Self-tanning vs. spray tanning

So you’ve heard about the risks of sun exposure and the damage that UV Rays can have to your body, so you decided that you don’t want to put yourself at risk by laying out in the sun or using a tanning bed. That’s a great choice! But you still want to look great this summer and pale skin just isn’t the look you want…  so what are your options? You can self-tan or you can spray tan… but what’s the difference? Is an airbrush tan really different than the spray-on-tans you can buy in a bottle at your local pharmacy?

The answer is YES! 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!

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!