of time.
It is important to note that this advice is applicable to an at-home, self tanning formula (I find mousses to deliver the most even colour). When prepping your skin for a salon spray tan, please follow the advice of your chosen salon.
I’ve found that having an understanding of how false tanners physically work has altered my tanning prep routine over time and, in turn, delivered me a far more even colour. I’ll go into more detail on the way in which tanners work in a designated post on false tan formulas in the very near future, but the crux of it is as follows- fake tanning solutions contain a chemical formula known as DHA (Dihydroxyacetone. It does not roll off the tongue). DHA works by changing (darkening) the colour of dead skin cells. Given that roughly the top 18 layers of our skin are in fact dead, the tan will darken any skin it is applied to. This is also why a tan will fade in due time (as our skin cells turnover), and why tan will seemingly “cling” to drier, flakier skin. The colour that you see on the skin immediately upon applying your tan? This is known as the “guide colour,” and exists merely to help you see where you have (and haven’t) applied your false tanning solution. More on this to come.
The above in mind, the goal of pre-tanning skin prep is to ensure all of the cells on the skin’s surface are, for lack of a more glamorous turn of phrase, equally dead. It’s one thing for the colour of your skin to look smooth and even, but for your tan to glide on with ease the texture of your skin needs to be uniform.
Truly thorough skin prep should begin a very minimum of 24 hours (it really should be more than this, but I am forever yoyo-ing between old tan and fresh tan so I cut it very fine time wise) before your tan. Again, I will note that these instructions stand for a self tan, not a salon tan. Salon formulas are often different to home formulas, and your salon tan prep should be dictated by your salon of choice- they’re the experts. At least 24 hours in advance, you should complete any hair removal (should you wish to remove body hair- this is entirely a personal choice), and exfoliate.
EXFOLIATE. While I don’t enjoy using a physical exfoliant (scrub) on the face, I think scrubs are wonderful for the slightly thicker, more durable skin on the body. If you aren’t working to remove an existing false tan and are simply working towards that more uniform texture, a scrub should work well. My favourites are the OG Frank Coffee Scrub and the Bangn Body Smooth Skin Scrub (this one has coffee in it but smells more like a Piña Colada, so it’s the best option for anyone who doesn’t love the scent of coffee).
GLOW JOURNAL LOVES:
FRANK BODY ORIGINAL COFFEE SCRUB
BANGN BODY SMOOTH SKIN SCRUB
If you are working to remove the remnants of an existing false tan, I don’t find a scrub to be anywhere near abrasive enough. Until late last year, my routine consisted of marinating in tan removal mousse (the best one is by St Tropez. The instructions will tell you to apply to dry skin and wait 5 minutes. This is not long enough. Bring your laptop into the bathroom, watch a 20 to 30 minute show on Netflix, then shower. Trust me.) then taking to my skin with an exfoliating mitt (any supermarket brand option will do) until my skin goes red. This absolutely works, but it takes time, can hurt, and a better option has recently been made available.
My current tan removal routine relies on the Elle Effect Wash and Mitt combo. I can’t quite explain how these products work, but I was fortunate enough to trial this product when it was in factory sample stages and was floored. Using this wash and mitt as a duo in the shower is akin to watching your old tan melt off before your very eyes. I cannot see myself using anything else in my tan prep routine in the foreseeable future. Trust me on this.
GLOW JOURNAL LOVES:
Elle Effect the wash + mitT (USE CODE GEMMA20 FOR 20% OFF SITEWIDE)
ST TROPEZ TAN REMOVER MOUSSE
It’s imperative that exfoliation and hair removal are completed a minimum of 24 hours prior to tanning, as “fresh” skin won’t hold onto DHA as well as the rest of your skin, leaving you with streaks and patches.
MOISTURISE. We’re told by professionals, tanning formulators and even product packaging that soap and moisturiser should not be applied to the skin immediately prior to tanning. I do not believe this to be true. A moisturiser will create a barrier layer between your skin and the tanning solution, which will lead to a lighter tan and is why we’re warned against it. Despite advice, I always moisturise immediately after drying my skin post shower, then allow the product roughly 10 minutes to sink in- then I apply my tan. Yes, the tan will be lighter, but it will be flawless. While this is not an option for the time poor, my preferred way of tanning is to build up the colour in light layers over a couple of days until my tan is as deep as I like it to be. I find that building up the colour in layers allows for a more even application and a more even fade. If my skin is still feeling quite dry before tanning, I’ll choose to moisturise with a rich (but fast-absorbing) cream formula. If the texture of my skin already feels even and hydrated, I’ll reach for a dry oil.
GLOW JOURNAL LOVES:
BANGN BODY FIRMING LOTION
SOL DE JANEIRO BRAZILIAN BUM BUM CREAM
BY TERRY BAUME DE ROSE OIL
NUXE HUILE PRODIGIEUSE MULTI-PURPOSE DRY OIL
PROTECT. For as long as I can recall, my skin has been almost incurably dry on my knees and elbows. This is common, as is dryness around the wrists and ankles. To combat this, I’ll apply an additional layer of moisture to any particularly dry patches. To really protect dry skin from the DHA, I’ll choose something thicker to create a barrier- like a balm or “true” oil (different to the aforementioned dry oil).
GLOW JOURNAL LOVES:
GO-TO EXCEPTIONOIL
Once your skin feels dry to the touch, you are ready to tan. Remember that the guide colour is just that- a guide colour- and that your tan will develop over the course of around 24 hours, even after rinsing the guide. Don’t forget that following the above steps will result in a fairer tan, however I like to build the colour up until I’m left with a deep tan by applying different formulas over consecutive days. A story on tan maintenance and my very favourite formulas will be coming soon.
Photography: Melissa Cowan
Hair & Makeup: Sophia Pafitis
Model: Kate Mogg at Precision MGMT
Styling & Art Direction: Gemma Watts
This article is not sponsored and all views are the author’s own.
