Defeat the enemies of your airbrush tan!

Your brand new airbrush tan is so lovable, it’s hard to imagine it would have enemies, but it does. There are things that want to fade it into oblivion, but we’re here to give you the tools to fight for your tan!

The first thing you can do to protect your tan begins before your appointment! Be sure to shave and exfoliate your skin the night before your tan. You want to be sure that top layer of flaky dead skin that we all have is sloughed off to reveal the fresh skin underneath. There are plenty of products available to help you exfoliate, but beware of sugar scrubs or other scrubs on the market which have an oily base. That oil might feel great, but before an airbrush tan, it can coat the skin and make it hard for your tanning solution to permeate. You want to walk into your tanning appointment with clean, DRY skin. Don’t apply any lotions, perfumes, or sprays to your skin before you tan because it can block the tanning solution and you could end up with an uneven or weak tan.

The next enemy your tan will encounter is tight clothing. While airbrush tans dry fairly quickly and don’t stain the way some self-tanning lotions do, you still want to give your tanning solution time to soak into your skin evenly. Skip the skinny jeans and opt for loose clothes on the day of your appointment.

Once you’ve gotten your tan, stay clear of water. For the first 6-8 hours, water is your tan’s enemy. Swimming, showering, even sweating can wash off the solution before it has a chance to properly set. After those first few hours, water lightens up and your tan and water can be friends again. But don’t spend hours in the hot tub if you can help it. Chlorine will be still try to sabotage your tan in large quantities, too. Chlorine dries your skin out and can have a bleaching effect with prolonged contact. 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 pat yourself dry.

Dry skin is enemy number one. Once the tan skin on your body starts dying and flaking off, it takes your tan with it. Keep your skin moisturized, but avoid over-saturating it. Opt for a light moisturizer over a thick body butter, and use it whenever you start feeling dried out.

With these tips, you’ll be a super hero to your tan!

Extend The Life of Your Airbrush Tan

We don’t get many complaints about airbrush tanning. It’s safe, it’s affordable, and it looks fantastic. The only disappointment we hear from customers is that they wish it could last longer. While we can’t make it last forever, we DO have some tips to extend the life of your tan. It all starts the day before your appointment…

EXFOLIATE! Tanning beds and the sun itself produce UV Rays which penetrate deep into your skins to create a tan. This can cause damage deep within your skin ranging from sunburns to skin cancer. Spray tans, however, only work on the top, outermost layer of your skin. This makes them much safer, but it also means that the tan won’t last as long. We are always losing skin. The top layer of skin dies and falls off or gets rubbed away by clothes, showers, etc. To make sure you’re not applying your tanning solution 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, sponges, and gloves on the market that can help you with this task. You can even make your own natural sugar scrub if you’re so inclined! There are tons of great recipes out there. Whatever you choose to use, make sure you do it the day before your appointment!

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. Plus, if you have hair on your body, the tanning solution will get on the hair and it can block the solution from getting to your skin and working it’s magic.

SKIP THE LOTION BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT. On the day of your appointment, don’t put on any creams, sprays, perfumes, or lotions. A layer of lotion on your skin can block the tanning solution from absorbing into your skin.

WEAR LOOSE CLOTHING.  Skinny jeans are great, but don’t wear them to your airbrush tanning appointment. The tanning solution dries pretty quickly, but it’s still a good idea to avoid tight-fitting clothes that will 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.

STAY DRY! It’s not just tight clothes that can potentially disrupt your tan. Water can also 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.

NOW IT’S TIME TO 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. Your hydrated skin will stay healthier longer. 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. If you can find a moisturizer that has SPF sun protection built-in, even better! It will help protect your skin from those damaging UV Rays we mentioned earlier!

AVOID CHLORINE. After an airbrush tan, it’s best to limit your time in chlorinated pools. 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!

What Should I Expect From My Airbrush Tanning Appointment?

If this is your first time getting an airbrush tan, you might be nervous or not know what to expect. Relax, we’ll walk you through it!

Find a local airbrushing salon & make your appointment. In Denver, give us a call at 303-722-4040 to set a time. You can come to us (we’re located in Washington Park) or you can make an appointment for us to come to you! We have a mobile tanning station that we can bring to your house and quickly, cleanly give you a tan in the comfort of your own home. Mobile tanning is a fun girl’s night/bachelorette/birthday/pre-prom party activity too – get the girls together and get a tan!

The day before your appointment, be sure you exfoliate! You want to remove the top layer of dead skin all over your body. Use an exfoliating body wash or scrub down with a washcloth or an exfoliating brush for the best results. You don’t want the tanning solution to be applied to dead skin because it will flake off and your tan won’t look as even or last as long as it should! Shaving, waxing, facials, manicure/pedicures, massages, and laser treatments should all be done before your tanning appointment. Make sure your skin is as clean as possible – don’t use any oils, perfumes, or lotions before your session as these can block the solution and affect your tan.

When you come in, you’ll meet with your technician and discuss your skin tone and how dark you want your tan to be. Feel free to ask any questions you might have! We want you to be as comfortable as possible. The actual tanning process is short and sweet. Wear whatever you’re comfortable with. Some people wear swim suits during their sessions, some don’t – believe me, we’ve seen it all, so don’t be shy if you want full coverage! Your technician will ask you to move and pose so that they can evenly spray your body. It feels like a cool, light mist and the entire process will be over in roughly 15 minutes or so. The solution dries quickly, but sometimes you might notice a smudge or two on your clothing. We like to recommend that you wear loose, dark clothing if you can, but don’t panic –  the bronzer easily washes out of most fabrics!

After your tan, try to stay dry for at least 8 hours! Avoid showers, pools, and exercise while your tan sets. You’ll also want to keep your skin moisturized. Apply moisturizer daily in the morning and evening to help keep your tan as long as possible. When your skin gets dry, it flakes off and will take your color with it, so keep it smooth and hydrated! Avoid soaps and moisturizers that contain AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) as well as chlorine from pools/hot tubs whenever possible. Long hot showers and baths might also dull your tan. so keep ’em short! You can also apply tan extender solutions that contain DHA – these will help your tan last even longer! We sell these as well, just ask your technician about it.

Then just sit back and enjoy your tan! If properly maintained, your spray tan will last up to 10 days – possibly even longer if you apply an extending solution! Most people are surprised by how quick and easy the whole process is and how great the results are. So don’t be nervous – give it a try!