How to Prepare for Your Spray Tan

Preparing for a spray tan involves a few critical steps to ensure you get the best results. Here's a detailed guide on how:

  1. Exfoliate your skin and shave: About a day or two before your spray tan appointment, you should thoroughly exfoliate your skin. This helps to remove the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, which can cause your tan to appear uneven. Use a gentle, oil-free scrub to avoid irritating your skin.

  2. Wax: Ideally, you should wax at least 24/48 hours before your spray tan. This allows your skin to calm down and your pores some time to close up and will prevent the tanning solution from settling into them, which can lead to a spotty appearance

  3. Spa treatments or nail appointments: These need to be done at least a day before your appointment. Lotions and products beauty businesses use are often stripping to the tan or can create a barrier so the solution will not adhere.

  4. Shower with gel soap: Shower at least 4 hours before the appointment. This will allow time for your pores to close. Avoid Dove, bar soap, or opaque/milky looking products. This will leave a barrier on the skin which we do not want. Use a clear or transparent gel soap instead.

  5. Avoid lotions, oils, and perfumes:On the day of your spray tan, avoid applying any lotions, oils, or perfumes. These products can create a barrier on your skin that prevents the tanning solution from fully penetrating. This can result in streaks or an uneven color.

  6. Wear suitable attire: Wear loose, dark clothing and flip flops to your appointment. The tanning solution may stain tight-fitting or light-colored clothing. Also, tight clothing can rub against your skin and remove the tanning solution before it has fully dried.

  7. Remove makeup and deodorant: Before the spray tan application, make sure to remove any makeup, as it can act as a barrier to the tanning solution. Also, remove deodorant, as it can react with the tanning solution and turn your underarm area green.

Remember, the preparation is just as important as the application itself. Following these steps will help ensure you get a natural-looking, even tan that lasts.

How to Maintain Your Spray Tan

  • Unfortunately since companies reformulate often, it’s difficult for me to consistently recommend drug store lotions, soaps, etc. that are spray tan safe.

    Instead I offer aftercare products in my salon I know will nourish your skin and prolong your tan that you can take a look at here.

    I’m also happy to give you the list of tan-stripping ingredients so you can check your at-home products.  

  • Not necessarily. Your skin can only absorb a certain amount of the tanning agent. If left on too long, this is when you may “oversaturate” and turn an unnatural color (ORANGE) eek!

    If for some reason you’re unable to rinse at your rinse time, please reach out!

  • This is normal! That initial color on you after your appointment is BRONZER and not the actual tan. It takes up to 24 hours for your tan to fully develop. So don’t worry, your tan is still developing and will come back!