Self Tanning Reviews: How We Find, Review And Rate The Best Self Tanners

Before we get into how we do our detailed self tanning reviews, there’s something you should know about self tanners in general.

Because every human has slightly different skin chemistry, different products will show different results.

So one product may work great for me, but look absolutely terrible on you.  Conversely one particular self tanning product might give you a perfect golden bronze tan, but look orange and streaky on me.

That’s just how it works with these products…

Now, we’ll try and point out to you which products we think work best, and which you should avoid.  That’s what our ranking of the best self tanners is all about.

But in the end, you really have to do a bit of trial and error to find the right product for your specific skin and complexion.

If you try a self tanner and it doesn’t work out for you, don’t freak out.  It doesn’t necessarily mean the product is garbage.

It just means that particular product doesn’t interact well with your skin.  Take note and move on to the next product!

Believe me when I say, eventually you’ll find the perfect self tanner that does everything you want it to.

With that said, let’s briefly go over how we do our self tanning reviews and what we look for when evaluating a self tanner.

Self Tanning Reviews:  Our Process

When we set out to test a new self tanning product, we follow a very specific set of procedures to make sure every product gets a fair shake.

First, we buy every product we test (we don’t accept “free” product from manufacturers).  That’s why we literally have hundreds of bottles of self tanners all over our office!

And keep in mind we don’t form our opinions based on information  provided by manufacturers, we actually do the testing ourselves.  A lot of websites these days don’t actually test the products they review (if you can believe that).

Once we get the product into our hands, we have one or more of our in-house beauty editors apply it at night according to our procedures for applying self tanner.

Each test subject then leaves the product on overnight.

The next morning, after a minimum of 7 hours, the test subject washes the self tanner off in the shower.

Over the next 7 days, the test subject is instructed to keep an eye on their new tan, being careful not to do any excessive swimming or anything that could interfere.

Over the course of these 7 days, the test subject is instructed to keep notes on every aspect of what they experienced, which includes the following…

What Our Reviewers Are Looking For

Here are the 9 criteria we use for our self tanning reviews:

1.  Look and Feel:   Here our reviewers simply take a look at the self tanning product and observe what it looks like and how it feels once it comes out of the bottle or tube.

2.  Application:  How easy or difficult is it to apply this particular self tanning product?  Does it have a tint or color guide so you can see where you’re putting it?  Does it get on everything (floor, clothes, etc) when it’s being applied?

3.  Drying Time:  How long does it take to dry once it’s been applied?  Does it come off on sheets and clothes once it has dried?

4.  Smell (Before Application):  What does the self tanning product smell like right out of the tube or bottle?

5.  Smell (After Several Hours):  How does it smell on the skin and once it’s had time to do its thing?

6.  Color Produced:  Describe the color of tan that’s produced.  Is it orange-looking?  Is it streaky or blotchy?

7.  How Long It Lasts:  Once your skin has been turned tan, how long does the tan last?  How does it come off over time?  Smooth and even, or rough and splotchy?

8.  Is It OK For Men:  Should guys use this product?

9.  Price:  How much does it cost overall and how much does that work out to per ounce?

How The Overall Rating Is Assigned and What It Means

Once we try a particular self tanning product, we all get together and talk about the areas listed above.

Once a consensus is reached, we write up an overall opinion and assign a rating between 1 and 5, 5 being the best.

Here’s what the ratings mean…

0-1.0 Stars: This product really isn’t very good.  Color’s bad, may be too expensive, may smell bad or be hard to apply.

1.5-2.0 Stars: Not a good product but may have a good quality or two.  Like good color or smells really good.

2.5-3.0 Stars:  Average product that will work for some people.  Probably produces decent color but has a few annoying flaws.

3.5-4.0 Stars:  An above average product that has a lot of things going for it.  In addition to producing good color, it probably lasts long, smells good and is easy to apply.

4.5-5.0 Stars:  The best of the best.  This product will work great for the majority of people who try it.  It may not be the cheapest self tanner out there, but there’s a good chance you’ll get great color, it smells good, lasts long, dries quickly and applies easily.

Keep in mind that our rankings and reviews do change all the time.

Putting It All Together: How To Use Our Site To Find the Best Self Tanning Product For YOU

Every time we review a new product, we update our rankings.

Our list of the top 10 self tanners can be found here.

If a product doesn’t make our top 10, you can still find the review here.

Keep in mind that we are constantly finding, reviewing and updating any self tanning product we can get our hands on.

To stay up-to-date on the best self tanning products available today, be sure to sign up for our free e-letter here.  We’ll also send you coupons, special offers and any other information you can use to get the best self tan possible!

So take a second to sign-up here.  And remember, our newsletter is always 100% free.

Finally, if there’s a self tanning product you’d like us to review, let us know on Facebook or Twitter.  Or send us an email to the address listed on our Contact Us page.

We love finding and testing out new products!