Trying to avoid crazy tan lines from your crazy new swimsuit? Look no further.

So one of my friends recently DMed me asking how I avoid crazy tan lines from all my wild swimsuits, and I thought it’d make a great blog post!

Here are my tried and true tips for rocking a intricate swimsuit without having crazy tan lines the next day.

1. Apply Sunblock Strategically

My #1 rule when it comes to sunblock? Put it on while naked.

Don’t even think of putting your swimsuit on and trying to put sunblock on in the places that aren’t covered. It never works. You’ll end up with a burn right around your bikini line — and did you know that UV rays can actually go through your swimsuit fabric?

2. Be a Quick Change Artist

When you head out to the beach or pool for the day, it’s difficult to know how much time you’ll want to spend there, what the sun situation will be like, etc. So, when I’m baring it all in a suit that gives me crazy tan lines, I pack an extra, non crazy suit in my beach bag.

First off, my teeny suits take up zero space anyway, and as a bonus it’s perfect to change into if you’ve gone swimming and don’t want to be hanging around in a wet suit. Plus, two suits for the day means double the photos you can take for Instagram!

Oh yeah, and obviously, changing suits halfway through the day means that you probably won’t get crazy tan lines, and even if you do, they will fade fast.

3. Turn Over (Or Don’t)

There’s a good chance that some of your swimsuits are kind of like mullets — business in the front and party in the back. Actually, lots of my swimsuits are opposite, crazy and strappy in the front, but pretty normal in the back. If I’m planning on laying out in a suit like that, I’ll just lay on my stomach all day and tan my back. If your suit is going to give you crazy tan lines on both sides, then make sure to turn over frequently so that you don’t get too much color on one side, that’ll take you straight to crazy tan line city.

4. Save Your Crazy Suits For The End of Your Vacay

I know this is problematic to say, but I’m going to say it anyway.

I’m always torn on vacations when to wear my “cutest” or “best” outfits and bikinis because at the end of vacation I’m the tannest, but there’s a good chance I’ve also been stuffing my face all week and not working out, so my abs might not be as noticeable as they were at the beginning of the trip (if at all).

Regardless, when it comes to tan lines, there’s another reason to save your intricate suits for the end of the trip — it’ll help you avoid whacky tan lines. By the tail-end (or at least the middle) of your trip, you’ll (hopefully) already have somewhat of a base tan. Yes, you might get some lines from wearing a strappy bikini on day 6 of your vacay, but it’ll probably even out if you wear a different suit on day 7.

Usually I pack at least a few “standard” strappy bikinis (or, micro bikinis) for optimal tan lines that I wear at the beginning of the trip, and I whip out my wild one pieces towards the end.

I hope these tips helped you to not look like a zebra after wearing a trendy-ass Minimale Animale bikini this summer! If you have other tips feel free to comment below 🙂