Tips Against Tan Lines: How Do You Get Rid of Them or Prevent Them?
We all know them: tan lines. After spending a wonderful day exercising in the sun, you come home to discover that your arms and legs are beautifully coloured, right up to where your clothing started. That's a shame, because with a different kind of shirt or dress, they suddenly become very visible. How do you get rid of them? And even better, how can you prevent them? We'll give you a number of tips so you can enjoy the distance worry-free and come back with a nice, even skin tone!
Getting rid of them
Prevention is better than cure, but sometimes it's already too late and you've become a victim of tan lines. But don't worry! There are a number of solutions you can try if you already have them, and we've listed them below:
- Lemon scrub
- Baking soda
- Self-tanner/bronzer
- Potatoes
- Cucumber
(Lemon) scrub
A scrub removes all dead skin cells, which can make your tan lines noticeably less visible. And a perfect ingredient to scrub with is lemon. This fruit is a natural exfoliant. So when you mix lemon juice with some sugar and a little honey, you get the perfect scrub! Leave it on for about 20 minutes, then rinse it off.
Baking soda
A baking soda mask can also be a good way to get rid of your tan lines. It's great for cleaning, but it can also help fade tan lines! Mix the baking soda with a little water and stir until you get a paste. Spread this over the part of your skin you want to fade, leave it on for about fifteen minutes to absorb, then rinse it off — you'll see your tan lines have faded significantly!
Self-tanner/bronzer
If you still haven't gotten rid of your tan lines, there are always products that can conceal your skin so the colour difference is no longer visible. A self-tanner is a good example of this, but bronzer can also help cover lighter areas so you can head outside worry-free! It may not be the most ideal option, but it's always better than nothing. It's important to apply the self-tanner to your entire body, not just the pale patches. That way you'll get the best results.
Potatoes
Perhaps one of the strangest options on this list, but potatoes are a proven remedy for tan lines. Vitamin C brightens the skin, so a potato can help even out the colour difference. The easiest way is to cut the potato into slices, or mash it into a paste and apply it to your skin. Leave it on for half an hour and you should see results!
Cucumber
As with potatoes, it's the amount of vitamin C in cucumber that helps combat tan lines. Cucumber also has many other hydrating properties, making it very suitable as a brightening treatment. Just like the potato, cut the cucumber into slices or mash it into a paste and apply it to the skin. Leave it on for 20 minutes, then rinse and moisturise your skin.
Prevent
Not interested in all these ways to reduce or remove tan lines, and would rather just avoid them altogether? There are also a number of solutions you can apply to prevent tan lines from happening in the first place:
- Apply sunscreen
- Sleeveless shirts
Apply sunscreen
Yes, very simple, but so important. Applying sunscreen thoroughly — and we really mean thoroughly — can prevent uneven patches from forming and help you avoid those annoying tan lines altogether. So make sure you cover every area well, then you can enjoy a ride in the sun worry-free!
Sleeveless shirts
Of course, we know this won't stop tan lines from forming entirely, but it will shift them further up your arm. That way, you can still confidently wear that nice T-shirt to a party or out on the terrace, for example. By enjoying the distance in a sleeveless cycling or running shirt, like the Harmony, Jake or June, your entire arms will be evenly coloured and you won't be bothered by tan lines halfway up your arm!
