How to make natural self-tanner using only two ingredients

Want a sun-kissed glow without all the negative side effects of the sun? Or the cost of expensive tanning lotions? In The Know’s Phoebe Zaslav found that there’s an easy way to make a DIY self-tanner at home, and it only requires two ingredients.

“You only need two ingredients that you may already have lying around somewhere,” Phoebe explained. “The recipe is all-natural, so you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. And, this is an instant self-tanner, so the second you apply it, you will see results!”

What you need to make a DIY self-tanner:

  1. 1 cup of unscented lotion
  2. 1/3 cup of 100 percent pure cocoa powder

For the cocoa powder, make sure the ingredients list just says “cocoa,” so you’re not putting other ingredients onto your skin.

“From there, you just mix the two in a bowl and you have your self-tanner!” Phoebe said.

The mixture will look pretty dark in the bowl, but as Phoebe pointed out, it will not turn out dark on your skin. If you want the application to be darker on your skin, add more layers to your body or add more cocoa powder into the bowl.

“That’s the beauty of this recipe, it’s completely up to you,” she said.

This tanner washes off easily in the shower and you can store any excess in a container with a lid at room temperature. The only thing Phoebe warned against is wearing light colors right after applying the tanner.

“It will come off on your clothes,” she said. “Besides that, this is a fun way to give your skin a little pre-summer glow and it also smells amazing.”

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