Fake tan can be both a life-saviour and a terrifying experience. Whether you're a tanning pro or fake-tan novice, everyone has experienced the horror of a DIY tanning disaster.

Here's eightfake tan fails we've all made – plus, how you can fix them at home.

Orange hands

Alright so let's start with the basics. We all know that a fake-tan mitt is KEY to avoiding the dreaded orange palms – but what about the rest of your hands?

When tanning the front of your hands (and fingers) make a claw shape with your hand and sweep the mitt down the front of your fingers to avoid tan build-up on your knuckles.

Orange feet

Everyone knows the dreaded tell-tale signs of orange palms, but if you've ever applied a airbrush-type fake tan, you might have ended up with majorly tangoed feet.

Always stand on a dark coloured towel when applying the tan and try not to walk over the areas that excess tan may have fallen and settled on.

Streaks

If your tan has gone streaky, it could be due to excess oils on the skin. Never moisturise before fake tanning, as it creates a barrier on the skin that the tan can't penetrate.

Orange knees

If you end up with a build up of fake tan on areas like your knees, elbows or ankles – it could be due to a build up of dry skin. Fake tan clings to dry skin, so make sure you exfoliate these areas first with an oil free body scrub.

White legs

If your tan doesn't seem to develop on the bottom half of your legs, worry not 'cos tanning expert and Founder of Cocoa Brown, Marissa Carter has a hack for it. Rubbing lemon juice onto the skin, before applying your fake tan helps the colour develop properly. "The low pH in the fruit helps the DHA (the active ingredient in fake tan) to develop the colour quicker and more effectively" she told MTV.co.uk

Hard to reach areas

Can't reach your back? Pop your tanning mitt onto the end of a long loofah brush and attach with with a hair tie. Ta-daa: a fake tan applicator, perfect for hard-to-reach areas.

Dotty legs

Always shave at least 12 hours prior to fake tanning, and NEVER remove hair immediately before. It doesn’t matter if you wax, epilate or shave – tanning straight after hair removal means that the tan settles into the open hair follicles, and will leave you with dotty looking legs.

Green armpits

Deodorant on your skin can make fake tan develop into a dodgy green colour under your armpits. Always apply tan when your skin is completely clear of deodorants and perfumes for a totally natural colour.

Fake tan has gone too dark on your face

We've all been there: you wake up in the morning and your fake is more oompa-loompa than sunkissed goddess. If you've desperate to fade your tan, apply an oil based face mask for 15-20 minutes to draw out some of the colour.

By Chloe Burcham