How to Use Sunless Tanner for a Natural, Even Glow

The key to a natural even tan is proper skin preparation before you open the bottle. Just Nutritive Sunless Tanners work with your skin's own tone to develop a deeper more natural result rather than relying on artificial color. Here are four steps to help you get the best color and make it last.

Exfoliation is the most important step to an even blotch-free tan. Sunless tanners develop color on the outermost layer of skin, and if that surface is uneven the product absorbs unevenly. That is what causes streaks and dark patches.

Use a physical exfoliator with beads or sugar granules. The Just Nutritive Turbinado Brown Sugar Body Scrub removes dead skin without over-drying. Work in circular motions and give extra attention to elbows, knees, ankles, and the tops of your feet. These are the spots where dead skin accumulates most and where blotchiness tends to show up first.

Shaving or waxing before you tan helps prolong your color. Shaving after applying self-tanner strips the developed color and causes faster fading. Take care of hair removal first.

Next apply a light moisturizer. Your skin may be slightly dry after exfoliating and shaving, and a thin layer of lotion creates an even base. Focus on elbows, knees, hands, and feet then wipe away any excess.

Wait until the moisturizer is fully absorbed before moving on. Applying tanner over damp lotion causes the formula to slide or absorb unevenly.

Start from the bottom and work up, beginning at your ankles and moving toward your shoulders. Since Just Nutritive Sunless Tanners do not show color right away, working in this direction helps you track where you have already covered.

Apply in long even strokes using a moderate amount, like applying body lotion. Pay special attention to elbows, knees, wrists, hands, and feet where skin is thicker or drier. Use a lighter touch and blend outward at the edges.

Wash your hands thoroughly when finished. Color will begin to develop within 12 to 24 hours.

Once the tan has fully developed after 24 hours, reapply for a deeper shade without exfoliating again first.

To maintain your color, reapply once or twice a week. Moisturizing daily between applications helps the tan fade evenly. Hydrated skin holds color longer by slowing the natural shedding of the outer skin layer.

To lighten the tan or start fresh, exfoliate more frequently. Just Nutritive Sunless Tanners fade naturally without turning orange or leaving uneven patches, which is one of the key differences from conventional self-tanners.