So you got an airbrush tan, and you love it! But how can you make sure it lasts as long as possible? Here are a few tips!
1.) Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate!!!!
Spray tans affect the top, outermost layer of your skin. It won’t penetrate deeper into lower layers the way UV rays do – this makes an airbrush tan much safer, but it also means it won’t last forever. We are always losing skin. The top layer of skin dies and falls off or gets rubbed away. To make sure you’re not applying your tan to a layer of dead skin that is just about the fall off, you should exfoliate the day before your tanning session so that the fresh skin underneath is the skin that gets tanned. There are tons of exfoliating scrubs on the market. A quick search online can also give you recipes to make your own natural sugar scrubs at home. They sell exfoliating sponges and gloves that will help ensure you get all that old skin off as well. So scrub, scrub, scrub the day before your appointment.
2.) Shave First.
This goes along with the exfoliating… Make sure you shave (or wax) the day before your appointment. When you remove hair, you often remove a bit of skin as well. If you wait until after your airbrush tan, you’ll be removing a layer of the newly tanned skin with your hair, and that will reduce the time you get to spend with that glow.
3.) Leave The Lotions.
On the day of your appointment, don’t put on any creams, sprays, perfumes, or lotions. The tanning solution should go directly onto your skin so that it can be absorbed and work it’s magic. If you have anything on your skin, it can block the solution and sabotage your tan!
4.) Skip The Skinny Jeans.
Wear loose clothing to your airbrush tanning appointment. The tanning solution dries pretty quickly, but it’s still a good idea to avoid tight-fitting clothing that can rub against your skin and potentially rub your solution off before it has a chance to fully penetrate and give you the best possible tan.
5.) Stay Dry for 6-8 Hours.
It’s not just tight clothes that can potentially disrupt your tan. Water can wash off the solution before it’s finished fully penetrating and bonding to your skin. It takes about 6-8 hours for the solution to completely settle in and do it’s job. Until then, avoid showers, baths, saunas, and heavy work-outs – sweating opens pores and washes away the solution just as much as a shower can.
6.) Moisturize!!!!
Once your tan has settled in (after that initial 6-8 hours) then be sure you keep it moist to lock that skin in. You know how your skin gets flakey when it’s dry? Those flakes are dead skin shedding off. Once your skin is nice and tan, we want to keep it! Keeping your skin moisturized will ensure that you keep that tan as long as possible. We recommend moisturizing at least twice a day.
7.) Avoid Chlorine.
Chlorinated pools are awesome, but after an airbrush tan, it’s best to limit your time in them because they shorten the life of your tan. Chlorine dries your skin out and sometimes can even have a bleaching effect. So it’s best to avoid chlorine altogether if possible, but if not – be sure to shower it off as soon as you can when you get out of the pool and keep that moisturizer flowing!
Following these tips can ensure that your tan lasts as long as possible!
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