How to Remove a Fake Tan Quickly

With sunless tanning lotion being all the rage, it's not surprising that some people tend to go a little overboard when applying a fake tan. Perhaps you've incorrectly applied your sunless tanning lotion and are looking unappealingly orange and streaky. Or maybe you neglected to go easy on the application when it came to less fleshy parts of your body like your hands and feet, leaving them noticeably darker than the rest of your body. No matter what your reason for wanting to get rid of your fake tan, there are ways to make yourself look less orange.

• 1

  Take a bath. If you're trying to get rid of an all-over sunless tan, a good soak in the tub might be enough to substantially tone it down. If a hot bath isn't your thing, an extended swim in the pool will also hydrate your outer layer of skin cells, expanding them and lightening your fake tan.

• 2

  Exfoliate your skin. Because sunless tanner only colors the surface of your skin, if you exfoliate dead skin cells, much of the tan will scrub off. The trick is to go easy on your skin, otherwise you will irritate it and end up with bright red skin, which is probably worse than the fake tan you're trying to remove. Start by rubbing baby oil on the affected area and let it soak in for about a half hour. Get in a warm tub of water and gently exfoliate your skin, preferably with a sugar-based scrub product.

• 3

  Scrub with a homemade baking soda paste. This is especially effective if your tanner appears blotchy on your face and neck. Apply it to your face and scrub very gently. You may also want to try a commercially made beta hydroxy acid product on your face to lighten the tan.

• 4

  Use body hair bleach on less sensitive areas like your hands and feet. Apply the bleach to your hands and wash off after about 10 minutes. You can also use a beta hydroxy acid product or try applying a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide should only be applied to small surface areas of the skin.

• 5

  Use a denture cleaner to clean orange residue from your fingernails and toenails. Simply soak your nails in the denture cleaner for a few minutes.

• 6

  Wait a few days. Most sunless tanners need to be applied every few days, which means that they will fade within this time. This means that patience will fix any mistakes that you may have made when applying your tanning product.