How to Prep Your Skin for the Perfect Self-Tan

A flawless, streak-free self-tan isn’t just luck, it starts with good skin prep. Skipping this step can leave uneven colour, dry patches, or streaks that nobody wants. The secret? Smooth, exfoliated and well-moisturised skin.

With the right routine, including the Lucy Bee Exfoliating Body Mitt and Hand & Body Cream, you can achieve a natural, radiant glow every time.

Step 1: Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate

Exfoliation is the first and most important step in self-tan prep. Dead skin cells and dry patches can block your tan, leading to uneven colour or patchiness.

Using the Lucy Bee Exfoliating Mitt:

• Dampen your skin and the mitt.
• Massage in gentle circular motions, focusing on rough areas like elbows, knees, ankles, and feet.
• Rinse thoroughly.

Pro tip: Exfoliate the day before you plan to apply your self-tan. This gives your skin time to recover and ensures the smoothest canvas.

Step 2: Moisturise the Right Way

Hydration is key for even colour and a natural-looking glow. But it’s important to moisturise strategically:

• Apply a lightweight layer of Lucy Bee Hand & Body Cream  to dry areas like elbows, knees, ankles, and hands.
• Avoid heavy moisturisers on areas you want tan to absorb evenly, this can create patchiness.

Moisturised skin helps the self-tan glide on, absorb properly, and last longer.

Step 3: Apply Self-Tan

Once your skin is exfoliated and prepped, it’s ready for your Lucy Bee Self-Tan Mousse. Use sweeping, circular motions for even coverage with our velvety soft Tanning Mitt. Don’t forget wrists, hands, and feet, our Kabuki Blending Brush works perfectly for these areas.

Tip: Keep your exfoliating mitt handy for future touch-ups. It’s perfect for buffing away old tan and prepping for your next application.

Step 4: Aftercare for a Flawless Glow

Hydrate daily with Lucy Bee Hand & Body Cream to maintain softness and extend the life of your tan.

Avoid long, hot baths or scrubbing, which can fade colour unevenly.

Exfoliate gently every few days to prevent buildup and keep skin radiant.

The Lucy Bee Difference

Our natural, double-sided Exfoliating Mitt makes prep simple and effective, while the Hand & Body Cream nourishes skin for a silky finish. Together, they create the perfect base for a flawless, long-lasting glow, no streaks, no stress, just smooth, radiant skin at home.

Get the full glow routine

Exfoliating Body Mitt

Self-Tan Mousse

Hand & Body Cream 

About Lucy Bee 

Founded by Lucy, a beauty therapist and mum, Lucy Bee is an independent British skincare and wellness brand dedicated to creating effective and unique formulations. Customer care is of prime importance to us and we have a V-I-Bee reward credits scheme for our account holders as thanks for their loyalty. All of our products have a focus on sustainability, organic, natural, vegan and cruelty free. Since launching in 2012 with fair trade coconut oil, Lucy Bee delivers uncompromising quality to conscious beauty.  

Any information provided by us is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. We always recommend referring your health queries to a qualified medical practitioner.