Getting Your First Spray Tan? 4 Things You Need To Know

Wouldn't it be great if you could walk out in the sun and be dark within an hour or pop into a tanning bed for 20 minutes and have that natural glow to your skin? Unfortunately, you are one of those people that don't have that luxury. However, you can have beautiful tan skin – all you have to do is get a spray tan! While at-home, self-tanning lotions and kits can potentially turn your skin orange, this isn't a risk with professional organic spray tan solutions. However, there are a few things that you should be aware of if you want to ensure that your first (and subsequent) spray tan goes without a hitch.

Tip #1: Shower and Exfoliate First.

Prior to going to your spray tan appointment, you will want to ensure that you shower and exfoliate really well. Scrub your entire body from head to toe. This will ensure that any dry, flaky skin is eliminated so that the pigment from the spray tan will adhere well to your skin, which promotes the most even results. In other words, you want to do this so that you don't have a streaky tan.

Tip #2: Don't Wear Makeup.

Since the spray tan is going to cover your entire body, including your face, you are going to want to make sure that you have complete, even coverage. In order to do this, you will want to remove any makeup before you go to your appointment. If you don't want to remove prior to arriving at the salon, you can always remove it there. Also, you will probably want to remove your deodorant, as it could act as an unfortunate barrier to the spray tan.

 Tip #3: Don't Forget the Barrier Cream.

While you will be informed of this at your appointment, there are certain areas of the body that will absorb more of the spray tan pigment. These areas include the knees, ankles, elbows, knuckles, etc. Therefore, you will need to apply a barrier cream to these areas prior to getting the spray tan so that they aren't darker than the rest of your skin, which will make the entire tan look unnatural. As a general rule, the spray tan salon will have this barrier cream for you to use.

Tip #4: Wear Loose Clothing Afterward.

After you get your spray tan, you want to make sure that you have loose clothing to wear. Otherwise, the spray tan is going to rub off and/or you are going to end up with tan lines (and one reason you get a spray tan is to avoid the tan lines). So, aim for a loose dress, and go without a bra, if possible.