Picture this.
You’re out for Friday night drinks with your girlfriends.
You’re feeling bronzed, boozy and fabulous.
Outfit on point and chili margs to match.
You reach over to grab your mexi-inspired liquid gold and recoil in horror.
You have completely skipped tanning your hands properly and they resemble something of a tiger loaf. Patchy, uneven and totally uncomplimentary of the perfect night you had envisioned.
@bali_body THESE RESULTS #BALIBODY #foru #forupage #bb ♬ original sound - Kayla Nicole
Ok, so that may sound a little dramatic. But honestly, neglecting taking care in tanning your hands and feet properly can be totally counterproductive to your evenings grand plans!
However, the girls here at BB HQ have drilled down and have produced our 3 best tips for applying and prepping your hands and feet before you tan.
Preparation: Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise!
Obvious as it may seem, it is perhaps the most important step.
Post shower, we always recommend moisturising any areas that may have a nasty habit of catching tan. This is relevant usually to the elbows, knee caps and neck. What is more important is ensuring you moisturise right into your feet, ankles, wrists and between your fingers.
Adding that extra barrier between your skin’s surface and your self tanner will allow the product to sit lighter upon these areas. We always recommend opting for self tanners that are made with 100% natural DHA. There are many reasons as to why natural DHA is far more advantageous to the tanning process as opposed to synthetic DHA.
Natural DHA self tanners are formulated so that the product sits upon only the first layer of the skin, as opposed to sinking through multiple layers and going into one’s bloodstream (yikes!).
So in essence, Natural DHA self tanners are more hand and feet friendly, (and FYI - all our self-tanners contain only 100% natural DHA).
Applying your tan: Applicators are your best friend
Long gone are the days where we used our bare hands to apply our self tan, (we hope!). The fibres in your mitt or brush will ensure that your tan is applied seamlessly and evenly. A mitt is excellent, however we do recommend trying our Body Blending Brush to apply the tan to your feet and hands.
We’ve dubbed our blending brush as the ultimate tool for perfectly buffing self tan into every contour of the body flawlessly. It’s reusable and ensures a streak free and smooth application while keeping your hands self tan free.
@bali_body ♬ original sound - balibody
The groves and fine lines on the palms of your hands and fingers can become very dry and also catch the tanning product much more aggressively. By using a tool, you can actively separate any tanning product from collecting on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet.
Final tip: Less is more
This may be the most crucial tip we have! We would highly recommend not applying more product to your applicator tool and just using the residue left over from the rest of your body.
There will usually be more than enough product left on either your brush or mitt to be able to disperse across your hands and feet. This will also give these areas more of a natural coverage, as opposed to a standout feature - which is not what you want in these particular areas!
So unless you're recently engaged and have a compulsive need to deeply highlight the areas on your fingers and hand to draw attention, then we recommend following these 3 tips to achieve a totally flawless and natural looking tan on these sensitive areas - all year round.
