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Make sure you have allowed yourself enough time.
The best time to apply sunless tanners is a couple of hours before you go to bed. No sunless tanner currently available contains adequate sun screen, so you should use sunless tanners at night and sun screen during the day.
Make sure you have everything you need handy.
You will need a place to take a shower or bath, a cotton washcloth to exfoliate your skin, soap, skin lotion, self tanner, facilities to wash your hands frequently, a band or tie to keep hair off of your face, and a fingernail scrub brush. You may also want a loose outfit, such as a robe, to wear while the self tanner is drying.
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What are you going to wear?
If you are not applying sunless tanners to your entire body (and you really shouldn't if you are new at this), what you wear will determine your tan lines.
Dark-colored, snug-fitting bathing suits are the best choice. But what if you only want to apply the sunless tanner to your face, arms, and legs? Then put on a dark, snug-fitting T-shirt and shorts. Snug is the key word. Whatever you wear should fit tightly enough that you can put the sunless tanner right up to the edge of it without it seeping underneath.
Under no circumstances should you wear light to medium-colored fabrics which contain nylon, because sunless tanners will stain them permanently.
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Take a shower or bath.
Take a shower or bath, using the cotton washcloth to remove dead and dry skin by rubbing your skin gently in a circular motion.
Preparation.
After bathing and exfoliating, take some time to allow yourself and the room to dry off. Apply ordinary skin lotion to your feet and ankles, knees, elbows, hands, wrists, and any area with fine lines, such as your neck and face.
Start applying the self tanner.
Take a look at the clock and note the time. Start with your legs, doing an entire leg at a time. Apply the self tanner a little more heavily than you would apply ordinary lotion. Instead, apply quickly but thoroughly, spreading in a circular motion to avoid streaking. Don't worry if a little bit of the sunless tanner is visible on your skin. Instead, be careful not to miss any areas.
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When you get near your ankles and feet, spread the self tanner from your legs onto your ankles and the tops of your feet. Use as little as possible in this area. Do not apply it directly to your toes, your heels, or the sides of your feet.
After doing one leg, check the time. If it has been more than five minutes, wash both of your hands thoroughly using the nail scrub brush. Wash your nails, the palms of your hands, between your fingers, your knuckles, and please don't forget your thumbs.
Be sure you scrub the sides of your hands as well. After finishing both legs, repeat the hand scrubbing process. It should take you no more than five minutes to apply self tanner to both of your legs.
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Continue applying self tanner.
Check the clock again. Start applying self tanner along the top edge of whatever it is you are wearing, working your way upwards. Stop at your neck. It is best to apply the self tanner to your entire torso before applying it to your arms. Now check the clock. If it's been five or more minutes, wash your hands again before going on to your arms. When you start to apply it to your arms, wipe a small amount of self tanner onto the backs of your hands. Don't forget under your arms and the sides of your torso. Now check the clock.
Finish applying self tanner.
Next, your face and neck. Apply sparingly to this area, because this part of your skin takes to self tanners quite well. Apply especially sparingly to your forehead hairline area. If your hair is short, don't forget to apply it behind your ears. As soon as you have finished with your face and neck, scrub your hands again. Now take a look at the clock. You have entered the drying zone.
The Drying Zone.
You should not put on street clothes, exercise, clean the house, swim, bathe, or do anything that will make you sweat for one hour. You should avoid contact with everything and everyone for at least fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, you can put on a loose nightgown to wear while you are drying. The minimal method is to wait thirty minutes, put on a long, loose nightgown, and go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, you will have a tan.
Taking care of your new tan.
To take care of your tan, avoid contact with water and anything that will make you sweat for the first three hours. To allow plenty of time for the stuff to work, I recommend waiting eight hours before bathing again. After you bathe again, you can apply more self tanner if you wish. This is the one time a commercial exfoliator comes in handy. Use it when you bathe before applying your second coat. If you don't apply a second coat, apply lotion to your entire body after you bathe.
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