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Hi! I am back – I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a blog post, but it’s spray tanning season and well, everyone wants sprayed now!
When getting a spray tan, the way it turns out is the responsibility of both the spray technician and the client. In another post, we talked about the steps to prep your skin for your appointment. In this post, we will talk about how to keep the tan lasting long and fade evenly.
As soon as you are done with your spray tan, you have a beautiful glow. As the day or night goes on, your spray tan gets darker and darker. The reason it gets darker, is because the DHA is reacting to the skins amino acids. Once the DHA hits those, it starts turning brown and starts to develop. DHA starts to develop on the skin within 4 hours. I always tell my clients to leave the solution on for as long as they can up to 24 hours. I know, it’s a long time to go without showering. If you do get a shower before the 24 hours, you MUST do a warm water rinse and DO NOT use any soaps or body washes. You want to make sure you allow enough time for the tan to develop on your skin. Once you have waited your 24 hours, you want to hop in the shower and rinse off the cosmetic bronzer. “But Sarah, all the solution on my skin just went down the drain!” While that may seem like the case, it is not. What you are seeing go down the drain is the cosmetic bronzer. Under that cosmetic bronzer is the good stuff! The stuff that will stay on your skin for about 5-7 days.
Once you have your first shower after the spray tan, you want to make sure you keep your skin moisturized. This is the most important tip I can give you. Personally, I tend to have really dry skin and if I do not put lotion on my skin days after I get a spray tan, my tan will only last 3 days at the most. So, take it from my experience, PUT THAT LOTION ON ALL THE TIME!!! Don’t be lazy like me. I’ve had clients who told me their tan lasted 2 weeks, some even 3! Of course it won’t be as dark the 2nd or 3rd week, but you can still see a little bit of the tan. Keeping your skin moisturized also helps with it fading evenly. The solution only attaches to the top layer of your skin and once that top layer exfoliates, so does the tan. If that top layer is well moisturized, it will take longer for the tan to fade.
Some moisturizers to keep away from when getting a spray tan are ones with sulfates, heavy scents, citrus product in it, or something with shimmer! Coconut Oil has been known to work well with a spray tan as it keeps the tan looking radiant and helps it last a little longer and also helps with fading. Same goes for Cocoa butter lotions. The more basic the lotion, the better! BBST also sells lotions to help extend and keep the tan lasting longer. At your next appointment, make sure to ask about these lotions!
A lot of people do become addicted to spray tanning. It’s healthy, quick, and you see the results right away. If you want a glow all the time, I recommend getting a spray tan every 5-7 days. Once you do this 4 times in a row, it’s best to wait about 10 days or so to let the tan completely exfoliate off and then you can start all over again. You may even want to get a tough exfoliate to help get the rest of the tan off. This will allow your skin to get a little break, so that you can start with a clean slate.
So next time you get a spray tan, make sure you have the proper lotion to apply after so your tan lasts long!
Tis the season to be tan
-Sarah
