The Skin Nerd: My golden rules for a perfect fake tan

How to achieve a professional looking fake tan at home...

With some time, a little space, and a well-thought-out plan, here's how you can achieve a professional finish for your fake tan. Picture: iStock

Firstly, I applaud you for choosing a fake tan over a real one — your skin will thank you in buckets. 

A fake tan truly is the ONLY safe tan and doesn’t put you at risk of accelerated ageing either. Secondly, you are in good company — not only do 60% of Penneys' global sales of fake tan happen in Ireland but Ireland has the highest per capita users of fake tan in the world!* 

That being said, achieving a flawless faux glow can be problematic. You need time, a little space, and a well-thought-out plan to achieve a professional finish, the former being something I can help you with here.

Note: Before you begin, please remember that using a fake tan will still leave your skin susceptible to the sun’s rays, so make sure that you’re applying your daily SPF as well and topping it up throughout the day.

Set aside time

When it comes to achieving a natural-looking fake tan, it’s all in the prep work. 

Make sure you put aside enough time to prepare yourself properly before, during, and after tanning for a smoother, less stressful experience.

Conduct hair removal 24 hours before

If you are planning to remove any body hair, I recommend that you do this 24 hours before application as self-tanning products can sink into any loosened pores and create dark spots and an uneven finish.

Exfoliate the day before too

Patchiness is a tell-tale sign of an unprofessional tan job, but you can avoid this by exfoliating 24 hours prior to tanning. 

I prefer to use a chemical exfoliant such as Body Proud Smooth Talk Exfoliating Body Serum (€13.95, iamproud.com) over gritty physical scrubs as these are more skin-respectful and do an excellent job of dissolving any dead skin to leave the skin smoother. 

If you do choose a scrub, look for one with a cream base such as Yon-Ka Aroma-Fusion Gommage Doux Detox Scrub (€38, theskinnerd.com) as the nourishing texture will soften the impact of the mechanical exfoliation of the skin. 

Take extra care around dry patches to minimise the chances of any patchy spots. Areas of rough skin are common around the elbows and knees, as there are fewer sebaceous glands in these areas, meaning that the skin is thicker and drier.

Moisturise!

Some tanning products suggest that you avoid moisturising pre-application but at the same time it’s important to create a smooth canvas for your tan to look professional. 

You can overcome this by replenishing your moisture levels the day before tanning and post-exfoliation to avoid your fake tan clinging to any dry bits and prevent your hydrator from leaving a barrier-like residue on your skin.

Avoid deodorants and perfume during the tanning period

Deodorant and perfume can create another barrier-type layer on the surface of the skin and may prevent the tan from sticking. 

Some can even turn the fake tan formula green, so it is best to avoid them all together pre-tanning and while it develops.

Select your products

A large part of achieving a faux tan that you love is choosing the correct formula.

To do this, first you will need to consider the type of fake tan you would like to use. Gradual tan or tanning drops are great for tanning newbies, as you can build up the intensity of your glow gradually. 

I love Pestle & Mortar Glow Drops Customisable Tanning Drops (€38, pestleandmortar.com) for a bespoke look. If you want an immediate glow-up, you might be more swayed to an instant tan formula over a gradual one. 

What’s the difference? Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a molecule used in most developing fake tans but isn’t included within the instant varieties. 

DHA works by producing a temporary stain to the skin, and this process takes a couple of hours to develop. Instant tanning products do not have this molecule and so we can think of them more like make-up in that they tint and stain the skin, but only until they are washed off.

Use a tanning mitt

I find TanOrganic Luxury Application Glove (€9.99, ie.tanorganic.com) essential when it comes to applying and smoothing in my tanning products. It’s leak-proof, meaning that you don’t have to worry about staining your hands – plus you can use it with different types of formulas.

Allow your tan to dry before dressing

Let your tan dry completely before dressing and opt for something loose and dark.

Wash off with cool water

You usually need to allow a wash-off tan to develop for four to eight hours (but do check product guidelines as this may vary). Wash it off with cool water (no soap) until the water runs clear.

Maintain

Exfoliation is important to extend the lifespan of your tan and help your tan fade evenly, so exfoliate every two or three days, and moisturise your skin daily. 

For a more gradual fade out, you can also apply a gradual tanning product such as Bondi Sands Gradual Tanning Milk (€17.49, theskinnerd.com)

Remove completely before reapplying

All traces of leftover tan must be removed before you reapply. This can be done with a tanning mitt but you can also use Skingredients Sally Cleanse 2% Salicylic Acid Cleanser (€33, skingredients.com) which contains salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates the skin and works wonders when it comes to removing stubborn stains.