Added: 01/03/2006 |
How to Prevent Sunless Tan Streaks and Have a tan That Your Friends Will Envy!Sunless tanning is a great solution for those who want to have a beautiful naturally-looking tan without risking their health by long exposure to dangerous sunlight. It may also be useful for people with viteligo and certain photosensitive disorders. And, in addition, it may be the only solution for those who need a realistic tan over night, or urgently need to hide the freaky lines of their natural tan, the so-called ?farmer?s tan?. But still, inappropriate use of sunless tan products can end up in a number of problems. One of them is tan streaks. They can definitely ruin the natural look of your tan.
So, what can you do to prevent tan streaks? First of all, avoid any water on your skin for at least one hour (or even three) after application. Some sources recommend at least 6 hours, but it depends on the product. Some spray tans dry in several minutes, lotions can dry in 30 minutes and more. So, read the instruction attentively and follow the indications. To avoid any water means no bath, no shower and no perspiration. Avoid exercising and wearing tight clothes during this period, because all these mean perspiration.
The applying procedure is quite important in preventing tan streaks. If your sunless product is in lotion you should use an easily overlapping circular motion when applying. Up-and-down motion can leave you really streaky, especially your legs. Do not take a hot or a too long bath or shower before using a sunless tanning product. For a uniform appliance make sure your sunless tanning product is thoroughly mixed. Shake it up or if it?s in a tube, knead.
Some people are tented to return several times to the same place during appliance, being afraid to skip any regions. Such perseverance may end up in tan streaks. Some firms have created special colored sunless tanning products to help people get a streak-free tan. A color pigment is used in the product as a guide and you can easily see if you skipped any regions. But be careful. Using a pigmented product will make you look tanned already after appliance. This doesn?t mean that you are already done. You still have to wait at least for an hour, as it has mentioned before.
And don?t panic if at your first shower the water will be colored. It is just the pigment that helped you orientate and apply the product evenly. The real sunless tan will stay with you. Some sunless tanning product instructions recommend reapplying the product every three hours until you get the desired color. Don?t do that. Sunless tan may continue darkening for several hours and beside tan streaks you may also get a too dark skin. It is recommended to apply the product once in the evening and wait for over night and if you still want a darker color you can apply it again in the morning.
You have already got the ugly tan streaks? To get rid of tan streaks is definitely more difficult than to prevent them. Still, there are some things you can try. Take a long warm bath and use an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) lotion every day until the streakiness is gone. The hydrogene peroxide seems to be efficient. So, you can try the products used for lightening body or facial hair. If the streaks are not so evident, don?t bother. They will be gone anyway within three days.
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