As someone who more often than not relies on a weekly dose of self tan to give my skin a little bronze boost it will come as little of a surprise that I have had my fair share of disasters over the years. Streaks, patches and just plain odd colour surprises you name it I've experience it but I have also picked up a good few tips and tricks so that a terrible self tanning experience is a thing of the past...

1, I know it is a complete faff but a self tanning mitt is your best friend it will ensure a flat surface for quick and streak free tanning. Oddly I also recommend wearing rubber gloves under the tanning mitt to prevent your palms from getting stained as on occasion the mitt will let tanner seep through.

2, If you do get self tanner on to the palms of your hands while during the application process whitening toothpaste is your new best friend. Yes it is an odd texture but rubbing it on to the stained area will quickly remove the guide colour and save your from the embarrassment of orange brown palms in the morning.

3, Should you awaken to a streaky tan that has you wishing for a duvet day a home made concoction of lemon juice, brown sugar (or any sugar) and baking soda is your magic potion to reversing such mistakes. Basically work with equal parts of the ingredients, mix together and slather all over your body buffing in with a flannel. The combination of lemon juice (it naturally removes stains), sugar (exfoliates and removes the tan from the skins surface) and baking soda (again a stain remover) should fade the tan to a really hue of not completely meaning you can go about your day without answering questions about your new tropical disease. 

In my opinion the easiest self tanning products to use are tinted mousse based formulas as they don't only dry into the skin quickly but also the guide colour helps prevent mistakes happening in the first place.

Do you have any removal tips?