How to apply self tanner without ending up patchy

Picture this: you're at the pool with your best friend, feet dangling in the water, and you show her your knee. "Did you know orange could glow in the dark?" you joke, half wanting the water to swallow you whole. It's happened to all of us (or to "a friend", sure). And here's the thing — it's almost never the product's fault. Nobody ever properly explains how to apply it. So today I'm telling you exactly how I'd tell my best friend, right there on the same lounger, no jargon, no rush.

Why the patches happen (and no, you're not just clumsy)

Knees, elbows, ankles and knuckles are the giveaway zones — the skin there is drier and thicker, so it "drinks" more product and ends up darker than the rest of your body. That's just skin, not bad luck or a shaky hand. The other classic mistake: applying over skin that still has leftover lotion, sweat, or dead skin — the product just won't grip evenly, and that's how you end up with streaks you have to hide under jeans in the middle of summer.

Before anything: prep the ground

No shortcuts here, sorry:

• Exfoliate the day before, not five minutes before applying. Freshly exfoliated skin needs time to settle, or the product grabs unevenly.
• Shower and dry off properly — no lotion, oil or perfume on top. However nice they smell, they create a barrier that stops the gel from spreading the way it should.
• If you're shaving or waxing, do it at least 24 hours before. Doing it right after applying is a guaranteed disaster.

Now for real: how to actually apply it

Take notes, this is the important bit:

1. Circular motions, always — never straight up-and-down strokes, that's exactly what causes streaks.
2. On knees, elbows and ankles, use less product and blend it out well — that's the spot where overdoing it shows the most, so less is more there.
3. Wash your hands right after (or wear gloves from the start) — otherwise you'll end up with palms tanner than the rest of you.
4. Let it dry completely before getting dressed — a few minutes of patience saves your clothes from getting stained.
5. Reapply after swimming, sweating, or towel-drying — that's how the tone stays even over the following days, not just amazing on day one.

The step almost nobody tells you: sunscreen, based on your skin

Here's the serious part, pay attention: a gel like Seabronce needs real sun exposure (or a tanning bed, if you use one) to fully activate. Applying it and then sitting in the shade with a book is, quite simply, wasting the product. And since Seabronce doesn't contain SPF, sunscreen isn't a "if I remember" step — it always, always goes on before you head into the sun, on top of the gel once it has set.

• Very fair skin or skin that burns easily: SPF 50+, no question.
• Fair to medium skin: SPF 30-50.
• Tan or dark skin that rarely burns: SPF 15-30 minimum — you still need it, even if that's hard to believe.
• If you're unsure about your skin type or have any skin condition, check with a dermatologist before spending hours in the sun.

The order, so you don't forget: Seabronce gel → let it develop and fully absorb → generous sunscreen before heading into the sun → avoid direct sun between 10am and 4pm, when it hits hardest → reapply sunscreen every 2 hours (and the gel if you've swum or sweated a lot), because SPF wears off with time and water, whatever the bottle says.

The most common slip-ups (so they don't happen to you)

• Applying all the product at once instead of building up in thin layers.
• Skipping the hand-washing step (don't say I didn't warn you).
• Getting dressed in a rush before it's dried.
• Forgetting to reapply after a swim — tanning isn't "apply and forget".

Why it's harder to mess up with Seabronce

Seabronce is enriched with carrot extract, which helps the tone come out even from the very first uses (less room for error on your end), and it's water and sweat resistant, so that spontaneous dip won't ruin your morning's work. The texture is light, absorbs fast, and skips that sticky feeling we all hate from other gels — basically, it's forgiving even when you're in a rush.

Want to give it a try? Discover Seabronce here →

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This is the first chapter of "Bronze Season" — 2 new chapters a week, told the way a friend would tell you, with everything you actually need to know about tanning. See you in the next one.