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Quick And Easy Fixes For Your Self Tan Blunders

August 19, 2019

A great summer tan is all you need to be beach ready... but what do you do when that tan doesn't turn out so perfect? Let’s be real, there’s a fine line between bronze goddess and looking like a hot cheeto mess all summer, and that is whether or not your fake tan skills are on point. We’re going to cover all the tips and tricks on how to get rid of self-tanner faux pas, and give you a clean slate to start fresh with this summer beauty essential.

When Life Gives You Lemons… Remove Your Fake Tan.

Take a lemon, cut it open, and apply it to the self-tan massacre area for a couple minutes. Lastly, wipe away the mistake with a damp towel. Still, you’ll want to be careful when using this method — lemons can result in skin irritation, and even discoloration when exposed to the sun. Your best bet is to do it at night (or a day that you plan on spending indoors) and wash off the lemon residue thoroughly. If your skin is extra sensitive, try creating a mixture of lemon juice and water to dilute it, making it less harsh on your skin.

Sugar, Spice, And… Coconut Oil?

Apply a mixture of coconut oil and sugar to the mishap areas and exfoliate until the blotchy dark area is erased. This method is much safer for your skin than the lemon trick when it comes to getting rid of self tanner, and you don’t have to worry about steering clear of the sun for a while. Make sure you don’t forget to wash off the residue from the coconut oil before you reapply the fake tan as it could cause a barrier and give you an uneven finished result.

Salt Bae To The Rescue

If you’re running low on sugar, you don’t have to start panicking just yet... salt is a perfectly acceptable substitute. You can add the salt to a mixture of coconut oil and create a scrub that works just as well. In fact, if we’re being completely honest, any ingredient that can offer an exfoliating property will help slough away that fake tan.

“Baking Soda! I Got Baking Soda!” - O.T. Genasis

We doubt there’s anybody more excited about baking soda than this American rapper. And for good reason! Baking soda sure comes in handy in a lot of situations: stain removal, teeth whitening, and many more. It’s hardly a surprise that it just so happens to remove fake tans too. Mix together some baking soda with coconut oil or lemon juice (whichever you prefer) to create a paste, then slather onto the targeted area and wait for roughly an hour to allow it to work. Rinse off thoroughly before giving that self tanner another try. But for future reference, your best bet at getting the “sunkissed” look is to make sure you prep your skin really well before even attempting to apply your next fake tan. But even if for some reason you don’t own any bare kitchen essentials at home, you don’t have to be afraid that your botched tan will ruin your whole summer - fake tans last around a week before they start to fade (and that’s if you take good care of it). Just shower regularly and you’ll be saying goodbye to your summer horror story in no time.