I'm not ashamed to admit it: I love self-tanner. I work all summer to get the perfect glow, then fall comes around and my bronze tan suddenly makes me feel like George Hamilton. Unfortunately, you can't just snap your fingers and go back to the Snow White winter look when fall still calls for a little bare skin in skirts, short sleeves and, well, your face. Quit cold turkey and bad things happen. Skin starts to flake, color fades unevenly, and you're left with patchy spots that make you look like you have a skin disease. I had a feeling there had to be some sort of protocol for transitioning from a summer tan back to my natural color. To find out the process for weaning myself off of self-tanner, I spoke with Sophie Evans, a skin-finishing expert for St. Tropez.

Unlike other vices (think: going to bed with makeup on, chewing your fingernails) you can't simply stop applying self-tanner. Well, you can, but you'll end up a hot, splotchy mess. You know the look if you've ever gone too many days between applications. Areas where your clothing rubs a lot will get patchy and the pigment will start breaking up there first. And those spots show up in start contrast to drier areas of the skin, which hold on stubbornly to the color. Also, any astringent products like toners or citrus-based body products will lighten or remove the self-tanner unevenly. "When I've stripped self-tanner off many of my clients, they hate it. They feel fatter and pasty," says Evans. "Also, the idea is, no one should know your glow was not your own in the first place, so you have to allow it to gradually get lighter."

To avoid that mortifying moment when someone asks what happened to your weirdly fading skin, put away your deep-colored self-tanners and switch to gradual formulas. The self-tanners we use in the summer to give us fast color have a higher percentage of DHA, the tanning agent that reacts with amino acids in your skin (the surface, dead layer) and changes the color of your skin over the course of a few hours (Sunlaboratories Dark Sunsation Self Tanning Lotion, $49.95, is a reviewer favorite). A gradual tanner has a lower percentage of DHA and will take 4-5 consecutive daily applications to get the level of color that one application of self-tanner. Then there are temporary tanners -- the ones to wear on a night out when you want color immediately. These are DHA-free and if the product is high quality, it will last until you wash off with soap and water. As cold weather hits a gradual tanning lotion will give you more subtle color than a self tanner or temporary tanner and can be applied sporadically in the winter when you want a little boost of color. "Use once every few days initially, then widen the gaps between applications once winter is in full swing," says Evans. (We like Supergoop! SPF 20 Gradual Self-Tanning Sunscreen Mousse , $38 or Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer , $8.69.)

Before you bear down on a loofah with the grittiest body scrub you own, take a moment to consider the consequences. Exfoliation is important and should be done every few days when you're using a self-tanner, but to transition your tan to fall, use a gentler exfoliant. "A harsher exfoliator can rip and tear into your self tan and can make it patch," says Evans. Stay away from scrubs with extra rough particles like crushed up nutshells or any citrus-based products, and try a body polish like Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish ($65) or St. Tropez Tan Optimizer Body Polish ($18).

Use more liberally on areas that tend to get patchy like cleavage and the backs of your ankles, where sports bras, shoes, sweat, and rubbing in general wears away your tan unevenly. As your tan becomes more natural, you may have to use a rougher exfoliator around your armpits because this smooth, supple area holds on to self-tanner the longest, says Evans.

Cutting back on self-tanning lotion doesn't mean you can skip a moisturizing routine altogether, particularly in the winter when your skin is prone to getting dry and flaky. "I highly recommend moisturizing before bedtime to get maximum hydration into the skin when the temperature gets cold," says Evans. As you moisturize, try to pat the skin dry rather than rubbing, which can take off too much of old tanning lotion residue. Lubriderm Daily Moisture Shea + Enriching Cocoa Butter Lotion, $8.49 and Beecology Original Honey Hand & Body Cream, $13, are TotalBeauty.com reviewer favorites.