5. Let dry

Depending on the formula that you choose, drying times may vary. Some take only a few minutes, others can take about an hour!

My best advice on this: hang out in front of a fan for as long as you can, until you feel like your whole body is dry. Even then, be really careful to only wear dark clothes for most of the day – self tanners can often stain white clothing.

Extra Self-Tanning Tips

• After self tanning, wait at least 4 to 6 hours before swimming, showering, or sweating a lot. Otherwise, you risk washing away your tan!
• If after 24 hours, you still want a darker tan, apply your self tanner again to build the color. You don’t need to shower or exfoliate the time – doing so would actually make you lighter.
• For a more subtle glow, or to make a sunless tanning lotion less intense, just mix it with regular body lotion before you apply it.

Tanning Mishaps

In the very unlikely even that you followed all the steps above to a T and still ended up with streaks or a fake-orange tan (it can happen if you used the wrong product), what should you do?

Fixing a messed up fake tan isn’t as hard as you might think, and there are many quick remedies that use products you already have at home. Fashionista has a great guide here to help you fix a messed up fake tan.

Your Thoughts?

Now that you know how to achieve a perfect sunless tan, I want to know what you think. What are your favorite self-tanners? Do you have any tips for minimizing streaks or getting the best results? I want to hear from all of you in the comments section!