How to fix a fake tan fail

Rectify your tanning mishaps.

Use lemon juice to make an exfoliator.

Uh-oh. You’ve accidentally made a fake tan boo boo. But don’t despair! No matter whether you missed a spot, applied a little too much product or simply spilled some tanner onto your hands by accident, there are a few simple things you can do to rectify your mistakes with the help of some kitchen cupboard essentials.

Self tanners are designed to last for about a week, which is about as long as a natural suntan lasts. The clever ingredients in fake tan will only darken the top layer of your skin so if you want to remove it or lighten it you need to target these skin cells. Your tan will start to fade of its own accord as your skin cells flake away and new ones are created. But if you want to speed up this process here’s how:

Exfoliate. Make a natural exfoliator by combining brown sugar with some lemon juice. The rough texture of the sugar will slough off dead skin cells and the lemon juice will start to lighten the skin. Apply the exfoliator on any areas that are too dark to even out your skin tone.

Lighten. Mix some lemon juice with a touch of baking powder and dab it onto your skin to help lighten your fake tan. This method won’t work instantly but if you continue to apply this mixture over the course of a day or two you will see results. Again, target darker spots to balance out streaks and patches.

Relax. Run yourself a bath and take a long soak to help your tan fade a little faster. Washing your hands and body with a shower gel will also help to remove some of the colour.

Stop moisturising. A rich moisturiser will hydrate you skin cells and slow down the skin’s natural regeneration process. If you don’t moisturise your skin will start to get dry causing your skin cells to flake off, taking your fake tan along too.