Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Cocoa and Lotion Self Tanner

"Homemade tanning lotion: lasts for 3 days.. It fades a little after every shower/bath. What to do:- 1-Get some cocoa powder-2tbsp. 2-any moisturiser you have 3-an empty bottle 4-cotton buds, or anything that can help you apply the cream 5-mix it all together you should end up with a brown mix. Don't worry, it won't be that dark on your skin. Good for super light girls!"

--- Edited Feb 2016 - at the request of the original owner of the image that is shared misleadingly on Pinterest, I have removed the image. She was concerned people would think her blog, or the image, was "false" The original image depicted a set of legs, showing a before and after with the after being noticeably tanner than the first image. It originally was posted on her blog, and was talking about a type of tanning cream she had used, to help accelerate the tan one gets from the natural sun. Somehow it of course found it's way to being shared on Pinterest, with a completely wrong and misleading idea that it was fake tanner, done with the above recipe, which is what this blog post of mine is addressing ---



A fan requested this one, and since it's the hey day of summer I know quite a few of you are probably wondering.. can you give yourself a great real looking tan with products from your kitchen? This is another classic example of a bad pin. Not only does it go with the "take something from your kitchen and smear it on you" idea, but after a quick search that isn't what the image is showing. 

and it's her before and after photos of using a tanning cream. Not a sunless tanning cream, but the kind you put on before you go sunbathing to give yourself a deeper tan. 

But, in the name of science, I decided to go ahead and test this out myself. I learned my lesson after the Brown Sugar Straightener post I did, and took photos to share with you all. I followed the instructions, mixing up some unsweetened cocoa powder and lotion and set to putting it on my legs. 

My legs : Before
The first thing I noticed was that it felt really gross and it was making me think I was smearing chocolate pudding on my leg. I took about a quarter size amount and started working it into my left leg. No amount of rubbing however, was getting it to rub in. So with my other leg I took just a dab, mixed it with some more lotion, and set about trying to rub that in. My right leg looked less dark, but no less streaky and dirty looking. I kept rubbing and rubbing both legs but finally gave up and took a photo. 

My legs : After
At this point I'm sure my neighbors are wondering why I'm laying in my yard with dirty legs taking photos of them, so I headed back inside to shower it off. On the way to the bathroom however my dog took a great interest in my legs, which is also another factor making this a bad idea -- if you have a dog, they might try to lick it off your legs, which is a really bad idea.

And for those wondering: it doesn't stain your skin like the pin suggests. It came right off in the shower with just your basic soap and bath poof. My legs are back to their typical color after just one shower.

So all in all, bad idea. It's not true, it's the old switcharoo -- the image is real, of a woman with a tan from a commercial product, not of chocolate and lotion. I know there are a lot of these ideas on pinterest that use coffee and tea, and I will be testing those out in the following weeks as well, so stay posted! 

34 comments:

  1. Anonymous10/7/13

    Thanks for looking silly to your neighbors in the name of truth!

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    1. Anonymous26/1/19

      I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well.. Best Indoor Tanning Lotions

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  2. haha thanks! One of my neighbor's came home and lingered by her car watching me for a bit, as it looked like I was laying in the yard smearing chocolate pudding on my legs. I should have mixed it in something other than a small plastic child's bowl.

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  3. Anonymous10/7/13

    I guess a bonus of using this and then going in the sun would be smelling like a melting Hershey bar... no perfume needed! LOL

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  4. LMAO!!! Laying out with dirty legs, now that is freaking hilarious!

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  5. I think you should do the tea bag tan next. LMK if it works!

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  6. Tried this before as well and was not impressed. It took FOREVER to rub in without looking all streaky, and as soon as you shower it washes off.

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    1. it works use a tanning mit and put talking powder on to stop it washing off :)

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  7. Anonymous31/12/13

    I tried it too and it honestly did make a little difference in color, but once i pass my hand on it a little to roughly it ends up looking exactly like yours, horrible honestly and a waste or resources

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  8. Anonymous16/2/14

    This is great! I'm glad I stumbled upon your website. Another pin to try: "One Pot Wonder Pasta" Should have been One Pot Wonder Paste!"

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  9. I dont know what you ladies are doing wrong but I did it exactly 2 hours ago and it worked out really well. No streaking , perfect application , dried in 4 seconds, no nasty smell like from other self-tanning products and the color is a natural golden shade. Try it for yourself before judging I guess its different for every woman . I know Im never spending more than 5$ for a fake tan again.

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  10. Anonymous13/3/14

    The tea bag one does give you some color. However I do not put them in a spray bottle. I just used the tea bag itself and rubbed it over my skin after ringing it out a bit. instantly improved my color in about 5 minutes. I used black tea bags and tried it on my arms as I sat at my desk at work after having a cup of black tea. :) I think with a few applications you would really be able to see the difference. I don't know that was just my experience. So now when I do go tan because yes I do the box tan deal but my neck never seems to tan like the rest of me, I'll be touching up with tea!

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  11. Anonymous14/4/14

    A whole lot of work for a fake tan. Why not just get some sun?

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    1. Anonymous22/5/16

      But its also necessary for us to live a healthy life. Without sun we lack alot of vitamins we naturally get. Do you really want to lock yourself away in your house and develop serious problems just because there is a possibility of skin cancer? I guess I shouldn't touch anything since there's germs and I could get sick. The sun is a key source of vitamins. Its so important for our bodies.

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    2. Anonymous27/6/16

      I realize this isn't a part of the real discussion, but think there are a few points on either side of this spectrum.

      1.Everything in moderation is the key.

      2. Those who are mostly worried about achieving a tan (fake or otherwise) are fair-skinned individuals. Pale skin requires less vitamin D above any other skin tone on the planet; thus, they burn more quickly. Because of the burn, it's much more harmful than beneficial to catch rays for an extended period of time.

      2. Skin cancer is the number one cancer among women--- above Breast Cancer. What?! Yes, above breast cancer. Makes you wonder-- how is this not more spoken about? The statistics for young women with skin cancer is on an extreme rise.

      3. Most skin cancers, if not caught early, can become incurable and terminal.

      4. Our bodies desperately need vitamin D and it's important to NOT shun the sun as you can not replicate it's nutrition in a vitamin bottle. It also has amazing ability to stave off other cancers.

      So- for all you pale faces- a little effort with sunless tanning while catching some sun is a great way to feel and look great.

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    3. Thank you for taking the the time to write all that out! Very helpful :)

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  12. Anonymous23/4/14

    Thank you for trying this one out. I actually mixed up the lotion and cocoa powder to use this weekend. So glad I read this before wasting my time.

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  13. Good to know. I had my suspicions, but I'm glad someone tried it out lol

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  14. I use cocoa powder and baby oil.it does make you darker. I sometimes use it for sunless tanning. Cocoa is very beneficial for your skin.look it up. Great article however. It looks like to much cocoa was applied and maybe u had used moisturizer early in the morning that adds a layer of stuff on your skin...but try baby oil and cocoa.see that

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  15. Anonymous18/6/14

    I need to check the color in daylight, but mixing some cocoa and jojoba oil together worked on my face. It looks like a light tan. Using oil might be a better combination.

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  16. Anonymous19/9/14

    i did it today and loved it it worked perfectly.... dont know what you are all doing wrong...

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  18. Your tanning concoction seems quite exceptional! But the end result looks natural on you. It’s definitely a must-try for those who want to get a tan at the very affordable price. At the very least, it’s easy to make, and the ingredients are all available in your kitchen and toiletries. Cheers!

    Glenda Fisher @ Skin Zone

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  19. Anonymous13/2/15

    I just tryed it and it didn't work but I added baby lotion to soften then mixture and works fine.

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  20. Try it when your legs are damp it might work better

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  21. I actually tried this today. It works! And pretty well if I do say so myself. you just have to apply it in smaller amounts, and make sure a few days before that its a lotion that soaks into your skin pretty quickly. The smaller amount you use the easier it is to blend! :)

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  22. Anonymous4/8/15

    Hey This is great posting and helpfull to all of us...

    Spray tanning in Gidea park & Spray tanning in Shenfield

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  23. I tried it w Argan Oil and it was amazing

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  24. I just tried this for myself about an hour ago...I added a small amount of coconut oil which made it super smooth to apply...Also exfoliating is key to a good outcome...I am really pleased with the results...I can run my hand over it and no streaking. I know it will wash off in the shower but I will just reapply it on a daily basis....The real test will happen when I go to my aerobic workout and start sweating...I do smell like a chocolate chip cookie but the self tanners I have purchased smell awful so I cant complain....Will post again as to how it held up while sweating it out at my aerobic class....Prayers needed. LOL

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  25. Wow, some really amazing results. I'll be looking more into Argan Oil. Thanks for sharing this.

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  26. Ya it is very fantastic article. This is great posting and very helpfull to all. Tanning lotion

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  27. Worked just fine for me... maybe you were just using a shitty lotion

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  28. Yikes. Time to try this myself and see what I get.
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  29. Anonymous25/9/21

    Fabulous and such a unique article.

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    ReplyDelete