I just had my first spray tan last month and had to look up a lot of
information because I had no idea what to expect. What do I wear? Do I have to
be naked? Will it sting?
We all have lots of questions about how to prepare and what
to expect and what to do once you have your tan , I hope I can help you to ease
your mind a little, should you have any question please do not hesitate to
email, I would be more than happy to help you!
Day before your spray tan:
- Remove unwanted body hair - Shave, wax or use depilatory.
- Exfoliate entire body with a good body scrub.
- Swimsuit (Something you don’t mind getting stained) Lip balms, hair ties and umbrella, loose
fitting clothing for after session and a big towel for your car seat to avoid
staining( just in case).
I was self-conscious and wore a swimsuit and shorts, the
tech said the best thing to wear if you are self-conscious is a bandeau and boy shorts to get best
coverage.
Day of spray tanning:
- Don’t apply any body lotion, creams or oils unless you
have very dry skin, then only apply where dry patches are.
- Don’t apply any deodorant or any make up.
- Wear loose fitting clothes like a sundress.
- Arrive at the location for your appointment little early
so you can spend some time getting to know what happens, get acquainted with
your technician so that you feel comfortable during the session.
Just before your
spray tan secession at the salon/spa:
- Change in your swimsuit.
- Remove contact lenses, jewelry.
- Your technician will check your skin and might apply wipes
to the skin to remove any residue from lotion, perspiration or make up.
- Your hair will be tied up with a clip or covered with hair
net. I’ve heard some locations give you a little hair conditioner to apply
along the exposed hairline to prevent any discoloration.
- Apply lip balm on your lips to make sure any solution mist
will be easy to wipe off after your session.
- Salon will also provide you with sticky slippers for the
feet and the technician will apply a barrier cream to your feet, palm of your
hands, nails, ears, elbows, hands, top of the feet, and knees to prevent
discoloration.
Now you are ready for your session.
Spray Tan Application:
- You will step into the Spray Tan tent.
- The tech will ask you to get into different positions –
easy positions like “face front, lift arm up palms forward”, “arms down neck up”.
“Turn to side arm up, arm down”.
- The spray is a cool mist.
- I was at an Organic spa so the spray smelled sweet (I
didn’t attempt to taste it).
- It will take 15 to 20 minutes for a complete process.
Right after your spray tanning session:
- The technician will use wet wipes to wipe off anywhere the
barrier was applied and will help remove the sticky slippers from your feet.
- Wait 5 to 7 minutes before getting dressed.
- Make sure you put towel on the car seat.
- Avoid any water activity
- Any strenuous exercise
- Anything that makes you perspire
- If you sweat easily like me, plan to go somewhere with air
conditioning, like a mall or movie so you are cool for the first few hours
while the spray tan is setting.
- No Shower until 12 hours
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| After 2 and 4 Hours |
In 3 to 4 hours you will start to notice color of your tan
is getting darker.
After 12 hours you are ready to wash off your initial color
guide (bronze color that gives instant color).
You can also decide to keep longer and or if you had a night
appointment you can leave it for a night just make sure you have a dark color
bedding to avoid any staining.
First shower after spray tanning:
- Get ready for your shower as normal, use a comfortable cool
water temperature (if you use hot water the color may fade) and a very mild body
wash, only wash where you need to like underarms, basically rinse off other
areas.
- You will see some of the color washing off, please don’t
alarmed , that is just a color guide that helps technician to spray with ease as they
can see where there may be streaks and gives a smooth even spray.
- Once done with shower please gently pat dry.
- Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!
 |
| After 8 Hours |
 |
| After Showering |
How long will your spray tan last:
- This will depend on every individual skin type, it varies
person to person but anywhere from 7 to 10 days, it may slowly fade – again
depending on skin type and aftercare.
- Moisturize your skin daily.
- Every three to four days exfoliate lightly to even out
skin tone or any faded areas and this will help to refresh your tan.
Ask your technician any questions you might have.
Hope this helps a little before you go for next spray tan
session J
~Jennifer