Summer is just around the corner and that means it’s time to get your tan on. Whether it be a spray tan, the tanning bed, or laying out in the sun everyone is looking to get a “summer glow.” There’s nothing wrong with flaunting your natural shade of Casper white but for most being tan is a preference, especially for summer.

Of course being tan looks nice but at some point the tan turns into a piercing shade of orange that leaves you subject to the Oompa Loompa look. It’s easy to get caught up in the bliss of your rapidly changing skin color and even easier to not realise the difference between a glowing tan and looking like one of Willy Wonka’s workers.

Tanning in the sun is a long and boring process that takes days of an intense tanning schedule to realize even a slight change in color. In today’s world we want things fast, thus leaving the tanning bed as a quick solution. The tanning bed gives you a little color in just one fifteen minute visit. The color looks great and the fifteen minute sessions start adding up and your skin color continues to get darker. Eventually the UV lights stop giving you a comely tan and start to transform your color into a shade of carrot orange.

If the tanning bed was too slow of a process, you may have gotten yourself a spray tan. With a spray tan not only is it instant orange, it’s instant orange spots. Sure, sometimes they come out nice and give you the color you were hoping for but it’s more than likely you’ll come out looking like a blotchy orange mess. It’s not your fault that it didn’t come out right but it is your fault for choosing the spray tan. Just because vegetables get sprayed with artificial color to look “fresh” does not mean that you should.

If you even have to ask yourself if you look orange, chances are you do. Admitting the problem is the first step to finding a solution.

At this point you know that you’re orange so, now what to do about it. If you have taken advantage of the tanning bed it’s time to give it up. I know, I know you really don’t want to but it’s the only way to prevent the orange tint from getting any more prominent in color. Along with putting a hold on the tanning bed, intense body scrubs are good choice. Theres no need to go out and buy a pricey exfoliator to complete this step, it’s cheaper and just as easy to make your own. If you follow these steps your skin will fade into a more natural shade while saving you tons of money on the tanning bed.

If you are in the group that chose to go with a spray tan it’s very easy to get rid of the piercing orange tint on your skin. If you are a regular at the spray tan salon it’s time to call it quits, I promise you won’t regret this decision. Next, just like with the tanning bed, you need to scrub. Not necessarily because you smell, no judgement if you do, but scrubbing will get rid of the dead skin cells on the surface while lessening the shade of orange.

Everyone wants to be tan but nobody should be orange. I assume if you’re reading this you’re a human being which means you need the vitamin D that the sun lets off for survival. Not only does the sun offer health benefits but it’s completely free. Sure tanning in the sun can be time consuming but the time you spend out in the sun is guaranteed more fun than the time you could spend inside scrubbing away your orange mistake.