How to get rid of tan lines

Do tan lines go away? Eventually, yes. But while your tan lines might easily disappear after a few days, the damage left behind will not.

Generally speaking, tans will last up to 7 to 10 days before skin starts to naturally exfoliate and regenerate. If you exfoliate your body before tanning, use a tan extender, and keep skin moisturized your tan may last longer than anticipated.

Melanin plays a role in how our skin naturally protects itself from UV damage. As skin is exposed to the sun, it naturally darkens as a response. But once the tan fades, skin begins lightening back to its natural color. However, when the cells become damaged with pigment, discoloration that doesn’t fade occurs.

Lemon Juice And Honey To Remove Tan

Squeeze fresh lemon juice and add some honey to it. Apply the mixture on your skin and let it stay for 30 minutes before washing off with a mild cleanser. You can also add some sugar to the lemon juice to make a scrub.

Poor exfoliation Exfoliating poorly before a tanning treatment is one of the key reasons why a fake tan can look uneven or streaky. Getting rid of deceased skin cells by exfoliating regularly will create a smooth base for the tanner to glide onto, resulting in a balanced tan.

1) Never apply your tan on top of an existing self tan

Unless it’s with a gradual tanning product that you are using to build up your colour. A dark lotion or mousse on top of an existing spray tan for example will highlight the breakup of the older colour.

Simply douse a damp cloth with lemon or lime juice, then pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Make sure it’s not too hot, then rub it over your tan and you‘ll find the colour is instantly removed.

There’s a noticeable difference both times with the tan eraser. It isn’t as effective as the 3 day treatment, but it will make it fade away faster. Using a urea-based tan remover in combination with an exfoliating mitt is gentler and noticeably more effective than just using the mitt alone.

Yes, a tan will make skin appear more even, but it will not hide dark patches. “If you apply a layer of self-tanner all over, it will simply darken age spots as it darkens the rest of your skin,” Evans explains.

Once applied you can wash the tan off after just 1 hour, but for a deeper long lasting tan leave on your skin for up 8 hours. It really is personal choice. You might have to test it out a few times, to work out what suits you the best! For best results, we recommend letting your tan develop 6-8 hours.

As colour will continue to develop for approximately 8 hours, the longer the tan is left on the skin prior to bathing, the darker the result will be.

Leave for around 5 hours from the first tan time and rinse in the shower. Avoid using soap on the tan at this wash. Best to then leave this overnight as the tan will continue to develop and because you rinsed off you won’t get any residue on sheets.

Use a tanning mousse or foam

This means the tanning product dries quicker and causes less stickiness and transfer onto your sheets through the night. All of MineTan’s self tan foams are designed to absorb and dry quickly so you can wear your tan and go about your day (or sleep!)

If you have a big event coming up, consider self–tanning the night before. This gives the tanner time to develop. In the morning, shower taking care not to exfoliate or scrub too much.

[i] The color doesn’t so much wash off as it does fade away: after a few days, the color will wear off as your body sheds the deceased skin cells. The only time you really have to be careful about self–tanner washing off is immediately following application.