If you’ve got an event or a holiday coming up and want to look bronzed without the risk of skin damage from sunbathing or even sunbeds, then a spray tan is going to be your best option. Spray tans allow you to get a good level of all over coverage without having to worry about streaks or orange palms, but there are some things that you should do to help your skin to prepare, which will also make your tan last as long as possible:
Go Clean
This is obviously a bit of a no-brainer, but making sure you’re totally clean will help you to make sure the tan sticks to your skin and not a layer of sweat or dirt! Use a nourishing body wash like Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, which will get you clean all over without drying your skin out and leaving you flaky.
Go Scrubbed
Using a decent exfoliator the night before you’re tanned is a really god idea as it will get rid of all of your dry, dead skin cells, allowing the tan to develop on the new, fresh skin beneath. This will help to reduce patchiness and give you a really even tan all over. We recommend Decleor 1000 Grains Body Exfoliator to leave skin feeling smooth, soften and refined.
Go Bare
We aren’t talking about your clothes! Before having a spray tan, make sure you aren’t wearing any make up, and we’d even recommend not using deodorant until after your tan too, as this can interfere with the application! Use Jan Marini Bioglycolic Facial Cleanser to ensure your face is totally clean and make-up free.
Go Shaved
…or whatever your preferred hair removal method is. You aren’t going to be able to shave anywhere AFTER you’ve been tanned as this is one of the quickest ways of stripping your tan off completely, so attending to all essential hair removal beforehand is a must. Use a little Elemis S.O.S. Survival Cream on sensitive areas after shaving to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs.
Go Painted
This is a slightly unusual tip, but one which has seen us through many a spray tan. Go to your spray tan appointment with your nails painted! There have been times in the past when we’ve gone with bare nails and the tan has stained them, so if you paint them, even if it’s with a layer of clear varnish, you’ll stop the tan from being able to cling to the nail itself! It’s also worse when your nails are dry, so using Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream can also help.