With the number of skin cancers in men on the rise and 80% of wrinkles caused by sun damage, faking a healthy-looking tan has never been wiser. And, the good news is that with some great new products aimed specifically at men, it’s never been easier. What’s more with modern technology there’s no need for anyone to end up the colour of George Hamilton. So if you want to go from pasty to beach-bronzed Adonis in a just a few hours follow our step-by step guide.

1. First, take a shower and exfoliate thoroughly with a body scrub like Anthony Sea Salt Body Scrub. This is the most important step in faking it (and also the one that most men skip!). If you don’t do remove dead skin cells you won’t get a natural-looking, even fake tan. Concentrate on areas of dry skin such as knees, heels and elbows.

2. Dry yourself off and rub in a little body lotion or moisturiser to any really dry areas. This will help absorption of the fake tan. Molton Brown’s Black Pepper Body Lotion is a good bet.

3. Apply the tanning cream from the tube or spray and massage it in thoroughly. To avoid streaks, use plenty of cream and cover the entire area completely as evenly as possible.

4. When you've finished ALWAYS wash your hands thoroughly or they’ll turn colour too (not a great look for palms!)

5. Now grab a cold beer, switch on the TV and wait for the transformation.

Remember, you can always build up the colour of your fake tan over a few sessions if you don’t think it’s intense enough. And you don’t have to use a tanning cream if you just want to add a little colour to your face, you can a product like Biotherm Power Bronze Tinted Moisturiser which will give your face some natural-looking, subtle colour.

Phytomer Homme
Creamy Self Tanning Gel 150ml

To view self-tanning products click here.