Fall Fashion – Tan is IN

The temperature is falling, but that doesn’t mean you have to give in to pale skin for the next few months. Keep your summer glow all year round with an airbrush tan!

How it works:

When you get an airbrush tan, a technician uses as specialized tool to evenly spray a solution on your skin. The solution we’re referring to contains Dihydroxyacetone or “DHA” – I know it sounds kind of scary, but DHA isn’t some sort of toxic chemical. In fact, it’s a completely NON-toxic, organic compound often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and by the fermentation of glycerin. DHA-based sunless tanning has been recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation, American Academy of Dermatology Association, Canadian Dermatology Association and the American Medical Association as a safer alternative to sun-bathing. When you get a tan from laying out in the sun, UV Rays are penetrating deep into the inner layers of your skin where they can cause serious skin damage, even cancer! But DHA works only in the outermost layer of your skin and changes your skin tone in a safe, natural way.

How long does it last?

On average an airbrush tan lasts 6-10 days. But there are steps you can take to make sure it lasts as long as possible. Be sure you exfoliate before your appointment. The night before, take a shower and scrub, scrub, scrub! We are constantly growing new skin cells and old ones flake off to reveal fresh new skin below. We want to be sure we are spraying the new, healthy skin and not old, dead skin on the surface! Be sure to shave before you come in, too. And don’t wear any lotions or perfumes on the day of your appointment. We want to be sure that the solution doesn’t encounter any obstacles and can be applied directly and evenly to your fresh new, smooth, clean skin! After your tan, avoid showering, working out, swimming, or anything requiring you to get wet for the first few hours. Let it really soak in and give it time to be absorbed. Avoid tight-fitting clothes when you come in for your appointment for the same reason – you don’t want the solution to be rubbed, washed, or smudged away before it has a chance to set into your skin. After those first few hours, break out the lotion! Keep your skin nice a moisturized for the duration of your tan. If you can avoid letting your skin dry out and fake off, your tan will last longer.

The benefits

You might be wondering why anyone really feels like they need a tan in winter to begin with… well, you’d be surprised what a little bit of color can do! It’s been shown that an airbrush tan, when properly applied, can make you look thinner, younger, and healthier. The color can help to mask age spots, cellulite, and blemishes, too. Your airbrush tan technician isn’t going to let you look orange, either. We know the nuances of our solutions and how to create a natural looking skin tone for each unique customer. In the dead of winter, you don’t want to look like you spent all night sleeping in a tanning booth, you just want a touch of color to make you glow and we can get you that perfect shade. It only takes a few minutes and costs less than you might think!  Give us a call to see for yourself!  🙂

All About Sunscreen!

I’m sure you’ve heard that too much exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer. It’s true! The sun emits ultraviolet or “UV” rays which can penetrate your skin and damage skin cells. They are like invisible laser beams that zap into your skin and do some real damage. The damage you’re likely most familiar with is sun burn. But there are bigger problems that can come from sun damage, such as cancer. That sounds scary, and it is, but the good news is that there are steps you can take to minimize your risk. The best thing you can do is use sunscreen, but be sure you’re using it properly! Below are a few tips and facts to help you better protect your largest organ: your skin!

Make sure you pick the RIGHT sunscreen.

Many sunscreens only protect you from the sun’s UVB rays, and not UVA rays. Both types of UV rays can cause skin cancer according to the American Cancer Society. UVB rays are mostly responsible for sun burns on the top layers of your skin, but just because you didn’t burn, doesn’t mean that UVA rays didn’t penetrate deeper and cause damage.

The ACS, CDC, and FDA all recommend that you use sunscreens that are SPF 15 or higher and have “broad spectrum” written on the label. Broad Spectrum means that it protects against both UVB and UVA rays.

SPF 30 isn’t “twice the protection” as SPF 15.  The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of your sunscreen is the fraction of rays that reach your skin, so SPF 15 means only 1/15 of UVB rays will reach the skin. SPF 30 can filter out 97 percent of UVB rays, whereas SPF 50 filters out 98 percent. There’s no evidence supporting that SPF values higher than 50 provide any additional protection.

There’s no such thing as “waterproof” sunscreen. Recent FDA regulations prevent companies from claiming sunscreen is “waterproof” anymore. Products can still claim to be “water resistant” for either 40 or 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. However, it is still recommending that you reapply sunscreen after getting wet.

You DO need sunscreen on a cloudy day! And more than just a little dab. 

Even if it’s cold or cloudy outside, you still need to wear sunscreen. Up to 40 percent of the sun’s UV rays reach the earth on a completely cloudy day. That’s more than enough to cause skin damage. According to studies, most people apply only 1/4 of the needed amount of sunscreen. We should be using one ounce of sunscreen to cover our arms, legs, neck and face. More if your back/stomach is exposed! One ounce is about a shot glass worth to put it in perspective.  Also note that sunscreen can and does wear off, so you need to reapply the same amount every two hours or after swimming or a work out that makes you sweat. Don’t skimp!

Applying sunscreen while you’re outside is already too late.

It’s tempting to save some time by grabbing the sunscreen and taking it with you to the beach to put it on there, but sunscreen takes about 30 minutes to be absorbed into your skin, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Be sure to apply it before going outside. And having a “base tan” won’t protect you from radiation. UV rays can penetrate a tan. Your darker pigment only protects up to an equivalent of SPF 3 at most and usually that number is less. You still need to apply sunscreen.

What you wear can help.

You can help combat sun exposure by wearing clothes, hats and sunglasses that advertise UV protection. Not all glasses provide this protection, so be sure to check for it specifically. Watch your clothing, though. Loose, thin materials don’t offer total protection. A typical t-shirt offers protection of roughly SPF 15. If you’re going to spend a whole day outdoors in direct sunlight, you might want to consider putting on a layer of sunscreen even under a thin shirt!

9. Get an airbrush tan if you want some color.

Tanning beds use UV rays to give you a tan. These are the same types of harmful rays in the sun. If you want a tan, FDA-approved airbrush tanning is the way to go. It’s not a dye or stain, the organic compound DHA in airbrush tanning formulas reacts naturally with the top layer of your skin to create a tan that only affects this top layer and doesn’t damage your skin. These tans last 7-10 days and are the safest option for those who desire tan skin but don’t want to risk the permanent damage that UV radiation can cause.

 

Looking for a fun, fresh idea for Girl’s Night?

You’ve invited your friends over for a “Girl’s Night” next weekend. You’re going to have some food and watch a movie for the millionth time. It’s always fun to see everyone, but do you want to try something different this time? What about getting an airbrush tan?

Airbrush tans are safe alternatives to roasting in the sun or exposing yourself to harmful UV Rays in a tanning bed. You get a beautiful tan in only minutes and it lasts up to ten days! But you don’t have to go OUT to get one. You can bring the tan to you right in your own home.

If you’re in Denver, give SHINE a call and one of our expert technicians will bring a mobile tanning station to your house and give everyone a personalized, amazing tan. It’s great for homecoming parties, bachelorette parties, and plain old get togethers!

If any of your friends are new to tanning, give them these helpful tips before they come over:

1. Exfoliate at home – use a body scrub or get out that loofah and make sure the top layer of dead skin is scrubbed off your body.
2. Don’t put on any lotions, sprays, or perfumes before the appointment.
3. Wear what you’re comfortable in! If that’s a bikini, great. If you’re comfortable going topless, or even nude, go for it! We’ve seen it all and tanned every body type you can imagine.
4. Afterwards, be sure to stay dry for a few hours while the solution sets in and works its magic. The next morning, be sure to moisturize and keep your skin soft and healthy for as long as you can to lock in that color. When the top layer of your skin sloughs off, the tan will be gone. But the good news is, it’s fast and affordable to get another appointment! 😉

Look great in ‘1-8!

Happy New Year, Denver! We’ve made it through 2017 and as we embark on this fresh year full of adventures, milestones, challenges, and changes, let’s not forget to stop and spend some time rewarding ourselves.

Year after year, one of the most popular New Years Resolutions is to get back into (or start fresh at) the gym. This is an excellent goal for your body and mind! When you’re thinking about working out, I bet you aren’t thinking about a tan, but you know the old saying “fake it ’til you make it?” Well, it applies here! An airbrush tan is surprisingly slimming. You will not only look healthier with a little color, a good tan will also hide small imperfections such as varicose veins. A great airbrush technician can even give you some shading to give you extra tone and definition. When you look better, you feel better. Looking your best will give you the confidence and motivation to throw on those workout clothes and get out there! Once you’ve been working hard and accomplish your goals, you’ll love how much better your 2018 body looks with a tan, too. Don’t let pale skin wash out your achievements; show off with some color!

Make this year SHINE with a safe, affordable, all natural tan from us. You deserve to look your best all year, and we’re here to help.

 

 

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!

Don’t get tricked into self-tanners!

You’re standing in line at your local drug store and there’s a product on the shelf near the checkout aisle that promises a great looking tan in your own home. Hmmm…. you wonder if you might be able to slather on some lotion and see the same kinds of results as you would from a trip to your airbrush tanning salon. Well, stop wondering: it’s not the same thing! And the differences don’t just stop at how they’re applied.

There are tons of self-tanners on the market. There are countless sprays and lotions to choose from and they range in price from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. The ingredients in these products vary, but a large number of them use types of dye to stain your skin. Unless you’re familiar with the product and how it looks on your unique skin tone, it’s hard to tell what shade of “tan” you’ll end up with. This sometimes ends up leaving you with an unnatural, embarrassing orange color.

You also have to be very careful applying your self-tanners. If you miss a spot, you likely won’t notice until the skin around it is colored and it’s still pale! Trying to cover your missed spot with more lotion will only make the dark skin darker and still leave you with a light patch. You have to properly rub all the solution into your skin or you will end up with streaks or splotches of darker color. Sometimes this is hard to do on your back or in places that you can’t easily see or reach. There are also some areas of your body that you don’t want to be as dark as the rest of your skin, like the back of your knees or palms of your hands. Those areas rarely tan in real sunlight so having them match the rest of your tan looks unnatural. Certain self-tanning products can also stain your clothes or furniture as well as your skin, so you’ll have to be cautious around fabrics.

Getting an airbrush tan eliminates many of these concerns!

When you get an airbrush tan, your technician will be able to help you find the right shade for your skin tone. They’re experts at making sure your color won’t look too dark or too unnatural. Airbrush tanning solutions don’t use stains or dyes to create that color. There’s an all natural, organic compound called DHA in these solutions that reacts safely and naturally with the outermost layer of your skin to create a darker pigment naturally. This is added to a bronzing agent to create the perfect glow. All of our products are vegan and never tested on animals. The FDA has approved them and they don’t carry the same health risks associated with tanning beds or laying out in the sun to tan.

Having an expert technician apply the solution also ensures that there will be no missed spots, no streaks, and no unnatural looking tans on areas that you DON’T want! And it’s much quicker than trying to do it yourself.

All of this is much less expensive than you think, too! Check our website for prices and specials. You’ll be surprised at how reasonably priced it is to get a great airbrush tan. You won’t consider going for the self-tan option again…  Make your appointment and start looking and feeling amazing with an airbrush tan from Shine!

The Safety of Spray Tans

By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the research showing how dangerous sun exposure can be. We’ve learned that the UV rays in the sun that damage our skin are also found in tanning beds. This might lead you to wondering about the safety of airbrush tanning as well.

Let’s start with the basics – What is an airbrush tan? How does it work?

When you get an airbrush tan, a technician uses as specialized tool to evenly spray a solution on your skin. This solution soaks into your skin and leaves you with a natural tan for approximately 7-10 days.  The solution we’re referring to contains Dihydroxyacetone or “DHA” – I know it sounds kind of scary, but DHA isn’t some sort of toxic chemical! In fact, it’s a completely NON-toxic, organic compound and it creates a reaction with the amino acids in the stratum corneum, which is the very outermost layer of your skin. This reaction is completely natural, it’s similar to the one that makes an apple turn brown when you cut into it. When you tan outdoors or in a tanning bed, the color change happens in the deepest layer of your skin, called the basal layer. UV Rays from the sun or the bed penetrate deeply into your body to initiate the color change, but it can also cause serious skin damage and even cancer. Your sun tan might be temporary, but the sun has broken down the DNA in your skin cells permanently. With DHA, nothing penetrates that deeply. The DHA stays on the surface of the skin and the reaction doesn’t affect anything below that first outer layer of skin. We are always shedding and re-growing skin. When that top skin flakes off, the color from your airbrush tan leaves with it. Nothing is permanent with an airbrush tan.

But is DHA safe?

The FDA has done extensive research and deemed DHA safe to use. You should not ingest the solution and you should not get it into your eyes, nose, or mouth. So, when you get an airbrush tan, keep your eyes and mouth closed, and don’t inhale the solution. Some people prefer to use nose clips as well, just to be safe. There are some people who have been known to have an allergic reaction to spray tans, but that’s usually due to other ingredients in the solutions used. If you’re sensitive and have many skin allergies, you might want to test a small area to see how it reacts before you do your whole body. Airbrush tanning does NOT carry the risk of skin cancer or photo-aging that the sun or tanning beds do.

There have been issues reported with other tanning products that are sometimes called tan enhancers, accelerators, promoters, or amplifiers. Many of these products interact with the sun to create an even deeper color, so they are actually accentuating the damage done to the skin by the sun itself. There are also oral pills, which are banned commercially in the U.S. and for good reason. They contain the carotenoid chemical (the same pigment found in carrots), and have been associated with a variety or disorders including hepatitis and hives.  Airbrush tanning contains NONE of these risks either. It won’t protect you from the dangers of the sun, though. So when you leave the house, you’re always encouraged to wear sunscreen with an appropriate SPF number to minimize your risk of damage from the sun.

So airbrush tanning is basically the safest way we’ve found to get a tan! It’s also the fastest. You can get a full body tan in about 15 minutes as opposed to laying in the sun for hours!  I bet you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s also quite affordable. Some salons, like Shine in Denver, even offer an option to do a mobile tanning session, where they bring the equipment to your house for you and tan you in the comfort of your own home! Give it a try and see for yourself. It’s fast, cheap, and SAFE! Why not?

Science of Tanning

There are several ways you can get a natural tan. The most obvious is from the sun. Light from the sun reaches the earth in three different forms: visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light. The last type, ultraviolet light, is classified into three separate categories:
* UVA or black light, which causes tanning.
* UVB, which typically causes damage in the form of sunburn.
* UVC, which doesn’t affect us because it’s filtered out by the atmosphere before it can get to our skin.
The problems we associate with sun exposure, such as premature aging, skin cancer, sun spots, etc. are primarily caused by harmful UVB rays. Research suggests UVA might have a hand in these things as well. Most of the sun’s UV radiation at sea level is UVA rays.
UVA can be reflected, as well. Snow actually reflects roughly 90% of UV light, which is why you can get severe sun burns while skiing or snow boarding. Sand reflects up to 20% of UVB too, so at the beach, you’re getting more UV exposure than you would be getting if you were sitting in your backyard. Water also reflects UV light, although it doesn’t prevent it from penetrating the surface of the water. You can still get burned while swimming. Some surfaces can absorb these rays rather than reflect them. Certain types of glass do this, and our own melanin in our skin absorbs UV light to some degree.

Ultraviolet light in the sun stimulates the production of melanin. This pigment protects cells from damage by absorbing as much UV radiation as it can. Imagine you put a sponge on top of a piece of paper and slowly dropped beads of water onto it. The sponge would soak the water up before it can ruin the paper. That’s sort of what your melanin does to UV rays. It can become saturated, though. Eventually if you keep dropping water on it, the paper will be ruined.

It’s this protective melanin in your skin which gets darker and creates what we call a tan. Caucasians typically have the least amount of melanin in their skin on a day-to-day basis, but in many other races, there is a continuous melanin production, which causes the skin to remain pigmented and also offers more protection against UV rays.

It’s important to note that all UV rays are potentially dangerous. They can cause deep damage to your cells, which results in painful sunburn at best and fatal skin cancer at worst. It’s important to protect yourself from skin damage by wearing sunscreen when you’re outside. Avoiding direct sunlight is the best way to protect yourself. This really ruins your chance at a tan, though.

There is one more way that you can get naturally darker skin, however. That’s through DHA.  DHA is an organic compound naturally found in your own body that creates a chemical reaction within the amino acids in the outermost layer of your skin when applied directly to the exterior of your body. This reaction does not involve the underlying skin pigmentation, nor does it require exposure to ultraviolet light to initiate the change in color.  It is similar to the maillard reaction which occurs in food. It’s a natural, temporary color that looks just like a tan that occurs from melanin. The active ingredient in airbrush tanning is DHA. The color produced in an airbrush tan typically lasts 7-10 days, but it is much safer than roasting yourself in the sun or using a tanning bed.

The Evolution of Tanning

Centuries ago, having pale skin was a status symbol. Lower class workers had darker skin because they were outdoors all day, so being tan was something looked down upon. Women went to great lengths to avoid the sun! Upper class women wore hats and rarely left the house without a parasol. They also caked their faces in heavy white powder to appear more pale.

In the 1930’s, movies began using color film, which propelled the tanning movement that had slowly began in the 20’s. Starlets were seen basking in the sun at Hollywood swimming pools, and “sun therapy” was being prescribed to cure common illnesses. Swim suits became skimpier and skimpier, and by the 1950’s, bikinis became the hottest fashion trend.

It was a complete status turn-around. Having a tan was now a symbol of wealth and leisure! People were using silver UV reflectors to get darker tans. In the 1960’s, people all over the country were using cocoa butter and baby oil as tanning lotions. The surfing lifestyle was all the rage and tans were the coolest accessories you could have!

By the 70’s, people wanted to have tans year-round.  In 1975, the tanning booth was created to give you that “just got back from the beach” look all year long. Mattel introduced Malibu Barbie the same year. George Hamilton became the first tan Dracula in “Love At First Bite” shortly after! Sunscreen with SPF 15 came out and more people than ever could enjoy themselves in the sun without burning to a crisp. Movies like “10” and shows like “Baywatch” kept the tan craze alive and well for decades to come. Higher SPF sunscreens were invented, as well as water-proof varieties and spray-on’s. Tan enhancers such as Maxgel and Sizzle became popular with both indoor and outdoor tanners. Tanning became big business – more and more tanning salons opened, offering customers access to tanning booths.

Eventually, we began studying and learning more about the effects of the sun. It was discovered that too much sun exposure causes serious cellular damage, and is a leading cause of skin cancer. People are now urged to use higher SPF sunscreen and avoid too much time in mid-day sun. Sunless tanning became a safer alternative to roasting at the beach all day or hopping into tanning beds which saturate you with potentially harmful UV rays. There are bronzers you can apply yourself at home and spray tan booths that will spray color at you! Sunless tanning has come a long way from the orange dye that they used to use. The most effective and natural looking sunless tan available today is airbrush tanning. A technician will apply a solution to your skin evenly and make sure you look naturally tan. It’s hard to tell the difference between an airbrush tan and a tan you get from being outdoors. Airbrush tanning solutions contain a compound called DHA which naturally stimulates your skin to produce color, but does not permeate your deep skin tissues the way UV rays do. An airbrush tan will last approximately 7-10 days. It’s FDA approved and currently the safest alternative to baking your body in the sun. It won’t cause wrinkles and leathery skin the way too much sun can, too!

Being tan is still considered beautiful and most of the models you see in magazines and actors you catch on TV are perfectly bronzed. Tan skin hides imperfections and makes you look younger and healthier. Tanning isn’t going anywhere, but our ability to tan safely with an airbrush tan is certainly a highlight of modern life!

Full Body Make Over!

 

Plastic surgery is big business. Even “quick fixes” like fillers can cost you a lot of money. If you want an instant, pain-free way to look healthier, slimmer, and younger for under $50, you’ve come to the right place! What magical pill or product are we talking about? You might be surprised to learn that you can have all these results AND smooth out your skin tone, reducing the appearance of varicose veins and cellulose with a safe, all nature airbrush tan!

Spray tans have gotten a bad rep for turning people orange and streaky in the past. That’s because spray tans used to use stains and dyes to color the skin. An airbrush tan today doesn’t need all that artificial color! We use a safe, organic compound called DHA which works on the very top layer of your skin and doesn’t penetrate or damage deeper skin cells the way that tanning beds can. It creates a tan in a natural way and is approved by the FDA. Your airbrush tanning technician is specially trained and will apply this formula evenly over your body to create a tan so natural that no one will know it isn’t real!

These technicians can contour the application to make you look thinner, have bigger cleavage, and even have more toned muscles. It’s incredible what some well-placed color can do.  It also makes you look healthier when your skin has some color to it. A healthy glow goes farther than make-up!

Airbrush tanning can also cover up certain blemishes. It does wonders to hide veins and cellulite. It can also mask blotchy skin or age spots, as well as make stretch marks and scars less visible.  It’s not a magic wand, but it certainly helps!

An airbrush tan won’t last forever, but if you exfoliate before your appointment, avoid showering or swimming right after it, and then keeping your skin nice and moisturized for the next week, you can prolong your tan up to 10 days, sometimes even longer!  It’s great to do all year round, especially for special occasions or big events.

Time to see what an amazing make-over it can be for yourself! Make an appointment today!