Before Your Spray Tan:
•If you are getting a manicure or pedicure, schedule it for before your spray tan.
Exfoliation and exposure to water can streak your tan even days after the tan.
•Likewise, you should schedule your waxing session for before your spray tan.
•The day before your tanning session, exfoliate your skin and shave or wax for best results. It is best not to shower the day of the tan.
•The day of your tanning session you should avoid makeup, lotions and deodorants, as these may create a barrier and uneven tan.
•What to wear for your tanning session: a dark bathing suit, bra and/or panties, or nude (women only) if you want to avoid tan lines. Most importantly, wear what you are comfortable in. Men are required to wear boxers or shorts during the tanning session.
After Your Tanning Session:
•Wear dark, loose fitted clothing and flip flops or sandals.
•Wait a minimum of 8 hours before showering (overnight is best, if you have a late afternoon or evening tanning session).
•Avoid water & perspiration while your tan is developing. Do not swim, sweat, bathe or exercise for at least 8 hours – plan accordingly.
•The solution easily adheres to the palms & fingers, so please avoid touching the skin. If you do, wipe your palms with a damp cloth.
•The bronzer may get on clothing/sheets. It usually washes off, but may stain silk, nylon, or spandex. Wear dark loose-fitting clothing for 8 hours while tan is developing.
•Protect your vehicle interior. Use a towel to cover leather or light colored seats.
•Once you shower, you will see the bronzer wash off. This is normal—your tan is underneath. Shower only with water only or a mild shower gel for the first shower. A mesh shower poof or just hands work well.
•After showering, pat dry with a towel—do not rub dry. Apply a non-mineral oil based moisturizer immediately after showering on damp skin. Hydrated skin has been proven to help extend the life of a sunless tan.
•Throughout the duration of your sunless tan, avoid any activities that may cause skin exfoliation. Hot baths and showers will exfoliate your skin. Chlorinated pools, hot tubs & salt water will dry your skin and shorten the life of your sunless tan. Also some products can cause faster fading. These include bar soaps, alcohol-based products such as toners and astringents, acne cleansers or products that cause exfoliation such as AHAs, BHAs, Retin-A etc. See Questionable Products List on the back of this sheet.
•On average, your tan will last 7-10 days with proper care.
•And remember…MOISTURIZE…MOISTURIZE…MOISTURIZE!!!
How to Remove Your Spray Tan:
•Soak in warm bath for about 20 min using an exfoliating gel and wash cloth. Gently scrub the parts of your body where you want to remove the spray tan. After, apply moisturizer to hydrate your skin.
•It is common that you may need to repeat a few times before the spray tan is completely removed.
•The good news is that it's not permanent. Be patient and let nature take its course. Your topmost (dead) skin layer will shed.
• If your palms get tan, try using a pumice stone, soap & water to gently exfoliate the undesired tanned area.
Tips for Maintaining Your SprayTan:
These products may or may not affect everyone equally; however, this is just a guideline of things to consider when maintaining your tan:
• Anti-acne products that exfoliate or dry the skin; anti-aging products; bar soaps (especially deodorant or antibacterial varieties); makeup remover or oils used to clean away eye makeup; Curel lotion; Dove soap and Dove Shower gel; BHA Products [Beta Hydroxy Acids-salicylic acid]; body hair bleaching products; wax or depilatory hair removal products [Nair, Veet, Neet etc]; facial masks and exfoliating scrubs; AHA products [Alpha Hydroxy Acids -glycolic, lactic, Malic, citric and Tartaric acids]; bathing or showering with a loofah, scrub brush, exfoliating gloves or any other rough body cleansing item (friction is a sunless tan killer); bug spray, perfumes, body sprays when sprayed directly onto skin (as an alternative, spray clothing or spray a "cloud" of spray that you can walk through, instead of directly onto skin).
• Toners containing Alcohols or Witch Hazel in higher amounts. Look at where they are in the ingredient list. If they are in the top three then you can have problems.
• Band-Aid or adhesive tape applied to skin will pull the "tan" off, as will adhesive facial strips, or "peel-off" masks
• A women's tan may develop differently during various hormonal changes [ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy] It may be streaky, patchy, fade worse, or produce a lighter or no color.
• Hair Inhibiting Lotions [Jergens etc.] tend to make a sunless tan yellow.
• If you exercise and sweat, your tan can fade faster, especially in body fold areas (arm bends, knee bends, between breasts, etc.)
• In the winter, skin is often very dry and your tan will fade faster. Switch to twice daily moisturizer use. Use a hydrating moisturizer after showering on damp skin and a heavier body cream, or shea butter, just before bed. Shea butter can also be used twice daily.
• People with oily skin tend to develop a lighter tan than people with dry skin. The oils can coat the skin, dry skin absorbs more products faster, so can look darker.
• Shaving exfoliates skin and can fade a tan. Use a sharp clean razor, with a lubricating product. A dull razor scrapes off more skin and tan. Hair conditioner works nicely and usually won't damage tan.
• Hot tubs or swimming pools containing chlorine can act as bleach the skin. [Thick waterproof sunscreen lotions like Bullfrog can help protect the skin.] Long hot baths can soften the skin and affect the tan on some people.
• Sweating feet inside shoes or behind knees and arm bends can fade a tan faster, or make the color look yellowish. Powder areas with baby powder.