The Essential Tanning Checklist

Bronze with the best of them by following these top tips to achieving glowing skin.

1. Start by a thorough exfoliation the night before tanning. Pay particular attention to elbows, backs of arms, knees, ankles, feet, underarms, neck and hairline.

2. Moisturise the night before you plan on self-tanning, but avoid using oils or products containing silicone that will only leave a film on the body.

3. Prior to tanning, don’t apply any lotion, except on spots where you don’t want the tan to take, such as knuckles, toes, wrists and ankles, elbows and palms of the hands.

Behind the scenes with @gigihadid in #Miami on our SS15 Campaign – GIGI INC. Miami #beauty #summer #seafolly #GigiHadid

A photo posted by Seafolly Australia (@seafollyaustralia) on Jun 29, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

4. Always use a mitt and work upwards. Start with your feet, then legs, torso, chest, arms, shoulders, neck and face.

5. Get someone to help with the back, or get inventive … Inventive tanners put the mitt on a bent coat hanger and apply tan to the triangle at the top of the back. Genius.

6. Buff the body to minimise streaks and ensure product is well distributed, then clean hands with make-up remover wipes.

7. Is your self-tanner taking its sweet time to dry? Grab your hairdryer and put it on the cool setting and give your body a blast of cool air to help speed up drying time. ?

Happy 4th from me, @gigihadid, @marhunt, @britmaack, @serayah and @haimtheband 🙂

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:32pm PDT

8. Give yourself time for your tan to dry, then dress in loose clothes (no bra straps, flip flop lines, etc), allowing the tan to develop.

9. When removing tan, do so with plenty of warm water and soap, don’t drag or scratch the skin, and pat dry with a soft towel. Again, don’t rub down vigorously. Apply body lotion lightly.

10. Never, ever tan after waxing or laser treatment. The pores are open, and the result will be blotchy at best, or could involve breakouts, rashes or nasty skin reactions.