Good Morning & Happy Friday! Wishing I was at the beach getting a real tan…
But since I’m not, today I wanted to discuss one of my absolute favorite things to do: getting a spray tan! You know that scene in Legally Blonde where Elle is looking for something to cheer her up after she finds out that Warner has an awful fiancée and they cut to her heading to a nail salon? I’m like that, except with tanning salons! Nothing like freshly tanned skin to brighten my mood! I was definitely tanorexic by the end of high school and for all of college I had unlimited tanning packages. But for the past 5 years or so, I’ve ditched tanning beds altogether and solely go spray tanning. If you have ever been an active tanning bed user, then you would most likely agree with me that it is kind of therapeutic. I do miss the days of it being freezing cold outside and relaxing in a nice, warm tanning bed, but those days for me are over. And honestly, going spray tanning is also therapeutic because it totally changes your mindset once you see your tan. Being tan just makes people feel happy! I just got sprayed last week for the first time in 2019 and I always feel so great after! I go spray tanning a few times in the winter and I’ll go if I have a wedding or event that I want to be tan for. Being tan just makes me feel better and I know a lot of others feel the same way, but are maybe apprehensive about going spray tanning. Spray tanning is nothing to be afraid of, but it does require a little bit of planning. So today I am sharing my top tips for getting the best tan possible!
- Booking the Appointment
Call the salon and book an appointment to get sprayed in the evening around 5 – 6pm. This is the optimal time to go because you DO NOT want to shower for at least 12 hours after in order to let the tan set. So the best thing to do is go at night, then relax at home, sleep, and shower in the morning.
- Exfoliate Before the Tan
Before you go to the salon, make sure that you shower! It’s super important to have fully exfoliated and shaved before you get sprayed so that way the tan adheres to your body. You also DO NOT want to put on any lotions after this shower. Simply towel off and get dressed.
- What to Wear
When you get dressed after taking the shower (where you fully exfoliated and shaved), you want to wear your junkiest clothes possible. Wear something that you won’t care if you get some spray tan on it, because you most likely will. I wear a black pair of sweatpants from Old Navy that are definitely over 10 years old with some ratty t-shirt and sweatshirt over it.
- The Plan After the Tan
You want to make sure that your evening is cleared for just coming straight home after the salon and lounging around on the sofa for the night. This is definitely NOT the time to make a pit stop at the grocery store after the salon. You will most likely bear a slight resemblance to an oompa loompa and this is will inevitably be the one time that you stopped for milk and ran into some old ex flame that you DO NOT want to see unless you look your best!!
- The Actual Tan!
I use the Versa Spa to get spray tanned which is an automatic spray tan in a small booth that you stand in. They offer a few different colors of the spray in order to match your skin tone that you pick with a worker once you arrive at the salon. ( I always go for the darkest one, I went one shade lighter the first time I ever went and I could barely see a tan.) You walk into a room, strip down, put on a hair net, stand in the stall and push a blinking light to start the process. You definitely can’t stop the spray once it has been started, so it is really important to memorize all of the positions that you need to do in order to get an even tan! There is usually a picture of all the poses on a wall, but if you are unsure then ask a worker to review them with you before you start. You definitely don’t want to mess this part up! The whole spray process probably takes all of 3-4 minutes, which is awesome! But since it goes quick you need to make sure you get all of the positions correct. Once the tan is finished, use a hair dryer (most salons provide this) to blow dry your body. The tan is slightly tacky for a few minutes after you exit the booth, so it’s really helpful that they offer the blow dryer to be sure that the tan is fully set before getting dressed.
- After the Tan
I throw back on my junky clothes and immediately head home. For the rest of the night I try to avoid getting any water on my body in order to keep my tan intact and go to sleep. In the morning it’s fine to shower or if you can wait until later in the day, I would. I think the recommended time to wait is 12 hours, but if I can push it off a little longer, then I do. You also want to keep shower time minimal so that your tan doesn’t all wash off! Then be sure to fully lotion your body to ensure optimal tan results! I use my Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer and some Aveeno as well. For legs and arms if I am going to a wedding or just want to be glowing then I also apply Lorac Tantalizer, which is a really great shimmery self tanner that is pretty dark and dries quickly. I wait maybe 15-20 minutes after applying before getting dressed.
Final Thoughts!
Spray tans usually last me about 5-7 days. They slowly fade and once you start noticing a discoloration on your skin, you can just wash the rest of it off with a loofah.
The most important tip that I have is to remember that if you absolutely hate the spray tan, then you can immediately go home and shower it all off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard customers ask the staff at my local tanning salon 20 questions about the spray tan process and they all sound so worried! It’s just a colored spray and it’s NOT permanent! It easily washes off if you don’t like it, so there is really nothing to worry out about!
I think spray tans are such a great way to boost your mood during the winter. Many people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder and getting a tan is a great way to help combat that. It’s also just about the only way that I can wear white in the winter! Normally, my bronzer somehow gets all over anything cream-colored, so I save the white for when I’m sprayed!
That’s all for my tips! I hope you found them helpful. Have you gone spray tanning before? Let me know in the comments!
Xo
Holly
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