HOW TO REMOVE FAKE TAN AND START AFRESH
Nothing beats fake tan for a safe and skin-friendly year-round golden glow. It’s the ultimate pick-me-up, especially when summer seems a million miles away (or when the sun’s out but your legs just aren’t ready for it).
But no matter how good you are at applying fake tan , sometimes mistakes just happen and you also need to know how to remove fake tan to avoid those blotchy elbows, knees and hands that don’t match your body.
Whatever your reason for wanting to wipe the slate clean and start afresh (which you should always do before getting the fake tan back out anyway), there are several steps to how to remove fake tan properly and quickly.
So, to help you get your limbs, feet, hands and face ready, we’ve collated top tips (and the best products) to get you prepped, primed and ready— regardless of your self-tanning mishaps.
In This Article:
- How To Remove Fake Tan From Your Body
- How To Remove Fake Tan From Your Face
- How To Remove Fake Tan From Your Hands
- Fake Tan FAQs
HOW TO REMOVE FAKE TAN FROM YOUR BODY
1. GET STEAMY TO SPEED UP TAN REMOVAL
Taking a warm shower or bath (or better yet, a steam room session at your gym), are all great ways to soften your skin and help speed up tan removal. Make sure the water in your bath isn’t too hot though, as you don’t want limbs that are dry.
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2. USE A BODY OIL
How to remove fake tan gently? A good body oil. Like the balm or oil cleanser step in your skin care routine, a body oil works in exactly the same way. Working to break down the active ingredient in a self-tanner, it s an effective way to encourage your tan to fade faster while not aggravating your skin.
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3. EXFOLIATE TO REMOVE DEAD SKIN CELLS
Ideal to prep and prime the skin and remove dead and dry skin cells, a good tan exfoliator or exfoliating mitt works wonders when removing tan that is uneven or has been absorbed too much . You can also use exfoliation to quickly even out a streaky tan instead of removing your colour entirely.
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4. REMOVE FAKE TAN INSTANTLY WITH A SPECIALIST TAN REMOVER
If time is of the essence and you want to know how to remove a fake tan quickly, then nothing beats a dedicated tan removal product for sloughing away any remnants of your last faux glow. Most products will act as primers too, prepping your skin perfectly for your next application.
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5. MOISTURISE BEFORE REAPPLYING
To nourish your skin – particularly after going at it with an exfoliator – end your tan removal with a good moisturiser. This will help to ensure you’ve got the smoothest, softest base for your next tan application. Pay close attention to areas prone to dryness, like your elbows or knees. Giving them a little extra TLC now will help to prevent cracking or oversaturation when you next tan. If you can, wait until the next day to reapply your self-tanner so that your moisturiser has time to sink in.
For more tanning tips, check out our guide on how to make your fake tan last longer!
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HOW TO REMOVE FAKE TAN FROM YOUR FACE
The skin on your face is more delicate and more sensitive than most other areas of your body, so it’s important to take extra care when learning how to remove fake tan from your face.
We don’t recommend using the same tan-removal techniques mentioned above; instead, we recommend using a gentle liquid face exfoliator containing AHAs or BHAs twice a week (or as often as your skin is used to) as part of your skin care routine. This will speed up skin cell turnover to help shed those tan-stained dead cells. Once that’s done, you can grant yourself another sun-kissed tan with your favourite face tanner!
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HOW TO REMOVE FAKE TAN FROM YOUR HANDS
We’ve all been there... you’ve applied the perfect faux glow on your face and your legs, but your hands... let’s just say you... wouldn’t look out of place in an oompa loompa line up. But no fear! There are ways to quickly fix an orange hued nightmare. Firstly, we suggest using an exfoliating mitt to help lift unwanted tan. Using gentle, circular motions, rub the mitt across your hands concentrating on areas that are darker and more uneven. If that isn’t working well enough, use a fake tan remover. Essential in your bronzing arsenal, a fake tan remover is key to maintaining and removing an uneven or unwanted colour. Infused with actives to break down the DHA in self-tanners, this is a sure fire way to rid your paws of discoloured pigment.
FAKE TAN FAQs
How do you remove fake tan fast?
As mentioned above, the quickest way to learn how to remove fake tan is by using a dedicated fake tan remover. These products are specially designed to lift the active ingredient in self-tanner (DHA), which reacts with the amino acids on the surface of your skin to create that tan colour.
Does micellar water remove tan?
Micellar water does not necessarily remove fake tan, especially if it has set into skin. However, it may be helpful if you’ve just applied a faux glow and need to lift it quickly or remove it from somewhere you didn’t want it to be.
How to make a spray tan fade faster?
Like how you would remove an at home fake tan, fading a professional spray tan relies on the same principles – a good exfoliation session, hot baths and a fake tan remover.
And there you have it! Now you’re armed with the ultimate guide on how to remove fake tan quickly and effectively you’ll be back to your seamless, streak-free golden glow in no time... armed with your essentials: a good tan remover, mitts and an exfoliator.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Junior SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or co-hosting her own parenting one, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
