How To: Achieve the Perfect Spray Tan

With the first day of fall just around the corner, summer memories aren't the only things fading fast; your tan is also on its way to being non-existent. If the thought of pasty legs makes you shudder and you're longing for the days of glowing skin, it may be time to join a local tanning salon. We all know the extremely harmful consequences of tanning beds, though, so you should skip straight to a safe alternative: the spray tan. Here are a few tips to avoid the feared orange zebra look and instead achieve the perfect bronze tint!

The Day Before

-Keep in the mind the 3 S's: shower, shave, scrub. It's important to shave and exfoliate the day before (not the day of!) to avoid the tanning spray clogging your pores and looking spotted.

-Exfoliating will also get rid of excess dead skin so your tan will appear more even.

Right Before the Tan

- Apply any tan-enhancing gel or lotion given to you by the salon all over your body. This helps attract the color to your skin and dry more naturally.

- Wear a pair of old flip-flops if you don't want the bottoms of your feet to be stained by the excess color.

After the Tan

Touch up any areas that look wrong. This means wiping your palms so that they don't dry too dark and making sure your arms, legs, etc. look good before they dry. If there are spots that are too dark, pat them lightly with a towel, but try not to wipe or it will smudge the tan.

- Wait for the spray to dry COMPLETELY before you put your clothes back on. This should only take about 10 minutes. It's best to have loose, dark clothes to put on afterwards in case any of the extra bronzer rubs off onto your clothing.

- Avoid showering, swimming, or sweating for the rest of the day. Getting your tan wet within 24 hours will cause unattractive streaking (no girl wants that!).

- Go back to the salon as needed or desired. Typically, a tan will fade in about 3-4 days.

- Finally, get out there and show off your new bronzed self! Enjoy your pretty skin 🙂