Immediately following spray appointment

Right after your spray is when you look a bit crazy. Don't worry! This is a regular part of the process. The color that you're currently seeing will completely wash off during your first rinse, leaving only an even, natural color behind. 

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Remain in only loose, dark clothes until your prescribed rinse time. Avoid putting your bra back on. Keep jewelry off. Stay completely dry and avoid sweating. 

 

Avoid touching your hands to other parts of your skin. This is a common mistake for first-timers and results in unwanted color on the hands the next day.  When taking pants/shorts on and off, keep hands on the outside of the garment rather than dragging your thumbs up and down your legs.

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First rinse time

Hop in the shower at your prescribed rinse time. Color will begin to show in the water. This is a normal part of the process. You can use your hands to help rinse off this color. Exit the shower once the water runs completely clear again. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes. Do not use soap or body wash for the first rinse. Water only. Do not shave during first rinse. 

Note that rinsing any earlier or later than your prescribed time, especially for rapid formulas, will result in a darkness level that may be lighter or darker than desired.

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Directions differ slightly after your rinse, depending on if you used a rapid formula or a standard/overnight formula.

For rapid formulas: Your tan will appear very light immediately after rinse. This is because the guard color has been rinsed off, but the real color takes 24 hours to fully show up. Rest assured that your color will re-develop throughout the night and you will achieve your fully developed desired color 24 hours after your appointment. You can moisturize your face right after you rinse, but hold off on moisturizing the rest of your body until about 12-20 hours after your appointment time. Most rapid tan clients apply their 1st spray safe lotion/oil the next morning. Do not skip.

For standard/overnight formulas: Apply your first round of spray safe lotion/oil immediately after your rinse. Do not skip this step. 

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First night

Always, always, always wear long sleeves to bed the first night after your appointment, even if you rinsed beforehand. Failure to sleep in clothes the first night will result in uneven marks on the body where skin-to-skin contact occurred, especially on the hands/palms. Feel free to sleep naked any other night with the tan, just not the first night. 

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The following days until tan is gone

Feel free to resume wearing normal clothes & jewelry, and working out the day after your appointment. You can go back to using body wash and shaving (if desired) for all showers after the first rinse. Remember that use of drugstore body washes will cause the tan to fade prematurely and may cause streaking and blotches. 

Always pat dry with a towel after showering and keep showers short.

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Apply your spray-safe moisturizer head-to-toe at least once every single day. This is extremely important for the longevity and fading process. Failure to apply a moisturizer or use of a drugstore moisturizer will result in a tan that crackles & fades quickly and unevenly. 

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Avoid the following things for the life of the tan:

- loofahs and washcloths (shower with hands only)

- shaving cream and lotioned razors (use spray safe body wash to replace shaving cream and use simple razors)

- long baths

- aerosol sunscreen (use lotion sunscreen only)

- exfoliants (scrubs, exfoliating acids, especially retinol)

- perfumes applied directly to the skin (spray over clothing)

- drugstore body washes and moisturizers

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Tan longevity and fade information

Provided all prep and post-tan instructions are followed, as well as only spray-safe products used, your color can last about 10-14 days before it is completely faded. Keep in mind that this does NOT mean that color is the same every day. Tan will naturally lighten every day as skin cells turn over. Color is darkest for the first 2 days.  By the second week, color will be significantly lighter than the first week. 

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The face and neck will fade much faster than the rest of the body. This is true for all spray tans from any provider using any solution. This is due to a number of reasons: first, the skin cells on our face and neck turn over at about double the rate of the rest of the body, & second, many of us apply and remove makeup, which takes the tan off with it during the removal process. Skincare regiments also contribute to this process. 

We do offer a facial tanning spray to remedy this! Simply spray at night once your face fades, and wake up to new color that matches the rest of the body! Ask about it at your next appointment or order here. 

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Swimming effects: Our solutions are remarkably swim proof compared to other sunless solutions, making them a great choice for vacation tans. However, swimming (especially in chlorine) will unavoidably cause color to fade a bit faster than if you weren't swimming. So for your tropical vacations, you can expect about 7-10 days our of your color. 

In order to lessen the chlorine's effect on your tan, apply a spray-safe moisturizer before and after swimming. This puts a barrier between your skin and the water, making the chlorine less able to eat at the skin and fade the tan. 

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Helpful Videos

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Looking for a more in depth explanation of post-tan care instructions? Watch this video.

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