How To Fix Splotchy Tan

When it comes to self-tanner, it seems there's a scale of results that range from gorgeous glowing goddess to orange, patchy, poorly dyed Easter egg.

That's why, it's just as important to know how to remove self-tanner in a hurry as it is to know how to properly apply it: Most products are designed to last from a week to ten days, so mistakes can really stick around. So we asked St. Tropez celebrity tanning artist and skin finishing expert Sophie Evans—who has helped Margot Robbie and Victoria Beckham appear dipped in molten gold—for the best ways to remove self-tanner streaks, clean stained palms, and fix brassy knees and elbows.

Here are Evan's solutions and product recommendations—a few of which you'll probably find right in your kitchen cupboard—for correcting a faux glow gone wrong.

Baby oil

You did everything right. You exfoliated beforehand. You followed the directions to a T. But somehow, the color staring back at you in the bathroom mirror is a bit...intense. To take things down a few notches, Evans recommends reaching for some oil. Raw oils like coconut (which boasts tons of skin benefits) or sunflower will do, but Evans says baby oil is your best bet.

Slather your skin in the stuff, leave it on for a few minutes, and then rinse it off in the shower with a loofah or nubby washcloth. "When you put oil on your skin, it plumps it up and makes it more susceptible to exfoliation," Evan explains. "You'll see—it will take the color down a shade or two." If you're using a less concentrated product, like a gradual tanning moisturizer, it may even remove the tan altogether.

Self-Tanner Removing Products

Erasing serious mistakes—say, big streaks down your leg—calls for something with a bit more octane. Luckily, there are products on the market you can buy to do just that. Evans is obviously partial to the St. Tropez Tan Remover Mousse, a mix of sodium bicarbonate (a.k.a., baking soda, a mild bleaching agent), citric acid and urea (two gentle exfoliators), and detoxifying cotton extract.

Apply a generous amount to dry skin and leave it on for five minutes. Rinse under a warm shower with an exfoliating mitt or washcloth. One thing to keep in mind: Wait at least 12 hours before you try to self-tan again—there may still be remover on your skin if you go at it again too soon.

Baking Soda + Lemon Juice

If you can't run out to Sephora to pick up a bottle of tan remover (or don't feel like waiting for your Prime order to be delivered), I have good news for you: There's a worthy substitute lingering in the back of your refrigerator.

Grab that box of baking soda you keep to deodorize your fridge and mix a few tablespoons with some lemon juice. "It will turn into a fluffy paste," says Evans. "Rub it onto your skin and then rinse it off in a warm shower. It should do the trick just fine."

The Best Products to Remove Self-Tanner

Baby Oil

This classic standby can help to gently tone down a tan.

Remover Mousse

St. Tropez us.asos.com

$19.00

A rich foam with cotton extract and probiotics to rebalance skin.

Body Mitt

FACE HALO revolve.com

$22.00

Easy to use, this mitt sloughs skin to buff away tanning blunders.

Hair Remover

Depilatory creams can whisk away even stubborn mistakes.

Toothpaste

Arm & Hammer iherb.com

$4.95

Depilatory Cream

One of Evan's go-to tan removing methods is a hair-removing cream like Nair or Veet. "It removes the color completely," she insists. "This is how I would normally correct a mistake."

These products work by harnessing active ingredients like calcium hydroxide or potassium thioglycolate, which break down the bonds in the hair's keratin. These powerful compounds also exfoliate skin, removing the top layer—and your self-tanner with it. Apply with your hands and leave on skin for half the recommended time so you don't end up experiencing any irritation.

Whitening Toothpaste

Many of these products (Arm & Hammer's version is the best, says Evans) use good old sodium bicarbonate to keep your pearly whites gleaming, so they should lift uneven patches of faux glow in a pinch. In fact, Evans tells me this is the method that the original founder of St. Tropez would use to fix her self-tanning misadventures.

Given the nature of the product, it's likely best for smaller areas like in between your fingers of your elbows. And though you may be tempted to use it on your fingernails, Evans says that's the toughest area to treat. Cuticles often permanently cling to self-tanner (trimming is the only remedy) and nails can take on a frustratingly stubborn yellowish tinge. That's why she always recommends washing your hands right after applying self-tanner.

Windex

File under, "Good To Know, but Never Do This!" Apparently—as Ashley Graham's Instagram stories prove—this cleaner can remove more than just streaks on your mirror. Evans admits that the trick does work, but warns that it may not be the kindest thing you can do for your skin. These products typically contain hardcore solvents that can be extremely irritating. Glass skin is one thing, but I vote for a hard pass on this one.

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