Published Standard. Edition 2026.About GlowEditorial StandardsSubscribe
The Glow

The Guide, Body

How to apply fake tan, properly.

Seven steps, the AU climate factored in, the bottle people actually pick up.

By Hannah Brooks, Editor-in-Chief — Body.
Published . Reviewed against The Glow Standard.

Australian Glow self-tan editorial — Hannah Brooks for The Glow
The Glow — Body, 06.2026

The method

Exfoliate the day before. Shave the night before. Moisturise dry zones only. Apply with a mitt in long strokes — never circles. Develop, rinse, lock with gradual tan day two. That’s it.

The Method, in seven steps

Seven moves, in order.

The brief is unglamorous. Fake tan is a chemical reaction between DHA and the top layer of dead skin cells. Get the prep wrong and the colour catches every dry patch you own. Get the prep right and a $25 bottle from Priceline outperforms a $90 mousse applied lazily.

This is the order we apply it in the Glow body cupboard, tested on legs from Brisbane summer humidity to Melbourne winter dry. It is not aspirational. It is repeat.

  1. i.

    Exfoliate 24 hours before.

    Use a body scrub like Three Warriors Sand Scrub the day before — never the same day. Skin sheds the dead layer that traps DHA unevenly, and the 24-hour gap lets the natural oils return so the colour binds, rather than streaks. Pay attention to elbows, knees, ankles and the tops of feet.

  2. ii.

    Shave or wax 12 hours before.

    Hair removal lifts pores and primes patches. Shave the night before. The window matters: any closer and the open pore catches the bronzer guide as dark dots. Any further and stubble starts to interrupt the colour.

  3. iii.

    Moisturise dry zones only, 30 minutes before.

    Hit elbows, knees, ankles, wrists and hairline with a thin layer of body lotion. Nothing else. Full-body moisturising before tanning is the single most common reason a tan goes patchy — it dilutes the product across the whole canvas and the colour breaks unevenly.

  4. iv.

    Apply with a velvet mitt, in long sweeping strokes.

    Pump two presses onto the velvet mitt. Sweep up the leg in long lines from ankle to thigh, never circles. Circles streak. Work in sections: leg, leg, stomach, chest, arm, arm, back (rope a partner in for the back, or use a long-handled mitt).

  5. v.

    Blend hands and feet last, with diluted product.

    Use whatever is left on the mitt — no fresh pump. Sweep over the back of hands and tops of feet, blending into wrists and ankles. Wash palms once after with soap. This single move is the difference between a believable tan and a giveaway.

  6. vi.

    Let it develop.

    Australian Glow 1HR Express develops in an hour for a light to medium tone. Traditional mousses (Loving Tan, Bondi Sands) need 4 to 8 hours for full depth. Wear loose black cotton. Avoid synthetics, which trap heat and re-melt the guide.

  7. vii.

    Rinse warm water only, pat dry, lock with gradual tan day two.

    Day one: rinse warm water only, no soap, no scrubbing. Pat dry. Day two: a thin layer of gradual tan or tinted moisturiser locks the colour and extends the life by two to three days. This is how a tan stretches a week.

The mistakes, named

Eight ways it goes wrong.

  • Over-moisturising before

    A full-body slather of lotion dilutes the tan across the whole canvas. Dry zones only, thirty minutes before.

  • Applying to wet skin

    Towel-dry properly. Water on the skin dilutes the formula and pulls colour into runs down the leg.

  • Sleeping in white sheets too early

    The bronzer guide transfers for the first two hours. Old black sheets or a robe until then.

  • Skipping the mitt

    Bare hands stain palms and apply unevenly. A $15 velvet mitt earns its keep on the first use.

  • Circular motions on legs

    Long sweeping strokes only, ankle to thigh. Circles compound on themselves and streak.

  • Tanning straight after a shave

    Open pores catch the bronzer as dark dots. Twelve hours minimum between shave and tan.

  • Showering with soap on day one

    Soap strips the bronzer guide and patches the base colour underneath. Warm water only, day one.

  • Skipping day-two gradual tan

    The colour starts to break down day three. A thin gradual layer day two locks it for an extra two to three days.

The kit, minimum

What you actually need.

Tanning kit — mousse + applicator mitt
  • Velvet mitt — non-negotiable. The double-sided velvet kind, not the cheap latex glove. See our best tanning mitt shortlist.
  • Body scrub — a granular sugar or salt scrub, used 24 hours before. Avoid anything with oil in it.
  • Self-tan mousse — express for one-hour develop, traditional for overnight. See best self tan Australia.
  • Gradual tan — for the day-two lock and the in-between days. Extends life by 2–3 days.
  • Tanning drops — for the face, mixed into moisturiser. See best tanning drops.
  • Body lotion — for dry zones, 30 minutes before application. Unscented if possible.

The Range, recommended

Five we’d use.

The mousse, the gradual, the drops, the mitt, the eraser — the five-piece kit that covers the AU climate from Brisbane humidity to Melbourne dry.

Australian Glow 1HR Express Self Tan Mousse

01 — The express

Australian Glow 1HR Express Mousse

One-hour develop, $24.99 at Priceline. The gateway and the editor pick for AU humidity — doesn’t hold heat the way traditional formulas do.

Read the brand profile →
Loving Tan 2 Hour Express Self Tan Mousse

02 — The event tan

Loving Tan 2HR Express Mousse

Deeper olive base, slower develop. The mousse for a wedding, a black-tie, a photoshoot. Sleeps well in cotton.

Read the brand profile →
T

03 — The prep

Three Warriors Sand Scrub

The 24-hour-before exfoliant. Natural granules, no synthetic fragrance. Hannah Brooks, Senior Editor — Body, uses this on tan days.

Read the brand profile →
Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam, original

04 — The chemist staple

Bondi Sands Self-Tanning Foam

The supermarket staple. Cheap, available, works well in dry climates. Patches faster in Brisbane humidity than express formulas.

Read the brand profile →

The verdict.

The method, in one block.

To apply fake tan without streaks: exfoliate 24 hours before; shave or wax 12 hours before; moisturise dry zones only (elbows, knees, ankles, wrists, hairline) 30 minutes before. Apply with a velvet mitt in long sweeping strokes — never circles. Blend hands and feet last with leftover product on the mitt. Let it develop — Australian Glow 1HR Express for an hour, traditional mousses (Loving Tan, Bondi Sands) for 4 to 8 hours. Rinse warm water only on day one, pat dry, lock with a thin gradual tan layer on day two.

Reviewed by Hannah Brooks, Editor-in-Chief — Body, against The Glow Review Methodology and The Glow Standard. Published 3 June 2026.

The Questions, asked most

Eight, answered plainly.

How do I apply fake tan without streaks?
Long sweeping strokes with a velvet mitt, never circles. Moisturise dry zones only (elbows, knees, ankles) thirty minutes before. Blend hands and feet last with leftover product on the mitt.
How long should I leave fake tan on?
Australian Glow 1HR Express develops in an hour. Most traditional mousses (Loving Tan, Bondi Sands) develop in 4 to 8 hours. Sleep in it if you want a deeper finish.
Can I shower after applying fake tan?
Yes, once develop time is complete. Rinse warm water only on day one — no soap, no scrubbing. Pat dry. Soap and exfoliating washes strip the bronzer guide colour and can patch the base.
Do I need a mitt?
Yes. A velvet mitt is the difference between streaky and even. Bare hands stain palms and apply unevenly. See best tanning mitt Australia.
How do I apply tan to my hands and feet?
Last, with leftover product on the mitt. No fresh pump. Sweep the mitt over the back of hands and tops of feet, blending into wrists and ankles. Wash palms once after.
Should I tan before or after shaving?
Shave or wax 12 hours before tanning, never after. Hair removal lifts pores and the alcohol in razors patches the colour. Twelve hours lets the skin close.
Can I apply fake tan to my face?
Use a face-specific formula or tanning drops mixed into your moisturiser. Body mousse is too oxidising for facial skin and clogs pores. Two to four drops per night, built over a week.
What if my tan goes patchy?
Mix gradual tan with body oil and buff over the patches with a soft mitt the next morning. For full patches, use a tan eraser mousse, rinse, and reapply the next evening to dry skin. See how to remove fake tan.

The Field Note — AU climate

The same mousse, applied in Brisbane and Brisbane, develops differently.

Self-tan editorial close — Hannah Brooks for The Glow

Humidity changes the chemistry. In Brisbane in February, a traditional 4-hour develop turns to 6 because the bronzer guide stays wet on the skin longer and the DHA reaction slows. In Melbourne in July, the same bottle develops in 3 because the dry air pulls the moisture out faster. The colour is the same. The clock isn’t.

Salt water and chlorine fade differently. A morning at Bondi takes 1.5 days off a tan; an afternoon at a chlorinated pool takes 2. Salt water also lifts the bronzer guide in patches — the white knee patch after a swim is the giveaway. Rinse fresh water immediately after a swim and the patches don’t set.

The supermarket tans — the $12 bottles you grab next to the deodorant — patch faster in humidity because the binders are thinner. They work fine in Adelaide and Perth dry. They fight you in Brisbane and Cairns wet. The price difference between a $12 supermarket bottle and a $25 Australian Glow mousse is the difference between a Tuesday tan and a Saturday tan. It compounds.

Read on: our editorial body desk has more on the AU climate question — see best self tan Australia, best express tan Australia, best tanning drops, and the sibling guides how long does fake tan last and how to remove fake tan. For brand reading: Australian Glow, Bondi Sands, Loving Tan, Three Warriors.

More from The Glow