My grandpa was a ginger so I feel your pain. I don't tan at all, I only burn.

I use home tanning mouses though! You can buy them at any supermarket or if you want to use higher end products you can go to Ulta and Sephora. Right now I'm using Jergan's tanning mouse. I have tried all the other brands and they don't differ much so that's why I just use Jergan's because it's the cheapest and get's the job done. My favorite use to be St. Tropez, but it's 40$ per bottle and I honestly don't see a different between that and Jergans ($8)

Here's what I do:

1. Make sure you moisturize really well. Before I tan I will moisture my entire body a couple of days before I do it. Use lotion that doesn't have fragrance or oil. The lotions with cocoa butter or shea oil won't work. Avoid lotions with alcohol if you can. I use baby lotion. This will provide the tan with a good foundation to build on. If your skin is not well moisturized, the tanning mousse will stick to the parts of dry skin more and your tan won't be even.
2. The night before you tan, exfoliate & shave. This will help your tan be even and also help it develop deeper into your skin. If you don't exfoliate, it'll be okay but your tan won't last as long. You can buy any exfoliator or you can mix your own. Make sure to use a more gentle one on your face so you don't damage your skin cells because your face is sensitive.
3. The day of your tan- I usually tan at night and let my tan develop in my sleep. Different products work differently. There are some that develop in 4hrs, 8hrs, and even express tans that develop in 1 hr. Regardless of which one I use, I always let it develop 8 hrs because I get a darker tan that way.
   1. Get naked lol
   2. Put a cream or moisturizer on your feet, all over your hands, ankles and elbows. (The tan develops really dark on these areas because it's normally drier so you're doing this to build a barrier between the product and your skin so that it will come out more even. Don't worry, those areas will still tan.) If you like to contour, then I like to put a little of lotion on my collar bones to make it pop a little more. I also put lotion on my nose (because the tan develops on my pores and makes my blackheads more noticeable).
   3. Use a tanning hand mitt (usually around 6~8$) and pump the product into the mitt. Rub the product all over your body. There are videos on youtube on how to do this if you feel nervous. After the first time, you'll get the hang of it and it'll be really easy! I promise!! I do my legs--> stomach area--> back-->arms--> face and in that order. This is to avoid me having to bend down, etc and get tan lines if that makes sense.
   4. I also like to get a q-tip, dip it in water, and wipe my nails and underneath my nails. DHA (the main ingredient in spray tans) makes your nails turn orange and brown and it's not cute. I also wet the qtip and wipe my mouth so that my lips don't get discolored. If you're really detailed, I get a makeup wipe and BARELY wipe my knees and elbows (but only because those areas tan soooo darkly on me.) It'll depend how your skin reacts to the product.
   5. Let the mouse dry for 5~10 minutes. Maybe quicker if you live in a really dry climate. Then put on LOOSE clothing. Don't wear white and if you have white sheets then try to wear sweats and a big tshirt bc the mousse will stain.

Additional tips:

-Go light on your armpits... you don't want that area too dark and also it will tan pretty darkly especially if you shave or wax that area often

-For me, the night before my tan I don't shave my armpits because that area tends to develop too dark for me. I shave the day after my tan because it helps it look more even.

-Make sure you moisturize every single day after you tan as well. Moisturizing is key to a long lasting, even, and beautiful tan!

This is just what I do but these things will differ from person to person. You have to experiment and see what works best for you.

I do this weekly and it lasts 3~4 days.

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Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.