Before your appointment
Quick Tips
- Shower and exfoliate to remove all dry, dead skin. For best results, use an exfoliating mitt with our hydrating pre-tan exfoliant
- Shave and take care of any other hair removal
- Manicures, pedicures and other beauty services (massage, facials, waxing, etc.) should be done prior
Day of Appointment
- Remove all other self-tanners, makeup, perfume, deodorant, lotion, and oils
- If you have extremely dry skin, you may use a moisturizer the day of your appointment, but rinse off within one hour of appointment (avoid Dove products)
- Plan to wear dark, loose-fitting clothes and sandals, or no shoes until you rinse
After your appointment
What to Avoid
Once your tan has been applied (before your first shower) you’ll need to avoid the following:
- contact with liquids (swimming, bathing, washing dishes/hands, crying, rain, kisses from your partner or pets)
- sweating (save the workout and sunbathing for another day)
- wearing tight clothing, such as tight or wired bras, leggings, jeans, socks, shoes, etc.
- makeup, moisturizers, oils, lotions, deodorants, perfumes. Pretty much anything applied to your skin is going to act as a barrier and affect the development of your tan
Post-Tan Care
- Rinse only with water for your first shower. Your technician will assign your rinse time for you based on the solution you choose
- After showering carefully pat dry with a towel. Do not rub or scrub during or after you shower
- Moisturize with a high-quality sunless tanning lotion after every shower
- Wait about 24 hours before shaving. Be gentle and apply light pressure
- Waxing acts as a deep exfoliant, so plan to wait 7-10 days after in order to avoid removing your tan in those areas
Detailed Instructions
The Day of Your Spray Tan
- Take a shower as normal and be careful to rinse off ALL of the shampoo and soap
- Don’t apply any deodorant, moisturizer, lotion, cream, or makeup before your spray tan. Any of these products will block the spray tan from setting to its fullest and deodorants can turn the bronzer in the spray tan green, so unless you want Incredible Hulk armpits I would advise against it (The DHA tan will not be green, just the bronzer, which will rinse off)
- If you have an appointment later in the day then be sure to rinse off your deodorant or moisturizers in the shower or with a washcloth right before your appointment
Exfoliation is Key
- By exfoliating before a spray tan, you are turning your skin into a clean slate for your spray tan technician. This is the single most important aspect of your before-appointment regimen
- A spray tan sets on the topmost layer of your skin, so if the topmost layer of your skin is not at its cleanest, most natural state prior to a spray tan then you will not get the best results
- If you do properly exfoliate with an exfoliant designed specifically for spray tanning, then you can increase the life of your tan by up to three days!
What to Wear to Your Appointment?
- The tanning solution is oil-free, which means that it should not stain your clothes, bedsheets, or your couch; however, we do suggest that you wear dark, loose clothing so that your clothes don’t rub against the spray tan while it is setting
Now that you have had your appointment, and you love your spray tan, you should learn how to keep it:
- Do not go swimming or work out during the first 12 hours that your tan is developing to ensure that the tan is given enough time to properly set
- Our Rapid tan solutions will shorten your waiting time by several hours if this is a better fit for you. Remember that the full development of your tan takes about 24 hours after you’re sprayed, so be careful with your skin during that time
For your first shower: rinse only!
- You should wash off with water only during your first shower. After that, soaps and shampoos that have not been designed for spray tanning could still lessen the quality of your spray tan
- Alcohols and oils in products could produce a crackling effect on your fade and certain soaps dry out your skin, causing your tan to vanish faster
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!
- A spray tan’s worst enemy is dry skin; a spray tan’s best friend is a fantastic moisturizer. By using moisturizers on a daily basis (and after every shower!), your skin will stay soft, supple, and most importantly tanned for days longer!
Spray Tanning Solutions
We offer solutions that remain on the skin for 12 hours, 3-5 hours or 1-3 hours before rinsing. It all depends on how long you have to get your desired bronze and what occasion. We are here to help!