How to Prep Before Your Tan

Spray tan perfection has never been easier. The perfection, however, comes with an allegiance to  pre spray tan tips and knowing how to maintain tan as long as possible. Follow these simple rules for the longest lasting tan.

Artesian Tan Tips for Spray Tanning:

1. Exfoliate before you tan.

Use the day for each session to scrub with a coarse salt or sugar mix. Removing all the oil from your skin ensure that the tanning solution can latch on to your skin cells. Exfoliating can and should include hair removal, too. Shave or wax the day before so that your skin has just enough time to recover, and just too little time to grow back before layering your skin with its new color.

2.  Avoid oils day-of.

Oils will prevent the tanning solution from sticking, so avoid oils, lotions, perfumes and deodorants at all costs! If this totally grosses you out, try scheduling your spray tan early in the morning or far enough after work that you can run home to shower and scrub away the oils.

3. Don’t sweat it.

Really though, don’t sweat. If you aren’t doing any strenuous activity, but have areas that might naturally sweat, load up on baby powder to keep the sweat from dripping down. Under butt, underarms, inner thighs, inner knees and feet are all areas with sweating tendencies- powder up!

4. The baggier, the better.

Keep your skin free and clear of any clingy fabrics. Put on your baggiest garments. If the material touches the treatment too quickly after the tan, your inseams will be designing patterns that are certain to steal the show from your new radiance.

5. Soak it in.

Those moments after the tan feel funky, yes. But if you can get yourself to wait six to eight hours before showering, your results are going to be magnificent! When you finally do allow yourself to shower, take note of the pH of your body wash. You want to make sure the body wash is pH-balanced so that the tan does not get washed away or streaky.

6. Think about protection.

There are products that help enhance the tan, and there are products that practically scare it off of your skin. Amongst these products to avoid: oils, anything with fragrance, exfoliator, anti-aging lotions, and serums. Once the lifespan of your tan has ceased, hop back into your regular routine. Just give yourself those five to seven product-free days.

7. Wait to shave!

Bear with those bear legs as long as you can. If you absolutely must shave, be as gentle as possible on the surface of your skin. Pat it softly post-shave to avoid any unnecessary exfoliation. Put on lotion before you dry up, too! If you like alternative moisturizers, try coconut oil.

8. Supplement with a self-tanner.

You probably know that dread feeling of the fading tan. It happens randomly on the skin and never symmetrically- maybe the hands, feet or underarms. If and when this starts to happen, apply a self-tanner. You can use a makeup sponge for the application if it is in small, isolated areas.

9. No hot tubbing.

This isn’t the most difficult rule to obey, but it is an important one! When heat and chlorine combine, your spray tan will come right off your skin. Ten minutes in the Jacuzzi are so not worth the total eradication of your tan!

For all of the  best spray tan equipment and advice on how to get an even spray tan, check out the Artesian Tan store! You’ll never want to sunbathe again.