Self-tanner can offer your skin a great shade all year round which is why it is such a popular product. You can apply it at home or at the salon but, is it just as easy to remove it? In this guide, we will discuss not less than 12 ways how to get self-tanner off hands or other parts of your body.

12 Ways To Remove Self Tanner

If you need to remove self-tanner, there are different ways to do that. But keep in mind that not everyone will prefer the same method. You want to find the solution that works best for you and your skin.

1. Baking soda and lemon juice mix

Mixing baking soda and lemon juice can result in a cream that can eliminate self-tanner off your body just like any professional tanner remover would. Keep the ratio of two tablespoons of baking soda to one tablespoon of lemon juice to obtain the paste consistency you want.

Rub the paste over the body area that you want to clean, and you should see the self-tanner vanishing right before your eyes. Rinse locally with lukewarm water or take a shower if you use this method on all your body and you are done.

2. Baby oil or raw oils

Baby oil can do miracles when it comes to eliminating the self-tanner off your skin. The thumb rule here is to use raw oils, even if they are not baby oils, and make sure they don’t have any fragrance or artificial ingredients added to them. You can choose coconut oil or even sunflower oil as long as they come in a raw form.

Apply the oil to your skin and leave it on for about five minutes. Once the time is over, rinse your skin with a loofah or washcloth. Depending on how concentrated the tanner you used is, this solution might remove it entirely or, it might take two to three shades out of your tanned skin color.

3. Depilatory cream

Depilatory cream can surprise you in terms of its ability to remove self-tanner. Such creams contain potassium thioglycolate and calcium hydroxide, which will break the bonds in the keratin of the hair. These chemicals have exfoliating properties and will remove not only the hair but also the self-tanner.

For best results, apply the depilatory cream on your skin and give it several minutes to take effect. Experts recommend leaving such a lotion on your skin for half the time it requires to remove hair, to eliminate the self-tanner. Make sure to not let the depilatory cream on your skin for too long as it can give you irritation or redness.

4. Toothpaste

Toothpaste and particularly whitening toothpaste can remove the self-tanner in a matter of minutes. These pastes are efficient for whitening your teeth so, they will be just efficient in getting your natural skin color back. However, you shouldn’t apply toothpaste on big patches of skin as it can create irritation due to its chemicals. You also want to reduce your hopes if you need to remove the self-tanner off your hands by using this method. Toothpaste will not do miracles for the nails and the cuticles, which often retain the color of the tanner in an almost stubborn manner.

Apply the toothpaste between your fingers, on your palms, or on the back of your hands as well as other small patches of your skin, and give it up to three minutes to take effect. Once the time passed, rinse the toothpaste off your skin by using warm but not hot water.

5. Steam

Steaming your skin can be one of the easiest ways to get a self-tanner off it with no hassle. If you only want to get a self-tanner off your hands, all you need is a little water and a wide container. Boil the water in the container and place your hands over the steam that comes out of the water. Depending on the resistance of your self-tanner, you might need to do this for ten minutes or even 20 minutes. You should be able to see the self-tanner sweating off your skin as you do it.

If you want to get rid of self-tanner from your entire body, enjoy 30 minutes in a steam room. Once the time is over, rub your skin gently with an absorbent towel.

6. Exfoliate

There are many benefits to a good exfoliating session, and your skin will thank you for it. But did you know that this process can also help you get rid of self-tanner off your hands or other body parts?

Use your favorite exfoliant or body scrub and gently rub your skin with it, without pressing too hard. These exfoliants already have fine particles that help eliminate dead skin cells so, you will not have to add any force during the scrubbing. Along with dead skin cells, you will see your self-tanner coming off as well.

7. Vinegar

Vinegar is a multi-purpose product to have in your home. The best vinegar to use is white vinegar or cider vinegar. Your vinegar needs to be high in acidity to be efficient in removing self-tanner.

Put vinegar on a cotton ball and dab on the skin patches that you want to clean. Leave the vinegar on your skin for two minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.

8. Go for a swim

If you have a pool nearby, this might be a great time to go for a swim. Pool water contains chlorine that has an abrasive and bleaching effect on the skin. If you enjoy half an hour of swimming or even less than that, chances are that you will come out of the pool without the layer of self-tan. The longer you stay in the water, the better your chances are to remove the self-tan. Of course, this method is recommended in case you want to remove self-tan from your entire body since you will get wet on all parts.

9. Baby wipes

Baby wipes are easy to find in most grocery stores and they can work for removing self-tanner just as good as other methods. For optimum results choose baby wipes that are of high quality and have a nice fragrance to them as well as some mineral oils that will help you during the cleaning process.

Use one wet wipe at a time on the patch of skin that you want to clean and rub gently without pressing too hard. You might have to repeat this step two to three times until the self-tanner is completely off.

10. Acetone

Acetone can have an unpleasant odor and can be harsh on your skin but, as long as you use it on small areas, you should be able to remove your self-tanner with no side effects. However, despite these downsides, acetone can be highly efficient in this task.

Apply acetone on a cotton ball and rub it on the skin gently. Give it up to three minutes to sit on your skin before you rinse it off, and you should see the self-tanner disappearing with it. Keep in mind that you should use acetone on small parts of your skin and not your entire body.

11. Rubbing alcohol

If you want to use alcohol, try the raw version of it that you can find in pharmacies. Pharmaceutical alcohol can be very efficient and, if you use it in small quantities, it will not damage your skin.

Use alcohol in the same manner that you would use acetone. You can apply it to your skin with a cotton ball or a cloth and leave it for two to three minutes. When you rinse it off, you will notice the self-tanner will also wash away.

12. Use facial bleach

Facial bleach can work great if you are looking for how to get a self-tanner off hands. This type of product is perfect for lightening the color of facial hair, to make it less noticeable.

To use facial bleach for your hands, dab a cotton swab in it and apply it on your hands entirely or only on those areas that you want to correct in terms of shade. A small quantity of facial bleach will go a long way so, make sure you don’t use too much of it. Similarly, you can use it on other areas of your body.

Final Thoughts

You might find yourself wanting to combine two or more methods from this guide to get the best results when you eliminate fake self-tanner from your skin. But whether you are looking for how to get self-tanner off hands or your entire body, chances are you will find your solution in the list above.