Fake Tan Disaster: Teen Accidentally Turns Mum's Foot Bright Orange With Hilarious Sock Mix-Up

'A week of scrubbing and it’s still a hideous b*****d orange.'

A teenager who borrowed her mum’s fake tan without asking and used one of her socks as an application mitt, got caught out - not exactly red handed, but because she left her mother red-footed.

“This, ladies and gentleman, is my foot a week after I came home after a 15-hour shift, removed my shoes and discovered it had turned a lovely deep shade of terracotta,” the mum wrote in a message posted on imgur on Thursday 2 March.

”My 14-year-old daughter promises that she hasn’t used the more than likely out of date fake tan that’s been sitting at the bottom of my wardrobe for about a year now, even though her legs resemble lightly toasted Wotsits,” the exasperated mum explained. 

“She swears to god that she didn’t use my socks to apply it either, and she most definitely didn’t put said sock back in my fucking drawers. Somehow I don’t quite believe her.

“A week of scrubbing, soaking, using baking soda, peroxide, fucking anything I could think of to try remove it and it’s still a hideous bastard orange.

“Someone please tell me what to do before it starts building walls and picking on Mexicans.”

Imgur users offered her their advice on how to remove the fake tan - although many were distracted by the fact the teenager actually tidied the socks away.

”If it’s actually sunless tanner, do some serious exfoliating. It reacts with dead skin to produce colour,” suggested one commenter.

“Top of foot seems thin skinned because there’s no fat,” cautioned another, who advised the woman use “salt, sugar, or baking soda” for a gentler scrub.

Before You Go

Best Fake Tans
Fake Tans With SPF(01 of04)
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When it comes to staying safe in the sun, these skin-friendly formulations are a godsend - especially for fake tanners in a hurry, or those who like to 'glow as they go'.

The luxurious Vita Liberata Marula Dry Oil Self Tan SPF 50 (£39.00) is the first of its kind (oil-based with SPF) to hit the market, while Bondi Sands has given its coconut-scented Every Day Gradual Tanning Milk (£10.99) a makeover with an added SPF 15.
(credit:Vita Liberata/Bondi Sands)
Next-Gen Face Tanners(02 of04)
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Gone are the days of breakout inducing facial fake tanners or forgoing your three-step routine for a bronzed visage.

For an anti-ageing effect, try Madame LA LA West Coast (£25) - a bronzing serum with added retinoids. Or spritz on the rosewater-infused James Read H20 Tan Mist (£20) to calm and hydrate skin.
(credit:Madame LA LA/James Read Tan)
Oil-Infused Products(03 of04)
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The beauty industry is still all about oil, so it's no surprise the stuff is popping up in our fake tan.

Fake Bake Flawless Coconut Tanning Serum (£29.95), harnesses the skin-softening power of - you guessed it - 'superfood' coconut oil, and can be used on both face and body. Xen-Tan Transformation Ultra (£49.99) gives an ultra-smooth finish with broccoli seed and Moroccan oils.
(credit:Fake Bake/Xen Tan)
DHA-Free Fake Tan(04 of04)
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DHA, a colorless chemical derived from glycerin, is the main active ingredient in most fake tans on the market - but some claim the 'browning reaction' can damage skin.

The jury's still officially out on that one (it only affects the already-dead skin layer), but those looking for a DHA-free tanner are in luck thanks to Hand Chemistry Glow Oil and Hylamide Booster Glow Serum (both £20) which use raspberry keto-sugar to stain the skin.
(credit:Hand Chemistry/Hylamide)