The immediate bronzer/color guide will wash off as soon as you shower. The DHA is not permanent, but just like a natural tan the spray tan will not wash off. Although it doesn’t wash off, the life of your tan can be shortened by many things such as, salt water, chlorine, prolonged time in baths or hot tubs, shaving or using exfoliating lotions and scrubs.

Sunless tans can take up to 24 hours to fully develop. Therefore, you should wait at least that long so you can see if the color is what you want. Too much spray tanning solution has a tendency to turn out a bit ‘orangey”.

The life of your sunless tan depends on many factors such as pre and post-tan care, the application process, your individual skin type and natural exfoliation process and reaction to the DHA. If self-applied at home, (lotions, aerosols/self spray on tans, mousse, etc), it can be streaked or spotty, there will be many places you can’t reach and you can expect your tan to last 3 to 5 days. If you have a professional airbrush application, you can expect 6 to 8 days, sometimes longer. Professional application is recommended because they use professional application techniques and usually use stronger DHA percentages, giving you a higher quality tan. Most at home tanners use only 4 to 5% DHA strength, as professionals will use on average 9% DHA. Following a solid skin care regime pre and post-tan application will extend your tan’s longevity by days. Proper pre-tan showering and exfoliation and post-tan maintenance, it can last up to a week, and in some cases a little longer. Spray tans fade like natural suntans. As the top layer of skin cells are shed and replaced, your tan will fade. Therefore, you should schedule your spray tanning sessions at least every 7 to 10 days.

Spray tanning takes approximately 10-15 minutes and another 10 minutes to dry.

To ensure a good tan and lengthen the life of your tan as long as possible it’s important to properly prepare. Shower, exfoliate and shave before. Lotions act as a barrier so apply only a very light application to areas that are dry. Some areas such as elbows, knees and heels have a tendency to be very dry and can react more to the DHA. These areas may need an additional application of barrier lotion which can be done just prior to your session. Do not apply make-up. Don’t use deodorant or perfumes as these can react with the DHA causing off color tints.

Wear dark, loose fitting clothes and flip-flops. Avoid tight straps and/or clothing as these can rub the tanning solution off. The bronzer is water soluble and will wash out of most synthetic materials without pre-treating. A disposable thong is provided to all my female clients but what you wear is to your choice and level of comfort. If you choose to bring something, it is best to bring a dark swimsuit or undergarments to tan in that are not your best. I do ask that all men wear a dark bathing suit or underwear during their spray tanning session. Also, you may want to bring a dark towel to cover car seats on your ride home to protect them from any bronzer. Materials such as nylon, lycra, spandex or silk could stain and should not be worn to your appointment or prior to showering.

In order for you to get the full affects of the DHA and your deepest tan, I suggest you wait 10 hours or longer following your session to shower to achieve your best tanning result. If you can’t, then wait at least 6 to 8 hours. The DHA ingredient will not have time to react fully with your skin proteins if you bathe or shower before 6 hours, giving you a much lighter tanning result. Contact with water, perspiration, moisture or lotions before the DHA has developed can affect the outcome of your tan. Water splashes or spots from handwashing, dishwashing, rain drops, etc, within the first couple of hours following your tan fcan cause streaking or spotting, so the longer you can wait to do these things, the better.

In the days following your spray tanning session, it is very important you hydrate your skin by drinking plenty of fluids. You should also moisturize every day with sunless tan friendly products. I have several maintenance products that can be ordered to help you enhance and prolong your tan.