Here's our simple guide to help you apply your sunless creams:

• Best time: A few hours before bed or needing to go out!
• Take a shower and clean and exfoliate your skin. If you don’t exfoliate well, your tan could start to flake off within 24 hours! Dry thoroughly!
• If applying the lotion in your bathroom – make sure that it is not steamy or so hot that it causes you to sweat, otherwise you will streak!
• Remember that you apply the self tanner a little more heavily than you would apply ordinary lotion.
• Apply quickly but thoroughly, spreading in a circular motion to avoid streaking.
• Don't worry if a little bit of the sunless tanner is visible on your skin. Instead, be careful not to miss any areas. Do one area of your body at a time.
• When you get near your ankles, elbows and feet, spread the cream from your legs onto your ankles and the tops of your feet, using as little as possible: don’t apply directly on to these areas.
• Wash your hands at least every five minutes while applying. This will stop your hands getting streaky and looking darker than the rest of you. Use a soapy nailbrush to scrub palms, fingers, and fingernails.
• It is best to apply the self tanner to your entire torso before applying it to your arms.
• To get your back – have a friend/partner help or if you want to do it yourself – try using a sponge-type paint brush – get one with about 3” in size and a long handle. Some people have even used the small sponge paint rollers you use for painting behind radiators with good effect. Some of the creams may need thinning with water though.
• Do your face and neck last! Apply sparingly to this area, because this part of your skin takes to self tanners quite well. Apply especially sparingly to your forehead hairline area. If your hair is short, don't forget to apply it behind your ears.
• What about the knees & elbows? It's the area just below the knee which tends to darken too much, so try evening it out with moisturiser (you could do this on your ankles and toes too if it helps).
• Drying time: You should not put on “nice” clothes, exercise, clean the house, swim, bathe, or do anything that will make you sweat for one hour (what a great excuse if you want to be lazy for a while!). If you can don’t wear anything for 15-30 minutes, and then loose clothing for the next hour or so – these creams work better the longer you leave them to dry. The lotions can take 2-3 hours to develop your colour.
• Try not to bathe for 8 hours.
• If you want to add a “second coat” – make sure you exfoliate again.
• If you are new to sunless tanning – don’t do this for at least 12 hours.