How to Remove a Spray Tan: Skin, Hands, Feet, Sheets and Clothes

To remove a spray tan, soak in a warm bath or shower for 10 to 15 minutes to soften the skin, then buff evenly with an exfoliating mitt in small circles and moisturize afterwards. Repeat the next day if needed. Hands, feet and the face need a gentler version, and sheets and clothes should be rinsed in cold water and pretreated before they ever see a hot dryer.

Most of the time you don’t need to remove a tan at all; it fades on its own over about 7 to 10 days, as we explain in how long does a spray tan last. But there are good reasons to speed things along: clearing a patchy fade before your next appointment, tidying dark hands, or rescuing a white tablecloth after Shabbat dinner.

Before you start: what you’re actually removing

A spray tan has two parts. The cosmetic bronzer is the temporary tint you leave the studio with; most of it rinses away in your first shower, and it’s responsible for most stains on fabric. The developed color is DHA that has reacted with the top layer of your skin. That color can’t be washed off. It can only be helped to shed along with the skin cells it lives in. Every method below works by speeding up that shedding, gently.

How to remove a spray tan from your body

1. Soak

Warm bath or a long warm shower, 10 to 15 minutes. Hot tubs and steam rooms do the same job. The goal is softened skin, so you can use less force afterwards.

2. Buff evenly

With an exfoliating mitt or textured washcloth, work in small circles over each area, using the same pressure everywhere. The word that matters is evenly: if you scrub hard on your thighs and lightly on your shins, you’ll create a patchwork. Go over elbows, knees and ankles last, with less pressure.

3. Moisturize

Pat dry and apply a plain moisturizer. Freshly exfoliated skin needs it, and hydrated skin will shed the remaining tan more evenly overnight.

4. Repeat tomorrow, not tonight

A second session the next day is far kinder than scrubbing for an hour. Red, stinging skin is a sign to stop.

Optional helpers

• Oil soak. The same oils you avoid while a tan is fresh can help loosen one you want gone. Apply a body oil, wait a few minutes, then soak and buff. Clean the tub well afterwards; it’ll be slippery.
• Your usual exfoliating products. A body wash or lotion with AHAs (glycolic or lactic acid) that you already use without irritation will speed up shedding over a couple of days.
• Swimming. Chlorine and salt water fade a tan, but unevenly. Fine as a bonus, not as a method.

How to remove spray tan from hands and palms

Hands get the most attention from other people and the most washing from you, so they’re often the first area you want to tidy.

• Soak them in warm, soapy water for a few minutes.
• Work over the knuckles, between the fingers and along the sides of the nails with a damp washcloth. A soft nail brush helps around cuticles.
• For stubborn spots, a paste of baking soda and a little water, rubbed gently for a minute and rinsed, is a common home method. Skip it on cracked or irritated skin.
• Blend the edge at the wrist so there’s no line where the tan on your arm begins.
• Moisturize. Hands dry out quickly after all this.

If dark knuckles are the issue on a fresh tan, rather than a fading one, our guide on how to fix a streaky spray tan covers targeted fixes.

How to remove spray tan from feet and ankles

Same approach, a little more patience. Soak, buff the tops of the feet and around the ankle bones, and use a pumice stone only on the soles and heels where skin is thick. Moisturize generously at night; dry feet hold on to color in their creases.

How to remove spray tan from your face

Go gently. Facial skin is thinner and reacts faster. Your regular cleanser and a soft, warm washcloth, twice a day, will fade a facial tan within a few days. If you already use an exfoliating toner or serum that your skin tolerates, that will help too. Don’t use body scrubs, baking soda or anything you haven’t used on your face before. If you have acne, rosacea or another condition, follow your dermatologist’s advice.

How to get spray tan off sheets

What ends up on sheets is mostly cosmetic bronzer from the night you developed. It comes out best when you act quickly.

• Strip the bed the morning after your first rinse.
• Rinse the marked areas from the back with cold water.
• Pretreat with a laundry stain remover or a drop of dish soap, gently worked in, and leave it for a while.
• Wash in cold or cool water.
• Check before drying. Heat can set what’s left, so air-dry and repeat if you still see a mark.

For next time, keep one dark, older set of sheets for tan nights and a loose, dark long-sleeved top and pants to sleep in.

How to get spray tan off clothes

Same steps as sheets: cold rinse from the back of the fabric, pretreat, cold wash, air-dry and check. Collars, cuffs and the inside of waistbands are the usual spots. Synthetic athletic wear and light cotton show it most.

White, silk and special-occasion fabric

If it’s a white dress, a silk blouse, or anything dry-clean-only, don’t experiment at home. Blot (don’t rub) any fresh mark, and take it to a professional cleaner. Tell them it’s a cosmetic tanning stain so they can choose the right treatment. For brides, the bigger strategy is keeping the tan off the dress in the first place; see will a spray tan stain your wedding dress.

Removing a tan before your next one

If you tan regularly, clearing the last of the old tan is part of prepping for the new one. Layering fresh color over a patchy fade tends to look uneven. Do your soak-and-buff the day before your appointment, not the morning of, so your skin is calm when you arrive. How often to rebook in the first place is covered in how often should you get a spray tan.

Rosie’s Spray Tan ($100, 20 minutes) and Spray Tan+ ($150, 35 minutes, with extra prep and contouring time and a take-home aftercare kit) are both on the services page. To book, call or text (917) 326-0303.