Look, I’ll be the first to admit it: for years, my self-tanner game was a mess. Every summer I’d buy a new bottle, slap it on the night before a beach day, and wake up looking like I’d been dipped in Tang. Streaks on my knees, orange patches around my wrists, and that weird smell that made my whole bedroom smell like a cookie that went bad.

Then a friend who tans for a living — she’s a makeup artist, so she knows what she’s talking about — walked me through her routine one afternoon, and honestly, it changed everything. I went from “why do I even bother” to people asking me if I’d been on vacation. In the middle of a work week. So if you’re still fighting the streak battle, here’s what actually works.

1. Exfoliate the night before, not the morning of

This was my biggest mistake for years. I used to scrub myself raw in the shower right before applying, thinking that would give me a smooth base. Wrong. Freshly exfoliated skin is warm, slightly irritated, and way more likely to grab color unevenly. Do your exfoliating a full 24 hours before you tan. Nothing fancy — a body scrub or even a dry brush works fine. And pay extra attention to your knees, elbows, and ankles, because those are the spots that betray everyone.

2. Moisturize the dry zones

Here’s the trick nobody told me: self-tanner doesn’t apply to your skin evenly — it grabs onto dry patches harder than anywhere else. So before you even open the bottle, rub a light lotion into your knees, elbows, ankles, wrists, and the tops of your feet. Don’t moisturize your whole body, because that just dilutes the color. Only the spots that soak up pigment like a sponge. It sounds backwards, but trust me, this single step kills ninety percent of streaks.

3. Gloves, sections, and thin layers

Use a tanning mitt — those little velvety gloves cost about two dollars and they’re worth every cent. Pump a small amount onto the mitt, not directly onto your skin, and work in sections: legs first, then torso, then arms, and your face last. And here’s the thing — one thin layer is never enough, but two thin layers beat one thick layer every single time. Rub in slow circles and don’t stop until the product has disappeared into your skin. Take your time. This is not a race.

4. Wait it out — and wear the right clothes

The bottle says to wait, and it means it. Give the tan a solid six to eight hours to develop before you shower, and wear loose, dark clothes while it sets. Tight leggings and light-colored shirts are how you end up with weird lines and a tan that’s somehow also a pattern. Also — and I’m saying this from experience — don’t do this right before bed and then sleep in your favorite white sheets. Trust me on that one.

5. Fade it gracefully

Your tan isn’t going to last forever, and that’s fine. When it starts to fade, exfoliate gently and reapply — don’t just pile another layer on top of the patchy bits. A light scrub every few days keeps everything even, so you never get that gross patchy look that screams “I’ve been self-tanning since March.”

And one more thing: buy a shade lighter than you think you need. I used to grab the darkest bottle on the shelf because I wanted to look sun-kissed, and I ended up looking like a Cheeto. You can always build color up over two or three days. You can’t take it off.

Honestly, the whole routine takes about twenty minutes once you’ve got it down, and the payoff — a believable, even tan that doesn’t scream spray booth — is so worth it. If you’ve been avoiding self-tanner because of past disasters, give it one more shot with these steps. I did, and I’ve never gone back to the orange stuff.