How To Spray Tan And Become A Spray Tan Professional

How To Spray Tan And Become A Spray Tan Professional

If you’ve just decided to enter the beautiful and potentially lucrative business of spray tanning, congratulations! You are in for a treat and, hopefully, a tanned and smooth ride.

Spray tanning is known for achieving rich colors and fast results without breaking the buck, which is why it is slowly but surely becoming a favorite among the alternative ways of getting a tan, especially among the professional stylists and celebrities all around the globe.

With recent innovations in this fast-growing business, especially in terms of quality and skin-improving formulas, the demand for spray tanning skills is skyrocketing on a daily basis. This is why the average mobile spray tanning business salary is on the rise and the tanning market, in general, is getting hotter by the minute.

But before you start your own business and start shooting for the stars (pun intended), you must first learn the ropes. How to spray tan? What equipment do I need? Where to buy spray tan solution? Where do I begin? These are just some of the basic yet crucial questions you should be asking but don’t fret, the answers are rather easy.

Let’s get that ball rolling!

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All in one handheld spray gun

First you must determine who your potential clients would be and where you will be conducting the tanning sessions. These factors determine the type of spray tanning equipment you will be needing to get the job done.

You have several options:

  • Finding the one spray tan machine that matches all your requirements and needs.
  • Buying several pieces of equipment and then doing the mix and match tactics.
  • Or, opt for an all-around spray tanning kit.

Think through all these options and pick your strategy.

How To Spray Tan

Truth be told, the sunless spray tan process is can be an art. Think of your client as a canvas, you are the painter, and your spray gun is your paint brush. Here are just the basic steps:

  1. Make sure your client has prepared for the tan by exfoliating and that they don’t have any products on their skin.
  2. Spray the tanning solution on the client’s skin evenly until he or she is completely covered. (Make sure you clean your equipment after)
  3. DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) inside the solution starts to react with proteins in the skin cells.
  4. The person waits at least 8 hours before showering.
  5. And voila! They have the perfect tan.

But, is this really that easy?

The answer is both yes and no. In order to become a spray tan professional, one must learn from experience and have a trick or two up their sleeve.

Here are some tips and hacks that can really separate the average  spray tan professionals from the great.

Pro Spray Tanning Tips

The Pre-Rinse Check 

Before you start the spray tan process, make sure you spray some water or cleaning solution through the airbrush in order to check if your equipment functions properly. One can never be too sure.

Spraying Like A Boss

However simple and straightforward the very process of spraying may sound, it does require a certain level of skill and dexterity. Here are some basics:

  • Hold the airbrush roughly 8-12 inches from the skin.
  • Spray in overlapping lines or circles. NOTE: Whichever method you choose, stick to it for the entire session.
  • Try keeping it as dry as you can. NOTE: The skin should glisten a little the very moment the spray hits it, but you don't want it to stay that way.
  • If, however, a certain area won’t stop glistening, stop spraying the tanning solution and start spraying air only, so it makes the area dry.

Finishing Up

Once the session is over, your client needs to dry off. Make sure they wear loose clothing, and also no showers or exercises for up to 8 hours after the session. 

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