We all understand the importance of self tanners. They give our skin a tan with a glow and we don’t have to expose our body to the UV rays of the sun to get a tan. Also, they work very fast. You need to stay under the sun several times to get the desired tanned looks, but with a self tanner, you’ll get results in less than an hour.
Also, self tanners come in various forms. They are available as mousses, lotions, oils, foams, drops, and sprays. This variety gives users a lot of options. On the other hand, they offer different sets of skin tones. Your complexion will determine your preferred skin tone.
The best part is that it takes only a few minutes to apply a self tanner to your body. So, if you’re invited to an occasion on short notice, you can quickly tan up your body before going for the occasion.
Unfortunately, in spite of all the pros, self tanners have their downsides too. If you apply a self tanner the wrong way, you could end up with orange patches on your body, uneven streaks, black dots, or other unpleasant appearance.
Not only are they embarrassing, but they’ll also give you away as someone wearing a fake tan. And you may be referred to as an oompa loompa, which brings us to the product of the day – Fake tan remover. What do you do when you’re left with a bad tan? You have to remove the tan immediately.
And how do you remove a fake tan? Although there are several ways to remove a fake tan, the most effective way is to apply a fake tan remover. This skincare product is specifically designed to remove all kinds of fake tan. We have answered some carefully selected frequently asked questions about the product.
How Does A Fake Tan Remover Work?
All fake tan removers have certain ingredients that have the ability to react with the DHA (dihydroxyacetone) in a self tanner. Remember, DHA is the compound that colors the pigment of the skin. So, fake tan removers will break DHA down and loosen the tan, so it can be washed away very easily. The compound in a fake tan remover that breaks down your tan is urea.
For some fake tan removers, you will have to apply them once to remove your tan, while others require that you apply them a couple of times. Some removers require a lot of scrubs while others don’t.
One thing is very clear. The earlier you apply a fake tan remover, the faster it will work. This implies that once you discover something wrong with your tan, and it can’t be corrected by applying another coat of self tanner, then you need to remove the tanner quickly before it sinks into the skin.
Generally, there are three categories of fake tan removers and you can find them below:
1. Chemical Exfoliants:
This type of remover gradually removes the loose dead skin cells, and it pushes them out faster than they usually go off. And the colored pigments go off with them, leaving the untanned layer of your skin behind.
2. Scrubs:
This type of fake tan removers is also called physical exfoliant because they require physical scrubs. For this to work, you’ll need to manually scrub the tanner off your skin. Due to the physical scrubbing involved, this category is the least used category to get rid of tanners.
3. Instant Removers:
This category of removers will remove your tan instantly or after a few minutes, and they require little physical effort after applying any of them to your skin. It is needless to say that they are the highest in demand, and the most expensive. Many brands of skin care product manufacturers have produced this remover.
What Removes A Fake Tan Instantly?
Some fake tan removers have been manufactured for the purpose. Several brands of fake tanners also have fake tan removers that can work instantly. Here are some examples of instant fake tan removers.
- Bondi Sands Fake Tan Remover
- Tropez Fake Tan Remover Mitt
- Tanologist Fake Tan Remover
- Tan-Luxe Glyco Water
However, they work even faster if you apply them a few minutes or hours after applying your self tanner. In other words, all fake tan removers will work faster on a tanner that has not developed fully. Of course, they also work on fully developed tanner, but it will take them a little more time and some scrubs.
Whichever brand you choose, make sure to study the fake tan removal instructions, and follow them religiously. This will give you the best results.
How Do You Apply Fake Tan Remover?
As mentioned above, there are different types of removers, and each type requires different steps. No worries, we’ll discuss all the types of fake tan removers that you can get and how to apply each of them below.
1. Shower Gels And Body Wash
To apply body wash, make it lather and apply it on your skin. Leave the wash on your skin for at least 3 minutes. You could wait a little longer, but that’s up to you. After that, you can buff off the tan gently using the exfoliation gloves that come with it. The beauty of using this product is that you don’t have to scrub too hard.
The lathering body wash dissolves and loosens the tan and your gloves will easily scrub the tan off. Shower gels also work in the same way. However, gels don’t require much buffing. The gel will break down the tan so much that ordinary water can wash it away. You could try both methods. Support your body wash by taking your bath with shower gels.
2. Bath Soaks
This is a bubble bath product. You’ll run a bath and apply the remover in the water. Enter the bath and stay soaked in the bath for at least 20 minutes. This will give the product enough time to react with the tanner and break it down. It takes about 20 minutes for the product to get to the depth of the tanner and uproot every element of the tanner.
After 20 minutes, you can scrub your body gently with a pair of exfoliating gloves. This method is as effective as a body wash. It‘s left for you to pick the method that suits you most. One thing we love about this method is that you can’t get it wrong.
It is alcohol-free and it does not require hard scrub. You’ll get instant results. By the time you get out of your bath, your tan will be history.
3. Sprays
This is the easiest category of removers to apply. While some of them require little scrubs, others don’t. Just apply it to your body and leave it for about 15 minutes to break down your tan. Then you can wash it off. Many of the tan remover sprays have natural ingredients.
However, there’s a little caveat on this. Not every tan removal spray will remove every self tanner easily. So, you must find out the types of tanner it can remove before you invest in it. This is why we’re not always eager to recommend this method of tan removal.
4. Foam
This is another method of removal that we’re not keen on. There’s no harmonization among tan removal foams. They work differently. Some foams require only application, while others need you to scrub your body after application. So, you need to study the application instruction of each brand.
You may pick anyone since tan removal isn’t what you regularly do. It only comes up when you encounter tanning mishaps. And the more you apply a self tanner, the more you’ll improve in it, and the less likely it will be for mistakes to occur.
5. Scrubs
As the name implies, this category belongs to tan removers that require you to scrub off the tan. Some of them require hard scrubs, while others need only gentle hubs. Nevertheless, they are as effective as other methods, if not more.
Now that you have learned about the available tan removal methods, you can make a choice and stick with it.
What Is The Active Ingredient In A Fake Tan Remover?
The ingredient is Urea. It is present in all fake tan removers in varying amounts. Urea has the ability to break the DHA in fake tans easily and fast. In addition, urea also has a hydrating ability. So, while it loosens your tan, it also moisturizes your skin.
Final Thoughts
As a reminder, all tan removers contain urea, a compound that breaks down your tan and loosens it, so you can easily wash it away. There are several types of tan removers. While some require exfoliation, others don’t. Next time your tan appears badly, you know what to do.
