Can You Get Bronzed Legs at Home?
For as long as I can remember, my legs have always been whiter than the rest of my body. Even during summer beach trips when my entire body is getting sunburned, which then progresses into a tan, my legs still remain a lot lighter than any other part of my body. My legs’ paleness can’t catch up to the rest of my body’s dewy glow in the summer to give me that uniform tanned look. Once again my genetics have failed me I thought, so off to the beauty bar in my bathroom I went.
After examining my legs in the bathroom for an embarrassingly long time, I decided I was going to do it; I was going to self-tan at home. I’m not into tanning beds because of the possible health implications, so obviously sunless tanner would be the way to go. I also only want color on my legs, since I am perfectly happy with the rest of my body. In theory, this should be easy since I am only going to be applying product to my long, skinny legs. I like easy. In this fast-paced DMV lifestyle, I prefer anything that can take time off my beauty and health routines so I can spend more time doing other things that make the DMV so great.
There are a few products that my girlfriends have recommended, but I decided to try Tan Towel because it seemed simple enough to use for those that aren’t into a tedious process. It is towelettes that feel like wet wipes, come in a small packet and you can throw away when finished. The fact that the sunless tanner is in a towelette also makes for a mess-free tan. You aren’t left with lotion all over your body, clothes and hands.
If you decide you want to try Tan Towel for yourself, here are some tips that worked well for me:
First, you’ll want to make sure your legs are freshly shaved. Give yourself at least an hour after shaving before applying the tanner. Make sure your legs are moisturized so the tanner can absorb into your skin easily. You can moisturize with any type of lotion. The objective is to not have any rough, dry patches prior to application so the tanner can settle in evenly. My knees and heels are always dry, so I made sure to specifically moisturize them and waited an hour.
After an hour, you are ready to rip open a Tan Towel. I didn’t smell much of a scent after the initial opening, so if you have an aversion to tanner smell, this one was non-existent. Take the towelette and start rubbing it in from the top of your thighs. The packet says to move it in circles, but I rubbed it in and alternated with an up and down motion, working my way from the tops of my thighs to the bottom of my ankles. Do not apply too much product on your knees or ankles if those parts of your legs are naturally darker. You want everything to be as evenly toned as possible.
After you have used the towelette you can throw it away. No clean up, that’s it. The product says that it takes 2-4 hours for the color to start appearing, but I suggest waiting until the next day to see if you would like to use another towelette. I saw results within 5 hours. My thighs had a noticeable bronzed hue to them. Overall, my legs were two shades darker I would say, so I will definitely need to apply more product to get them to match the rest of my body. I was very pleased with the ease of use.
It is good to try new products so you can then learn what you like and what you don’t. I was worried that tanning my legs at home would give me orange streaked legs, but it was actually very easy. The key to self-tanning is to get your legs to a color that matches your overall complexion in the summer and maintain it by using the indoor tanning lotion product the same day once a week.
Born and raised in the DMV, Emma Blancovich has a big appreciation for discovering things to do around town, such as new restaurants to try and supporting the local music scene by attending live shows. During the week she is an editor for trade associations, but on the weekends you can find her hiking up trails with the latest fitness gadgets then getting ready for a night out using the latest beauty and health products.