Self Tanners
Whatever happened to the normal fair healthy skin? Have the modern Americans started to dislike their own pelt? “Strange,” you may say. But nevertheless, take a look at the person standing behind you at the supermarket cash counter holding cartons of self tanners. The face is familiar but the skin looks different. “My God”, you exclaim. She is Dorothy, your own sister-in-law. Flashing a delightful smile at you she mutters, “Hi John, don’t I look great in my new tan?” That, incidentally, was your first introduction to self tanners.
There is one problem that may happen in the self tanner course. Streaks Uneven coverage creates alternating stripes of too-dark and too-pale skin.
The cause of this in the self tanning, is probably the most common self-tanning snafu, says Regina Viotto, spa director of the Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa in New York City. "You're supposed to moisturize and exfoliate before using a self-tanner, but most people don't do that until right before they apply the product," she says. The result: an uneven surface that in turn causes an uneven tan.
How to avoid it in the self tanning process? Prepare your skin by exfoliating every morning in the shower a few days before you apply self-tanner (try Banana Boat's VitaSkin Pre-Sunless Skin Smoother Exfoliating Scrub, $5; at drugstores). Use a moisturizer liberally for the days before you self-tan, but not immediately before-hand (it will interfere with the self-tanner's absorption). Shaving also exfoliates, so it's OK to do that a day ahead of time too. And wait at least a full day before de-fuzzing again; doing so sooner will shorten the life of your tan. (The same goes for waxing, says Viotto: Give yourself at least a day or two before--and after--your self-tanning application.)