Call Me Crazy: Black Tea Tan

So, what lengths would you go to in order to please your husband if he mentions something that might look nice to him?  :-)  A few years back, my brave Hubz mentioned to me that my legs were white.  As in really white.  And he might, maybe, just prefer them to have a little more color.  I think my jaw hit the floor.  I'd never been accused of being super white before (just look at pics from my lifeguarding, have-all-the-time-in-the-world days).  I have super capacity to be tan thanks to my (albeit small) native American heritage.  But I have a husband, kids, and home now.  And that doesn't always mix with being able to get a tan.  At the time he told me that, I did buy a bottle of Jergen's self-tanning lotion.  Nope.  It made the rough spots on my ankles and below my knees orange and the tanned color was just odd.  I've tried to snag little sessions outdoors to get some Vitamin D and sun-kissed skin, but the cooler months last longer here... and I have kids.  My upper half currently has a nice bit of color to it because I worked outdoors the other day.  But my legs.  Well, they still fit the description my brave Hubz gave.  And I want to please him.

Enter: a hair-brained, crazy idea a friend saw on Pinterest.  The black tea tan.

(Tip: If you are blessed with gorgeous skin color as my dear friend in Colorado is... disregard the following!)

Supposedly, you brew 4 black tea bags in two cups of boiling water for 10-15 minutes.  Once it cools enough to be comfortable, you spray or sponge it on your freshly exfoliated skin (stay in your tub/shower!!).  With gloved hands, rub it all over in a circular motion without leaving any darker streaks.  Dab off any extra droplets (don't want to look like a zebra or leopard!) with a towel you don't mind tea stains on (I have a nice tea-colored towel, perfect!).  And allow to air dry.  You're supposed to end up with a nice touch of color on your skin.  The strength of the tea apparently changes the strength of the skincancer free, non-fake, non-spray-me-orange, CHEAP tan.  It's supposed to last 3-4 days until your skin goes through it's natural sloughing pattern.

Mm-hmm.  I tried it.  :-)  I did one leg three times which took maybe a total of 5 minutes.  Then I took a picture.  There IS a difference.  Hopefully your monitor and your eyes will be able to tell.  I even asked JG, my 6 year old son, which leg was whiter (he didn't know which leg had been "tanned") and he immediately pointed to the correct one.

I'm going to go do the other leg now.  And I'm going to do the black tea tan again after my shower tomorrow to see if I can get more color so my legs match my arms for once.  Can't wait to see if my leg color will now be more pleasing to my Hubz.  (Bonus: They won't be pasty white for a wedding this Sunday!)

Another tip was to combine a bit of coco powder with your favorite lotion to get a "glow" or "bronzed" look.  I haven't tried that, and I'm not sure I'll go that far.  You're not supposed to let your skin get wet if you do this or else it will streak as the lotion runs.

Happy all-natural tanning... if you're adventurous enough!

Ps - Can I get kuddos for having bravery to match my Hubz's?  I did post a picture of my LEGS on my blog.  :-P  I just want my readers to know it works!