Tanning Pre & Post -Care: why it is important?
We take pride in making sure our clients have all the info we can offer to make their tan perfect!
It is 99% the pre and post care!
Why does it matter? We talk about pre tanning so much because it is a thing. 99% of Airbrush Tanning issues come with pre or post care. It isn’t what we do as much as it is what you do.
I think , as cleints getting a service done, we expect the technician to be able to give us what we want, no matter what. I mean, we are paying for it right? This, like other personal services, depends not only on the technicians skill, expertise and product but also on what is on the clients skin before and how it is treated after. We make sure to tell everyone in emails, over the phone and in person the importance of pre and post care. So let me say it one more time for the record. What you do before and after your tan is VERY important. We want each tan to be perfect so here are some helpful ways to make it happen.
NO DOVE or moisturizing scrubs, oils, lotions, perfume, deodorant. YOU NEED to be DRY! The solution needs to properly absorb. If you have anything on your skin to stop absorption it will act like you smeared Vaseline on your skin and we sprayed you with water. This would cause the solution to bead up and drip. Even if it doesn’t visibly drip during your service it can create an uneven tan in areas that are moisturized.
Get your nails, Brazilians and massages done at least a day before your tan but make sure to exfoliate all the lotion, oils and other products.
Exfoliate!!!! Don’t use anything containing oil. The best thing to do is use exfoliating gloves with a gel body wash or dry bar soap. (We have these available for FREE for our tanning clients )
Shave at least 12 hours before the tan with a razor that doesn’t have a moisture strip (This is also in your FREE Pre tanning kit)
No Lotions, deodorant or perfumes before your tan. If you happen to have any of this on let us know before and we can provide you with a towel or wipe to remove it. It acts as a barrier between your skin and the solution.
Bras- create oil build up on your skin under the bra. Most wear a bra a few times before each wash so there can be a build up of oil that stops the tan from penetrating that area and can cause visible drips while we are spray tanning you. We see this often in this area.
Drips- If you have visible drips during service might not have the best tan. This can be caused from all of the the above. If you have drips we will tell you during the service and do our best to make sure we provide you with the best tan possible with realistic expectations that the areas the drip might not turn out perfect. In some cases if the entire body is dripping we will suggest you go home and shower and exfoliate with different oil free products and come back.
What to wear during: think about what you are getting a tan for: A wedding, vacation, party? What will you be wearing while you have the tan? Think about straps, necklines, skimpy bathing suits. In other words: You don’t want to tan in granny panties then put on a string bikini. Could you imagine the tan lines? What ever you wear during your tan will leave natural skin under so keep that in mind when choosing your tanning attire. Many go nude to make sure there are no visible tan lines. This is up to you to decide.
What to wear after: Dark lose fitting clothe preferably. Tight jeans, bras, leggings, shape-wear or tight straps over shoulders are not recommended. If you have questions about what you plan to wear after let us know.
Let the tan stay on the skin 10-12 hours. You will look like you are getting darker and darker. DO NOT worry. The tan you see when you leave is the bronzer which will wash off in the shower the next day. The tan will develop under (in addition to) the bronzer so you will look double dark. If you wash off prematurely the tan is going to not fully develop. When you take a shower you will see the bronzer wash off and your beautiful natural looking tan will be left.
Don’t get wet: water, sweat and even baby drool can mess up the tan so make sure you can avoid anything wet. Tell dad he is on baby bath duty and dishes.
Got wet on accident?: if your tan has been on for a few hours and you get a little water on you don’t freak out. It is probably just the bronzer moving around and when you shower tomorrow you will most likely be fine. don’t try and fix it, leave it alone. This is a case by case so make sure you call us and send us a photo and we can let you know what your best options are.
MOISTURIZE: we harped on no moisturizer before the tan now we will stress the importance of moisturizer after the first shower. If you want your tan you last as long as possible we do not want you to exfoliate. Keep your skin hydrated with moisturizer (make sure it is not an exfoliating lotion for anti-aging).
Pat dry: When you get out of the bath, shower, pool etc make sure you pat dry and do not rub. This will exfoliate your tan off prematurely.
Long periods of time in water. I know many people get a tan to go on vacation but being in waster for long periods of time will make the tan come off faster. BUT the good news IS: You will be naturally getting a tan while your airbrush tan fades. If you don’t naturally tan and you want to keep your tan you probably should avoid water for long amounts of time.
What can help make the tan last even longer? We have aftercare products with the same tanning solution in them. One is a lotion that is great for your body and one is a mist that is awesome for your face. They develop over time and when used after your tan every other day your tan will last longer.
Expectations
Your tan will last 7-10 days make sure you exfoliate it off prior to getting another tan. There is never any guarantee.
Butt crease- most of us naturally have a crease under our butts. This is normal and if you were to lay out in the sun you would also have a white crease. How do we fix it? we can go over that area at the end but any skin to skin contact will not always be perfect.
Under boob- We all have different breasts. They can be large, small, perky, saggy, we have seen it all. We tan your whole body and then tan under and powder with a clay based powder that will help dry the area and stop any creasing.
Lastly
If anything seems OFF, or wrong, too much, not enough give us a call we would be happy to help figure out what happened to fix it or make sure it doesn’t happen again.
We LOVE airbrush tanning and know you will too!