My legs will NOT fake tan!

[ChangePlease]

I’ve posted before under a different name about this and diligently tried every wise MN tip. Still I have orange ankles and knees and white calves.

I have tried:

• major exfoliating and moisturising every night for a week ahead
• not shaving (defeats object as legs then look yuck for a different reason!)
• vaseline on ankles & knees
• every bloody brand going including gradual tanners
• using a mitt, a brush and hands with latex gloves
• using leg make up instead - doesn’t work with my lifestyle and ends up coming off

should I give up on this? They do desperately need a bit of colour but this is getting very tedious and I’m running out of ideas!

Spray tan?

My legs used to do this all the time no idea why. I only use now Isle of paradise the spray and it sticks and works. Quite dark though

What moisturiser are you using? Depending on the moisturiser it can stop the tan adhering to the skin.
Have you tried patting it in with the mitt, rather than rubbing it in? I have to pat it into my chest and shins, otherwise they just remain white.
Which tans have you tried? I agree a spray version, like actual aerosol fine mist spray rather than the stuff that sort of squirts out of the bottle.

I've had this problem before, really annoying!

I reckon it's the moisturiser. I don't use moisturiser on my legs until after I've tanned.

Not tried patting, doesn’t that make it patchy??

spray tan I have never tried. I only want a very light colour and only really on my legs, the rest that is visible looks alright! I always think of a spray tan as being a more serious & dark tan job. Plus expensive I guess!

moisturiser/ no moisturiser doesn’t seem to make much difference other than being dryer all over.

with the fine mist, don’t you still need to rub it in?

Should also add to the tried & failed list is the Skinny Tan pre tan primer

Not if you pat it in well! Just a tap tap tap motion with the mitt until it's even.
I don't mean a professional spray tan by somebody else, I mean the stuff you can get in a bottle at home, and with a good mist there's no need to rub it in, but again, the tap tap motion works if it doesn't spray as evenly as it should (the spray bottles are hit and miss for this in my experience, can link some recommendations in the morning if you'd like)

Gets worse as you get older, believe me.

The only one that works for me is the Isle of Paradise one.

@Eranzer yes please!

For the isle of paradise recommendations, is it the mousse or drops?

It's reasons like this why I don't wear fake tan. It just looks stupid and worse on me.

I wear sheer tights now. They also help hold the wobbly bits in better.

Another isle of paradise recommendation.

ASOS sell the self tanning water, it’s like a spray mist and that’s what I use. The drops are to add to moisturiser for your face etc.

I've had reasonable success with Tanning drops in my normal body moisturiser?

Only thing which enables fake tan to work on me or even the actual sun is l'occitane almond shower oil stuff.

I've given up on fake tan, same thing happens with me, white legs with brown feet and knees. I just use leg make up now or nude tights.

You might be over moisturising beforehand. Try not mosiurisong and exfoliating so much as the tan adheres to the dead layer of skin which is why your feet and ankles go brown. You don't want dry skin but not so smooth new skin.
Leave off the moisturising and exfoliation for a few days then do the isle of paradise drops with a squirt of body lotion to apply. Do that every day for a week after a shower. I suggest a full squirt of the drops each day for best results.

Yeah, I've found the drops you add to your moisturiser pretty good (although have to be careful as my feet get darker than the rest of my leg). I use the Clarins one.

I have the same problem - my lower legs also don't tan naturally in the sun. Only the dark ones work on me, Isle of Paradise, St Tropez or St Moriz.

I have leg makeup, which does stay on alright (I have the L'Oréal stuff but the Sally Hansen works too) weirdly, so if I don't want to go to tanned (I'm very fair) that's what I'll use.

Anything else just peels straight off my legs.

Sorry, Isle of Paradise mousse for me - the drops I have the usual problem!

Do you just need to use more product? I was using a squirt for a whole leg and not really seeing any colour, but then changed to a squirt per half leg, and the difference was massive.

I have a question about paradise drops.

Do you dollop the moisturising onto your hand then add a drop or are you adding them to a bottle of moisturiser 🤷🏽‍♀️

@HairyMcLarie but they all say to exfoliate the day before applying (& moisturise dry areas such as feet knees elbows hands).

I have the skinny tan drops but find they make me go patchy and on my face, I had streaks. Not a formula for success in my opinion and so little info on the bottle/box as to how to use them (and in tiny writing too).

Ive tried all sorts trying to tan my lower legs including St Tropez, Skinny tan, Bondai Sands, Dove, etc..

Mine do the same, and also in the sun! I heard that fake tan will tan you where you would tan naturally - not sure how true this is!

I use instant wash off tan now, you can build the colour then.

Moisturiser on hand for me and then a drop