One of the really big downsides of spending the last 4 years in an office 24/7 is that I have now reverted back to the palest shade of human possible. I think I probably had a better tan at birth.
However now that I’m not an idiot teenage girl, I get that too much sun is really really bad for you. So I guess it’s a good thing I’ve spent so much time working? No, I hate that logic.
Over the past couple of years I’ve been on a quest for really good sunless tanner. One of my biggest fears in life is applying self tanner. I always thought of it as this huge undertaking that would take hours of preparation. There are so many considerations; exfoliating, finding the right shade, not turning orange, having to deal with your ankles and knees looking stupid, not being able to touch anything afterward, your hands turning orange too, the smell, THE SMELL!
I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m a little Type A.
However, I no longer have any fears of self tanner. I recently picked up Jergens Natural Glow Instant Sun. I also found a few essentials to make the whole process of using self tanner simple and fast.
I’m such a big fan of this Jergens Instant Sun. It’s a mousse texture instead of a lotion, which I think makes a huge difference. It also dries in 60 seconds, so there’s no awkward waiting around for your tanner to dry while you just stand around not touching anything.
The biggest pro of this stuff is that it barely has a smell to it. I mean it’s still a sunless tanner so it has a little scent to it, but it actually just smells like sunscreen or tanning oil, not that gross self tanning lotion smell that lingers. You can also use lotion pretty soon after applying this, so you can easily cover up any scent.
It also comes in 2 shades and you can easily adjust how dark you want it. I use about 3 pumps of the Light Bronze shade to do one entire leg and it gives me just a subtle tan. You could easily use more for a darker tan.
I will say that even though I love this self tanner, I’m not sold on using it on my face. I still use St. Tropez Gradual Tan Anti-Aging Face tanner. I use it a few times a week to build a subtle glow. This stuff also doesn’t have a scent to it which I love. I’ve been using it for ages and love it.
When it comes to prepping for using sunless tanner, you have to exfoliate like a crazy person. I mean it’s just so much work to find an exfoliator you like and that smells good without leaving any oil or scent on you.
Well I’ve found the best exfoliator ever which I use almost every day regardless if I’m using self tanner. The Microdermamitt is one of the best inventions to ever grace this planet. I found this while perusing Birchbox and thought I’d try it. It has completely changed my skin. You just use this in the shower and put it on your hand and wet it. Then scrub your whole body with it. You don’t need soap or body wash or anything for it to do it’s thing.
My skin has been so soft since I’ve been using this. It’s also great for preventing ingrown hairs (ew). You definitely want to invest in one of these no matter what, but especially if you use self tanner. It’s about $28 and lasts 3-4 months, which is a lot if you use it every day.
Microdermamitt Body Mitt | Microdermamitt Face Mitt
When it comes to applying self tanner, my biggest hang up is orange hands. Well, the solution is super easy; tanning mitts! I snatched this one up when I bought my St. Tropez gradual tanner and it makes applying self tanner so simple! No mess, no orange hands.
You just put your tanner directly on the mitt. I wash mine with clear shampoo or baby shampoo. I have sensitive skin, so using regular hand soap can be irritating. Baby shampoo is really gentle and I always have a bottle for giving Chuck a bath. (Pro tip: baby shampoo is perfect for dogs because of the no tears!)
St. Tropez Tanning Mitt | Tanning Mitt (similar)
Do you have any self tanner tips or favorite products? Share them in the comments below!
I really like Tanwise products from Sally Beauty. They don’t have hardly any smell and the color is very natural on me. It looks more brown like a real tan. But I still love my Jergens firming gradual lotion for maintaining it. I also really like Tree Hut’s exfoliating sugar scrubs. They smell heavenly and are not oily at all.