Apply Lotion to Your Legs

The legs are a very difficult part of they body to apply the self tanners to. This is because your legs have varying skin thickness levels and self tanners only penetrate through the upper layer of your skin. This means that areas that are thicker on your leg, such as your knees and your ankles, absorb more of the self tanning product and leave you with an uneven tan. In those areas youll want to use very little product.

Here's how to get natural looking tanned legs and avoid a fake tan look:

Exfoliate First
The most important thing you can do to avoid a fake tan streaked look is to exfoliate your legs. Simply take a shower and use a scrub. This gets rid of the upper layer of dead skin which can absorb more of the product and leave your legs looking streaky or uneven.

After your shower pat your skin so that its moist. Do not use any other moisturizer first; the self tanning lotion will be your moisturizer.

One Leg at a Time
Apply the lotion to one leg at a time. Start by squeezing a little bit of self tanner in the palm of your hand (about the size of a quarter). With the lotion in one hand, take your free hand and begin to distribute it over the smoothest part of your legs-your calf and shin.

Downward strokes. Avoid your knee and ankles.
Brush your hand in a downward stroke using your whole hand. Massage the lotion in like you would your moisturizer to cover your entire calf, front and back. Massage it into your calf really well. Avoid going above your calf to your knee and below to your ankle. If you need more lotion, you can get some more, but you'll be surprised how a little self tanning lotion goes a long way.

Ankles
Once you have evenly covered your calf you'll want to move on to your ankle. Use as little of the product as possible to cover this area. As you approach your ankle use your hand to simply feather the lotion down as you go-using a light but consistent stroke. This way you get a little bit on your feet as well. But you don't need to do your toes.

Thighs
Now onto the upper part of your leg-your thigh. Use the same technique to apply it as you did to cover your calf. Apply some more product to your hand (about a quarter size) and then using both hands massage it into your thigh. Make sure you get your entire leg evenly covered including the back of your knee. But avoid covering the front of your knee at this time. Remember to massage it in very, very well.

Knees
Without adding more product use your hand to feather down the lotion onto your knee. If you feel like you made a mistake and you have applied too much lotion to your knee, quickly take a towel or a washcloth and gently wipe off the excess product. But do it quickly as you only have a few minutes before the product sets in.

Repeat the entire process on your other leg. And when you are all done, don't forget to wash your hands. Self tanners can stain your hands so wash it off promptly once you're done.