Do you wonder how to get rid of tan lines fast and naturally? Unfortunately, getting rid of tan lines won’t happen overnight. The good thing is there are many products and techniques that could help correct or lessen their appearance. Here are some of my suggestions for removing male or female tan lines.
How to get rid of tan lines fast on face and chest
1. Lessen the Glare of Your Tan Lines by Exfoliating
Whether you’re dealing with face, arm, chest, or bikini tan lines, always remember that exfoliation is one of your best bets to making your problem fade away (literally). Exfoliation should be done before you slather the skin with sunless tanners, moisturizers, makeup, and so on.
So, how does this help anyway?
For one, it helps lighten and even out the skin tone by removing dead cells on your skin’s outer layer. It also allows faster healing of your damaged skin, better absorption of the skin care products, and prepares your skin for sunless tanning.
As you might know, there are tons of exfoliation products and techniques out there. Some are even especially formulated to dissolve self-tan with daily use. But no matter what products you use, the important thing you should keep in mind is to apply moisturizer (since exfoliation strips away your skin’s natural oil) and sunscreen right after.
You could always hire a professional to do this, if you have the extra money. If not, try these two simple face and body scrub recipes.
Simple Coconut Oil Body Scrub
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sea of salt or crushed rice
- ½ cup of coconut oil
Mix the two ingredients together in a bowl.
This is best used after taking a shower. While your skin is still wet, apply a thin layer of oil onto your skin. Next, gently massage the body scrub using a soft cloth or hands on your tan lines, including the tanned parts of your skin.
Wash off using warm water, and after that use cool water to close the pores.
Gentle honey almond Face Scrub
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons of runny honey
- 3 tablespoons of ground almonds
- 1½ tablespoons of sweet almond oil
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Prior to putting this scrub on your face and neck, combine it with a small amount of sweet almond oil in order to make a paste.
Then gently rub it into your tan lines and the surrounding areas, using a circular motion.
Wash off everything with warm water.
Reminders
- Don’t overdo it. Be gentle, especially around your eyes and mouth.
- If you have particularly dry skin, exfoliate once a week. If you have oily or combination skin, try exfoliating at least twice a week.
- Avoid scrubbing on skin that’s sunburned or has cuts.
- If you prefer using commercially prepared scrubs, make sure to purchase those especially formulated for the face.
2. Cover Them Up with Makeup
An important event is coming up. You’re excited to wear a strapless dress, but the ugly tan lines are ruining your appearance.
How to fix tan lines fast?
It’s a good thing makeup comes to your rescue. Don’t worry. This is only temporary, at least until your skin starts to even out.
Preparation Tips:
- Unclog your pores by exfoliating and thoroughly washing the area. If it’s your face, use a deep-cleansing gel (for oily skin) or moisturizing (for dry skin) facial cleanser.
- After that, apply a thin layer of moisturizer (or sunscreen, if you plan to go out). Allow it to set before putting on makeup. The right moisturizer will act as a barrier in order to protect your face from the foundation or concealer. Plus, it makes it easier to apply the makeup.
Choosing the Right Foundation:
This one’s going to be tricky. Try looking at the various foundation or concealer swatches. Then try to evaluate (through “eye estimation method”) the best shade for your tanned skin.
Of course, nothing beats trying it on in person. If you’re using it on your face and neck, test a little of the foundation on your jaw line. You could also smear a little on the back of your hand.
The rule of thumb is to use a foundation with a shade that’s closest to your tanned skin. Use a concealer on your skin that has a fairer complexion. Make sure the makeup you choose blends and merges well into your skin.
Here’s a thing to keep in mind. Choose yellow-based concealers or foundations if sunbathing left you with a reddish skin. Otherwise, choose red-based concealers or foundations.
Apply the foundation, you can use a brush (small and angled), sponge, or your fingers to blend the edges with the rest of your skin. I wouldn’t normally go for a makeup sponge because it tends to absorb too much of the liquid foundation. As much as possible, you’ll want to apply a thick layer to get the best possible coverage.
Finishing Touches:
For the final step, you’ll need a good bronzer or blush. Basically, a bronzer is a powder type makeup that’s often used to give your skin an instant glow or a tan complexion.
What’s the best shade for you? If you have a fair or pinkish skin, choose a peach-based matte bronzer. A dark matte bronzer is more appropriate for people with a tan or dark skin.
Apply the bronzer or blush over your bad tine lines and the area next to them using a cotton ball. Next, use a translucent powder to prevent the cream type bronzer or blush from smudging.
3. Even Out Your Skin Tone Using Sunless Tanners
The best way to fade tan lines is to get a full body tan. However, you can’t risk exposing yourself to the sun’s harmful rays again. As you know, too much sun exposure could increase your risk for skin cancer, premature aging, and other health concerns.
how to remove tan lines without the sun?
Answer: Sunless tanning or fake tanners.
It’s the safest way to get an even skin tone. Sunless tanners include stainers (e.g. sunless tanning lotions and spray-on tans), sunlamps, sunbeds, and bronzers. The most popular types are stainers, which contain a tanning agent called dihydroxyacetone (DHA).
What is dihydroxyacetone? Simply put, this is a colorless and plant-derived chemical that stains your skin brown by interacting with the proteins found in the dead skin cells. One of the benefits of this chemical is that it helps protect the skin from UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B).
According to ConsumerSearch, the best sunless tanning lotion today is Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer. L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Pro Perfect and Clarins Liquid Bronze are two other worthy considerations.
Whichever tanning product you choose, it’s good to keep these following tips in mind:
- As I previously mentioned, it’s important to prep your skin at least 30 minutes prior to the application of sunless tanners. And that means no application of moisturizers or lotions, washing the area to remove any excess oil, and exfoliating. These will help the tanner to be fully absorbed by your skin.
- According to experts, it’s best to start with lighter shades (around 3% to 8%) because they are more forgiving.
- Before putting it on your body, test a tiny amount on an area of your body that’s not easily seen. This will help you determine if the shade of the product closely matches the color of your tan lines.
- If you don’t have steady hands, get someone who does.
- In case you end up with ugly orange streaks or smudges, keep calm. You can still remedy this by taking a shower. You could also use a tan remover exfoliating scrub or Liquid milk (which contains lactic acid) to tone down the color.
- During the first few days, focus on your tan line first. Once it starts to fade or blend in, apply the sunless tanner on your entire body to get an all-over even color.
How to avoid tan lines
Tip 1. Wear Minimal to Zero Clothing
Steer clear from the sun—that’s the best way to avoid embarrassing tan lines. Of course, that’s not always possible for people whose jobs entail them to be outdoors most of the time. But if it’s just for recreational purposes, tanning in the nude will guarantee that your body parts will be equally exposed to the sun’s rays.
Depending on where you live, there are really no specific laws that ban nude or topless tanning in the backyard (please check the laws in your area, though). Just make sure you do this in the portion of your backyard, wherein your neighbors and kids won’t catch a glimpse of you sunbathing in nude.
Going to nude beaches is also a good idea, if you dare. In the U.S., there’s Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey; Black’s Beak in La Jolla, San Diego, and Hanover Beach in Florida. To get a complete list of nude beaches in the U.S., you can visit the American Association for Nude Recreation website.
Warning: Nude tanning could potentially harm the sensitive parts of your body due to too much sun exposure. Regardless of your skin type, experts recommend that people should avoid the sun during the hottest times of the day, which is between 11 am and 3pm.
Tip 2. Don’t Forget Your Good Ole Sunscreen
You’ve heard it before. I’ll say it again. Don’t forget to apply and reapply sunscreen at least thirty minutes before you plan to sunbathe. It’s important you also apply a generous amount on the skin under your clothing to avoid tan lines.
Are sunscreens with higher SPFs, like 90+ and up, really better?
The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating of a sunscreen product indicates its ability to block UVB rays only, not UVA rays. A sunscreen with SPF 15 is able to block 94% of UVB rays, while SPF 30 can block 97% of UVB rays and SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays.
That simply means one thing. Don’t be fooled by sunscreen products with SPFs higher than 50. Because they’re not guaranteed to protect you from UVB rays 100%. The important thing is you buy one that’s water-resistant and can also protect you from UVA rays (broad-spectrum). And make sure you reapply sunscreen every two hours or after swimming.
Tip 3. Pay Attention to the Time You Spend Sunbathing
Aside from tanning nude or wearing minimal clothes, it’s also important to be mindful of how much time you spend under the sun. Opinions vary, but many experts recommend people to sunbathe between 10am and 2pm.
But how long should each session be?
Well, it depends on the SPF of your sunscreen. As a rule of thumb, don’t stay under the sun for more than 45 minutes if you’re wearing a sunscreen with SPF 30 or 45. Other tanning specialists say not to exceed 15 minutes per session, though.
Suggestion: For 2 to 3 minutes, lay on your back. Then spend another 2 to 3 minutes tanning with your face downward. Do these positions alternately, until you reach 15 minutes.
Tip 4. Wear Tan-Through Swimsuits.
These things were especially designed to allow the sun’s UV rays to pass through the fabric, so wearers can achieve a full body tan. The fabric I’m talking about is called Transol, which is made up of microscopic holes that let in 80% of UV rays.
Tan-through swimsuits come in a variety of colors, prints, designs, and sizes for men and women. I have to warn you though, don’t expect them to be very fashionable. Companies mostly offer these in floral or animal prints, which are hardly flattering.
References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18423264/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15379873/
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