When self tanning, people pay the most attention to the face because it is the most conspicuous part of the body. If you have uneven streaks of tan on other parts of the body, it may not be very obvious, but with patches on the face, people will notice it very fast.
In our bid to see the results of every situation, we self-tanned different parts of the body without exfoliating the face. Also, we did it without shaving the hair on the body. Later, we did it again after exfoliation and shaving our hair.
We documented the results of each of the tests. So, we know the particular test that gave us the best and fastest result. That’s what we will discuss here. In the end, you should leave with the steps involved in applying a fake tan on your face.
How To Fake Tan Your Face Without It Going Patchy?
Step 1 – Shave Your Hair
The very first step is to shave the hair on your face. The hair hinders the impact of self tanner on the face. So, it is better to shave all the hair on the face so that the tanner can penetrate your skin easily. However, we don’t advise you to shave your hair a few hours or minutes before self tanning.
Do you know why? The pores of your face will open wider immediately after shaving. And the tanner will find its way into your pores. Clogged pores could lead to having black or red dots on your face. So, you need to shave your face at least 8 hours before you apply a self tanner on your face.
You could also shave in the night just before bedtime and apply your self tanner the following morning. You’ll get a great result that way.
Step 2 – Exfoliate Your Face
After shaving your skin, it is also important to exfoliate it. The presence of dead skin cells and impurities could prevent your tanner from reaching the depth of your skin. Furthermore, you could exfoliate your face right after shaving it or on the day you wish to apply a tanner on your skin.
Step 3 – Cleanse The Skin
After exfoliation, what should follow is the cleansing of your skin. There are two major ways to cleanse your face. You can wash it with soap and water and rinse it thereafter. In the alternative, you can apply a cleanser with a piece of cotton wool.
Step 4 – Allow your face to dry up
Whichever cleansing method you adopt, you must wait for your skin to dry before you start applying the self tanner. It can’t take more than half an hour to dry.
Step 5 – Apply Your Tanner To Your Face
Once your skin is dry, you can apply the tanner to your face. Although you can apply it with your hands, we’ll suggest that you use either a glove or a mitt. Both items will help you to apply the tanner evenly all over your skin. Another reason why you should not apply it with your hands is to prevent having orange palms after the application.
And if for some reason, you still wish to self-tan your face with your hands, you can do so, but make sure to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after the application.
One more thing – we understand that different self tanners come with different application instructions. We are just giving general steps. You need to study the application instructions first. Follow the instructions religiously.
On that note, if there’s a stage where the instruction given by the manufacturer of your self tanner differs from ours, you should go with the former. Although this variance hardly occurs, we can’t rule out its possibility.
Step 6 – Leave It To Dry Up
After the application, you need to wait for the tanner to dry up before you take a shower, wear a cap/hat, or put on your spectacles. While different self tanners have different drying times, most of them dry up within half an hour.
So, as a rule of thumb, set your mind to waiting for 30 minutes after self tanning your face before you take a shower.
Step 7 – Allow It To Develop Fully
Users often confuse drying time for development time. Even if a tanner has dried, it may not have developed fully. When it is dry, you can only wear something loose. You can’t sweat or wear tight clothing until it develops fully because your sweat could still wash it off.
Also, when it has not developed fully, and you wear any tight-fitting cap or hat, the tanner could rub off on the cap/hat. Although it takes different tanners different durations to develop fully, most of them do so within 6 to 8 hours.
Step 8 – Moisturize Your Skin
Self tanners usually last for about 5 to 10 days, depending on the tanning ability of your tanner and how well you maintain your tan. If your skin becomes too dry, your tan could become patchy and flaky. And it will fade faster. On the other hand, if your skin is regularly moisturized, your tan could last a few days longer before it begins to fade gracefully and evenly.
Why Does My Fake Tan Go Patchy On My Face?
There are several reasons for this. We’ll talk about all of them. You can look through to find out the one you’re guilty of. If you don’t exfoliate your skin or shave the hair on your body before the application of your tanner, it is possible for the patches to appear.
In addition, if you apply the self tanner with your hands, you’re likely to apply it unevenly. This can cause patches. That’s why we always advise people to use either a glove or a mitt. You can also use an old but clean sock. Another reason for the patchy tan is clogged pores. If your pores were wide open when you applied the tanner, you could end up with blocked pores and a patchy tan. So, you must always try to close your pores before you self-tan.
We have discussed how to close your pores in one of the articles on this blog. Finally, another cause of a patchy tan is dry skin. When your skin becomes too dry, your tan can become flaky and patchy. That’s why you need to moisturize your skin every day.
How Do I Stop My Fake Tan From Going Patchy On My Neck?
Read our response to the question above. We have explained the causes of a patch tan and how to prevent it. To sum it all up, you should follow the application instructions to the letter, and everything will be fine. All the explanation given above is applicable to the neck too.
Is It Bad To Put A Fake Tan On Your Face?
No, it is not bad to fake-tan your face. In fact, if you decide to tan your body, you must apply the tanner to every part of your face evenly. Remember, if your body is much darker than your face, it’ll be obvious that your tan is fake. You don’t want to be called an Oompa Loompa. So, it is necessary to put a fake tanner on your face whenever you want to tan.
How Can I Fix My Patchy Natural Tan?
The best way to fix a patchy tan is to remove the tanner completely. After removing the tan, you can then re-apply a self tanner more appropriately. Here are a few ways to fix a patchy tan.
- Exfoliate your skin to remove excess tanner.
- You can cover it up with your makeup.
- You can purchase and apply a tanner remover.
- A mixture of lemon juice and honey can be applied to the skin to remove the tan.
- Baking soda solution can also be rubbed over the patchy areas to even things up.
Can You Put Fake Yan Over Patchy Tan?
Yes, you can apply a fake tan over a patchy tan. In that situation, you must select a darker skin tone. Make sure you apply the tanner with a mitt or a glove, and it should be done under a very bright light.
Final Thoughts
To wrap up this piece, we want to remind you that you must shave your skin, exfoliate it, cleanse and dry it before you apply the tanner with a mitt, a glove, or a sock. And most importantly, you need to moisturize your skin every day before and after self tanning.
