Lockdown. Something I’m sure none of us would have ever imagined happening, yet here we are working from home, creeping out for a quick daily 20-minute walk and waiting until our fridges are virtually empty before having to prep ourselves to head to our local food shop wearing our gloves and masks.
Suddenly, we’ve gone from not having enough hours in the day, to having more time than we know what to do with and so here at Cecily, in this difficult and worrying time, we’re taking our time away from work and focusing on optimism for the future and working on our self-growth.
Although it’s hard to see past what’s currently going on and that life will get back to normal, we’re taking this time to connect with loved ones, learn that new skill that we’ve been too busy to put into action, relax and re-coup and look forward to the future.
With spending time indoors for the time being, comes post phoning our favourite hair and beauty appointments. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not thinking of you and how to guide you step by step on how to make yourself feel a little better by re-creating at home some of your favourite, feel good treatments.
Spring has finally sprung and before we know it, dress weather will be upon us and it will be warm enough to wear our favourite shorts and skirts, even if it’s just for a BBQ in our own garden.
To help give your skin the ultimate glow, we’ve composed an easy to follow step by step guide on how to prep your skin for a home tan, how to apply your tan and how to look after it.
What you will need:
Your favourite tan – We love St Tropez or Sienna x Express – both of these have a shorter development time than normal solution. They are both still super pigmented but with a shorter development frame, it means you can wash it off before bed to stop it rubbing on your sheets & won’t take up your whole day to develop.
Tanning Mitt – These can be purchased from just about anywhere – Amazon, Superdrug, boots, Ebay etc.
Loose, dark, comfy clothing to wear whilst your tan develops. Any strappy knickers and bra straps may rub against your tan and it may come off slightly. T shirts & joggers or loose PJs are recommended.
Step 1:
The day before applying your tan, take your time to shave and exfoliate your body. Apply your exfoliating scrub and rub into your body either using a hard pressure with your hands or a body brush. Exfoliating will remove your dead skin cells and will create a smoother, more even base for your tan to grab onto. By not exfoliating before your tan, the solution will grab onto skin cells that will fall off in the next few days and so your tan will fade quicker and unevenly. Shaving before your tan is key! Shaving once your tan has developed will simply remove some of the colour and therefore won’t last as long.
Step 2:
If you have applied any deodorant, use a wet wipe or wash your underarms to remove it. Deodorant doesn’t play a huge part in obstructing tan development but can cause a slight fright! When tan is applied over deodorant, the ingredients mix and usually tend to turn deodorant green but this will wash off normally so do not panic!
Step 3:
Using any sort of moisturiser, you will need to apply a thin layer to the dryer areas of your body to stop tan grabbing onto these skin cells are turning slightly darker. Elbows, knees, ankles, along the sides of your feet, the palms of your hands and your eyebrows if they are fair (to stop them going darker). We also like to apply a small amount over our fingers and knuckles are hands can sometimes be a little drier depending on the time of year.
Step 4:
Apply your tan all over using your mitt and buffing it into the body in circular motions. When you get to areas such as the inside of your wrist, fingers and feet, use a very small amount of tan here. These areas need to look natural and so by using a small amount and dusting it lightly over your knuckles, fingers and toes will make it look perfect. If you wish for these areas to look darker once it has developed, you can always do one more layer and let it develop again.
Step 5:
Air dry your body for a few minutes until you feel dry and then wear loose, comfy, dark clothing. Any clothing that has thin straps such as knickers, tops or bras are recommended to avoid wearing. These thin straps can usually rub against then tan whilst it is developing and can cause an uneven tan. Baggy t shirts or jumpers and joggers or PJs are best to wear.
Step 6:
Wait for your tan to develop for the recommended development time & avoid all contact with water. When going to the bathroom, use a baby wipe to wipe the palms of your hands, rather than washing them in water.
Step 7:
When showering off your tan, use only warm water, no bubbles or soap. This allows the tan to sink more into your skin before being washed properly. On your second shower and moving forward, shower as normal but always pat yourself dry, do not rub.
Step 8:
Treat your tan like a normal holiday tan. The more you look after it by moisturising, the longer it will last!
Keep your eyes peeled on our website and social media for more step by step guides, top tips and things you can do from the safety of your home for that little bit of ‘me time’.
