Spray Tan Tips

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swim top // swim bottom // ray ban 

Happy Friday Babes! 

I hope you all had a great week! This has been the most requested post this year, so I am really excited to bring it to you all today!!

As you guys know, I’m obsessed with getting Spray Tans. Like, it’s a very rare occasion that I don’t have one and it’s because the truth is, pale is not a good look on me. 

I’m literally the real-life version of the meme “I’m a better person when I’m tan”! 

I am more confident, I swear it makes me look more toned and my clothes look better on me too. Maybe it is all a mental thing? Idk – but, either way, I love being tan. Growing up, my parents were big water skiers, so we were always out on the boat and my Dad lived on the beach in Florida for most of my life, so I was a sunkissed child from the start. I started going to tanning beds in high school and fried skin all throughout college as well. Then as soon as post-grad hit, I started to become super health conscious in all areas of my life, specifically with my skin. Not only for health reasons but for anti-aging reasons as well. 

So I decided to try spray tanning. Before spray tanning, I had a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing. When I thought of spray tanning, I would immediately think “orange”. I had seen friends go to spray tan booths and come out looking like Oompa Loompas.  Not to mention the forever dreaded orange stained hands.

But still, I wanted to give spray tanning a shot, so I researched salons in my area and found Bronze Bar Tan. It was close to my apartment, it had great Google reviews, I liked that it was a person spraying me and not a booth and that the products used were all organic. 

After my first spray, I became obsessed. Like it literally changed my life and I’ll never go back to frying my skin again. Since then, I personally feel like I have become a spray tan pro and figured it was time to share my tops tips and tricks with you! 

Spray Tan Tips 

What type of Spray Tan do I recommend?  

I recommend finding a salon in your area that offers spray tans applied by a professional and not a machine. I absolutely do not trust machines. I believe they make your tan look uneven, blotchy, and “fake” looking. 

You want an actual person spraying you. A professional who is going to make your tan look as natural as possible. Search through google and Instagram for salons in your area. Be sure to read the reviews. 

If you’re in Houston, I recommend Bronze Bar Tan in the Galleria / Uptown area. They also have a Katy location as well!

Preparing For Your Tan

-Exfoliate Your Skin: This is very important! This will allow your spray tan to not only be applied more evenly, but it will make it last longer as well. If you do not exfoliate, the tan will go on the top layer of your skin which is technically your dry & dead skin, as opposed to your fresh, smooth skin. 

-Shave Your Legs: This is another form of exfoliating. Shaving removes dead skin, so if you shave right after your tan, you will shave it right off.

-Pedicures: This is important because most pedicures include soaking your feet and some sort of exfoliating scrub. If you go after your spray tan, these salt scrubs will scrub your tan right off! So get your pedicure done the day before your tan and you’ll be just fine. 

-Waxing: Just like pedicures but instead of scrubbing off the dead skin, it’s getting pulled right off! Can you imagine getting a spray tan, then immediately going to get your eyebrows or bikini waxed?! That would be a sight to see and a nightmare all at the same time lol.

-Do not wear any moisturizer, lotion, deodorant, makeup, or perfume to your appointment. This is because you want your skin to be fresh and you do not want it to stick to the products and not your skin. 

What To Wear To Your Spray Tan

Loose dark clothing and sandals. You want to avoid wearing anything like jeans or tight fitting clothing. 

I always wear this dress and these sandals to my spray tan appointments because it’s cute enough to run errands in afterwards but  will also not jeopardize my tan. 

Do you have to be naked for a spray tan and is it awkward? 

You absolutely do not have to be naked! If you do not want to have any tan lines, then going nude is recommended, but if you are not comfortable with it, then just wear a swimsuit or your bra and underwear. Just expect to have to wash them afterward as there will be spray tan on them. 

From my experience, going nude has never been awkward. The person spraying you is a professional and probably sees a 100 boobs a day lol. Plus, they are more concentrated on spraying you evenly and doing a good job. 

The most awkward part for me is waiting for the person to come in the room to spray you. This is because you’re just kind of standing there in a shower-like thing, naked, awkwardly waiting to be sprayed-lol. 

How dark should I go? 

This is totally up to you but I always suggest going darker than you think! I have so many friends who have gone to get spray tans and have asked to not be “too dark” because they are nervous and do not want to look orange. 

Then after their tan, they’re disappointed because they feel like they do not look any different and that it was a total waste. 

If you’re going in to get a spray a tan, it’s because you want to be tan. If you go in and say “I’m nervous, I really don’t want to be that tan.” Then the person spraying you is going to spray you very conservatively. 

My recommendation is to tell them exactly what you want to look like. Do you want to look like you have been in Mexico for a week? Are you getting a tan so that you don’t look washed out in your wedding photos? Or do you just like constantly looking sun-kissed? That’s me-lol. I like to typically go dark. 

After Tan Tips

-Allow the specific allotted amount of time between getting your spray tan and showering. 

-Avoid any type of activity that may cause you to sweat until you are able to shower. 

-For your first shower after your spray tan, avoid using any soap. Note, you will see spray tan residue coming off your body in the shower. Do not be alarmed, this is completely normal. 

-Moisturize 3-4 times a day. Especially after each shower. From my experience, the more I moisturize, the longer my spray tan lasts. ***

-Enjoy your tan! 

“How long do I have to wait until I can shower?”

Every place is different, but at Bronze Bar, you can either get the Rapid Tan (where you shower in 4-5 hours) or the Regular Tan (where you shower in 8). 

“How often do you get a spray tan?”

I get a spray tan every two weeks. My tan usually lasts about 10 days but this all depends on if I moisturize correctly. If I put lotion on like I am supposed to, I can usually make it last longer! 

“I’m a Bride and I want to get a spray tan for my wedding, should I do a trial?”

100%! I cannot recommend this enough. You would rather be safe than sorry. Schedule the trial a month or a few weeks before your wedding so that you can see if you like it or not. This will also help you decide if you want to go darker, lighter. 

“How Do I Fix Orange Hands?”

While orange hands are very uncommon when being sprayed by a professional, it does happen sometimes. In my experience, orange hands are my own fault. After being sprayed, if I find myself resting my hands on my legs before showering, the tan can sometimes transfer to your hands. 

To fix this, I use the Olay Daily 2-in-1 Wipes. So random, but I swear it works! 

“Can I workout after my spray tan?” 

As long as you wait until after your shower, then yes!! If you are moisturizing properly, sweating days after should not affect your spray tan. 

“How do I get the spray tan off my clothes and bedding?”

Just throw it in the wash! The tanning solution comes out very easily but I have found Oxy Clean to be a life saver!  

“Is there anything you can do about the smell of the Spray Tan?”

Just learn to embrace it – lol. Personally, I have learned to love the smell because I know it means I will be tan soon. Plus it’s only a few hours and then it goes away once you shower.

Have any other questions? Just leave them below! 

Also,  if you’re in Houston, a Bronze Bar Giveaway will be going live today around 3:00 pm on Instagram! 

xo,

Lauren 

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