So, I went and got myself a spray tan the other day. Big event coming up, you know how it is. Thought I’d look all glowy and fantastic. Well, the glow part happened, but “fantastic” wasn’t quite the word I’d use by the next morning. It was more like… patchy. And orange. Oh boy, was it orange in some spots. I had to get this stuff off, and fast, because I suddenly had to go somewhere important and couldn’t look like a walking citrus fruit disaster.
First thing I did was stare in the mirror in disbelief. Yep, definitely streaky. Especially my wrists and ankles, classic trouble spots, right? My first thought was just a super hot shower and a ton of soap. So, I jumped in, grabbed my loofah, and scrubbed like there was no tomorrow. I mean, I really put some elbow grease into it. Did it work? Meh. It kinda dulled the overall orange horror a tiny bit, but the dark patches and streaks were still there, mocking me.
Next up, I remembered someone mentioning oil. I had some baby oil under the sink, so I figured, why not? I poured a whole bunch of it onto a washcloth and started rubbing it all over the worst areas. Let it sit for a good 15 minutes, feeling pretty slippery and a bit silly, honestly. Then back into the shower to try and scrub it off again. This definitely helped more! The oil seemed to loosen the tan, and more color came off with the loofah this time. My skin was starting to feel a bit raw, though.
I was getting desperate. I remembered reading something, somewhere, about using lemon juice. And I had lemons! And baking soda! So, I mixed up a paste. Just squeezed a lemon into a bowl and added baking soda until it was thickish. I plastered this concoction onto the stubborn streaks. Not gonna lie, it stung a little on the bits I’d scrubbed too hard. I only left it on for about 5 minutes because I was a bit worried about irritating my skin even more. Rinsed it off, and then gave those areas one last gentle scrub.
And believe it or not, that combo seemed to do the trick best for the really stubborn parts. The lemon and baking soda paste, followed by the oil soak and then careful scrubbing. It wasn’t like the tan vanished completely, but it was so much lighter and less noticeable. The streaks were mostly gone, and the orange was toned down to something almost presentable. It took a lot of effort, though. My bathroom looked like a disaster zone, and my skin was definitely not thanking me.
So, what did I learn from this whole messy business? Well, a few things for sure:
- Exfoliate BEFORE you get a spray tan. Seriously, I think this was my main downfall.
- Moisturize like crazy afterwards, especially if you go through a removal war like I did. My skin needed it.
- Patch test any DIY removal concoctions. That lemon stuff could be harsh if your skin is super sensitive.
- Sometimes, you just gotta scrub and pray. But gently! Don’t destroy your skin.
Honestly, next time I might just embrace the pale or get a professional to remove it if it goes wrong. This DIY removal was an adventure I’m not keen to repeat too soon. But hey, at least I didn’t look like a traffic cone for my important meeting!
