Spray tanning is a unique experience – with a simple, quick session, you will have a gorgeous, natural looking tan without any skin damage! Of course, to get the most our of your tan, there are a few tricks that I'd like to share with you!
Shower the day before your session and give yourself a good scrub and a smooth shave. Shave at the end of your shower, once your hair follicles have softened. Remember that shaving after your spray session will only strip away the color quicker.
To achieve the best results, exfoliate before your session. Focus on the driest areas of your body, especially your elbows, knees, hands, feet and the backs of your ankles.
If you must shower on the day of your appointment, be sure to shower at least four hours before your session. This is because your pores are larger after a warm shower or bath, so the tanning solution sits in your pores and creates dark spots. As your pores seal, the solution gets trapped and you end up with visible tanning marks.
On the day of your tan, DO NOT apply any moisturizer. Moisturizer acts as a barrier between the spray tanning solution and your skin and will prevent the tan from ‘soaking in.’
Perfumes, deodorant and makeup also act as a barrier between your skin and the spray tan. If you applied in the morning and are tanning in the evening, use makeup remover wipes before your session.
Be prepared with very loose fitting clothes to wear after your tan. Dark clothes are best, as excess spray tan solution may run off on them (it will generally wash out, but on light clothes it may leave marks).
Outside of a cap for your hair (which I provide), most of my clients opt to tan in the nude. This way, you will not have any tan lines. If you’d rather not strip down completely, I provide underwear for you to wear. If you’d like to wear a bra, please bring one along with you.
I will place barrier cream on you in several places. This will help the tan to appear more natural by reducing the impact of the solution in areas that shouldn’t be tan (parts of your feet, hands, and nails). You’ll also be asked to remove all jewelry and keep it off for the first 7 hours.
You’ll join me for a spray tan at my location. I will guide you through the entire spray tanning process. You’ll be asked to turn and bend in a series of pre-planned positions to ensure the tan is naturally distributed. The spray-tanning itself generally takes between 10-15 minutes.
Your tan will continue to develop for hours after the spray. At the beginning, you’ll obviously look tan. Then it will get darker. Then, when you have your first shower, it’ll get lighter again. Just wait for it before you get too nervous about being to light or dark.
These first several hours (I’ll tell you how long, depending on the tan solution used) are critical. Do not shower and avoid any activity that will make you sweat. Wear loose clothing so that the tan doesn’t rub off. Drink through a straw, so the water doesn’t drip down your face and cause a drip-line. Don’t wash your hands. Basically, don’t get wet in any way – that includes no sex or oral sex, sorry!
Shower eight hours after your tan, unless you are told otherwise. For quick-dry solutions, shower three to four hours after your tan. Don’t shower for long, and don’t use any loofahs, harsh soaps, exfoliants or oils. Your don’t want to rub your tan off.
For the entire duration of your tan (8-9 days, or 5-6 days for quick-dry tans), avoid loofahs, harsh soaps, exfoliants or oils in your bathing. Spending large amounts of time in swimming pools can make your tan wear off a little more quickly, but it’s not a major concern. Avoid using pore strips, bandages and exfoliants (until you’re ready to spray again). Also, don’t shave for the first 12 hours.
After your first shower, start moisturizing daily to maintain your tan. Just be sure to stay away from oil-based moisturizers, as they can strip away your tan and leave you looking blotchy.
There are several tricks to removing tanner gone wrong. Among these, the best are to: Scrub with exfoliant body wash, rub with baking soda on a damp washcloth, or try rubbing with lemon juice or baby oil. Even if it doesn’t come off immediately, if you do any of these for a couple of days it should help significantly.
”They said that I could be anything I wanted to be... So I decided to be tan
- Anonymous
