# Fake tanning question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464 "2005-11-04T12:29:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/1 "2005-11-04T12:29:52Z")
I used to find fake tans a bit dodgy but I now live in Ireland and if I don’t use it I look like a ghost. Honestly, I think pale skin can be beautiful on some people but I just end up looking ill. Anway, I’ve found a product that does a lovely job (Johnson’s Holiday Skin if anyone is interested) so I’m converting to the fake bake. There’s just one thing slightly bugging me. Basically, it instructs me to wash my hands after applying which I do but now my hands are one shade lighter than the rest of my body. I don’t overdo it on the tanner so I doubt anyone but me notices but it still annoys me. Is there anyway I can get my hands to match the rest of me without getting an odd patchy result? Or is this just one of these things you have to live with when you fake it? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/2 "2005-11-04T13:11:04Z")
They tell you to wash your hands to avoid orange-palm syndrome. I have a friend who uses that stuff all the time, and her trick is to put a little extra on her legs, then wash her hands, then rub that extra in with the _backs_ of her hands. I’ve seen her do it - she looks a little weird but it seems to work. Then she rubs the backs of her hands together a little to help the lotion go in. As far as I can tell, her hands look perfectly matched to the rest of her. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/3 "2005-11-04T13:32:39Z")
My method is to apply it as usual. Wash my hands and dry them thoroughly. Apply a tiny amount of tanner to the back of each hand with the fingertips of the other hand. I then rub my fingertips across a damp, soapy cloth that I prepared earlier. ---
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/4 "2005-11-04T13:59:21Z")
Any of these suggestions are great. I use a little terry cloth makeup pad and dab it on the tops of my hands and fingers. But I add in an extra step to the while process that makes the tan more natural. Before you apply the tanner, use a very light moisturizer on rough patches and joints. I put it on my ankles and feet, my elbows, my wrists, and a tiny bit to my hands. When you apply the tanner, it tends to soak in more and fill in the folds of your skin, leaving dark orange patches and stripes. I found that using a very light moisutrizer helps even things out a bit. Have fun, I love the stuff if you find a line that works well with your skin tone. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/5 "2005-11-04T15:41:47Z")
I’ve never understood why hair salons don’t have a booth in back where you can have a beautician fog you down with a Wagner power painter. Maybe I’m just too practical. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/6 "2005-11-04T16:57:05Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > I’ve never understood why hair salons don’t have a booth in back where you can have a beautician fog you down with a Wagner power painter. Maybe I’m just too practical. 😃 I know that’s a joke, but have you seen [Mystic Tan](http://www.mystictan.com/home.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/7 "2005-11-04T22:50:36Z")
A girl in our office wears a _lot_ of fake tan. It comes off on her phone handset, mouse, keyboard, chair and a lot of the paperwork she hands me across the desk :rolleyes: I ask her if she knows her “skin” is coming off all over the office. Its getting so bad now I can hardly bare to sit at her desk. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-tanning-question/329464/8 "2005-11-04T23:33:11Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > A girl in our office wears a _lot_ of fake tan. It comes off on her phone handset, mouse, keyboard, chair and a lot of the paperwork she hands me across the desk :rolleyes: I ask her if she knows her “skin” is coming off all over the office. Its getting so bad now I can hardly bare to sit at her desk. I can’t figure why women work so hard at being orange. Are they trying to catch a rabbit?