by liz, founderThe fear of going orange has kept more people from self tan than streaks ever did. The truth: orange has specific, avoidable causes. Three of them.
cause one: a warm colour base
The raw DHA reaction naturally drifts warm. Formulas correct for this with their cosmetic base — ours uses a green-brown base that pulls the developed colour toward ash-bronze instead of amber. This is the biggest single difference between tans that look expensive and tans that look like traffic cones, and it is decided before you ever open the bottle.
cause two: too much, too dark
DHA saturates. Past a certain concentration for your skin tone, extra product stops adding depth and starts adding warmth. This is why we tell everyone to start a shade lighter than they think — a built-up Medium reads bronze where a single heavy Ultra Dark application on fair skin can read orange.
cause three: dry, thick skin
Knees, elbows, ankles and heels have thicker, drier skin that drinks up more product. More absorption means more reaction means warmer, darker colour — the classic orange knee. The fix is mechanical: exfoliate the day before, and moisturise exactly those zones right before you apply.
Green-brown base, right shade for your tone, prepped skin. Do all three and orange simply never turns up.
quick answers
Why is Australian Glow not orange?+
The range is formulated on a green-brown colour base that counteracts the warm drift of the DHA reaction, so developed colour reads ash-bronze rather than amber.
Why do my knees and elbows go darker than everywhere else?+
The skin there is thicker and drier, so it absorbs more product and develops deeper and warmer. Moisturise those zones immediately before applying and go lighter over them with the mitt.
