Pre and Post Care is ESSENTIAL to a flawless tan, whether it a professional airbrush tan or an at home self tan application. So let us help you simplify and protect your sunless tanning routine!
To get the best results from your sunless tan you have to start with proper prep, here are our tips:
EXFOLIATE! Exfoliation, helps prepare the skin by removing dead skin cells, old tan, and dry skin. This is key to ensuring an even canvas for your tan to be applied to and will also help extend the life of your tan. Exfoliation and shaving should be done at least 12 hours before a tan application to allow time for the pores to close. Exfoliating or shaving too close to a tan application can cause the product to settle into open pores creating a speckled effect. If you are a waxer, then we recommend waxing 24 hours prior to tanning as this opens the pores up more than shaving.
APPLY TO BARE SKIN. Any sunless tan should be applied to skin free of moisturizers, oils, perfumes, and deodorants. Prior to sunless tanning, if needed, a warm water rinse should be done to remove these products from the body, we recommend about 3-4 hours prior. Having clean skin ensures even and proper absorption of the tan. Products such as lotions and oils, and even body washes and soaps can create barriers on the skin affecting the tanning solutions absorption and development.
BARRIER CREAM. This step is often done for spray tanning but should also be used for at home self tanning applications. Barrier cream is just a clean, fragrance free moisturizer that is used on areas with particularly porous (and often dry) skin, such as the feet, hands, elbows and knees. These areas often absorb too much DHA from tanning solutions causing them to be darker than other areas of the body. A light layer of barrier cream should be applied around feet, toes, heels and ankles, and then to the palms, fingers, and knuckles. If your elbows and knees are extra dry you can also apply some barrier cream to these areas.
LOOSE CLOTHES. Wearing loose fitting clothing immediately after your sunless tanning application is insurance for your tan. Although DHA begins absorbing into the skin immediately, it is important not to have tight fitting clothing rubbing off the solution while it is drying and developing. Tight-fitting clothing can also create heat and sweating which can cause uneven development of your tan. We recommend a T-shirt dress for at least the first hour of your tan development.
PROCESS TIME. Different spray tan solutions and self tanners have different process times. So it is important to follow the instructions of your spray tan artist or sunless tan product. Average development time is anywhere between 2-8 hours. It is important that during your process time, you do not sweat, shower, or come into contact with any water. Most products actually develop for a full 24 hours, so it is essential that your first rinse be with warm water only. This is just to get the excess DHA and cosmetic bronzers off, however the DHA is still likely developing in the skins first layer. After 24 hours, a normal shower can be taken, but at DRENCHED we always recommend holding off on shaving and exfoliating until you are ready to start fading your tan! We also recommend patting yourself dry rather than rubbing , as this can cause exfoliation on wet skin and rub off some of your tan.
AFTERCARE. As with any beauty service, proper aftercare can help you achieve your best results, so same goes for sunless tanning! Our top tip for maintaining your sunless tan is DRENCH DRENCH DRENCH! Hydration is key for any tan, so applying a tan safe moisturizer daily is going to keep your skin glowing and your tan fading evenly. We recommend a tan extender to moisturize the skin, while adding a subtle amount of DHA to blend any fading of your tan. Dry skin can cause a tan to look patchy, fade unevenly, and look like “alligator skin.” This is because the dry skin is uneven shedding removing layers of the sunless tan with it. Moisturizing daily not only nourishes the skin, it will keep the skin glowing and help with more even fading of your sunless tan.
We hope these tips help you achieve a consistent sunless tanning routine and your best natural tan! Protecting your skin is in, so what better way than to avoid UV rays, sun damage, and the risk of skin cancer. We don’t have to compromise beauty for health, at DRENCHED we believe they can work simultaneously.
