The anatomy of a spray tan
It sounds simple doesn't it? You exfoliate, de-hair and moisturise completely in preparation, then you get a tan in a can and spray away. Actually, there's a little more to it than that. A spray tan can be a bit technical and it needs to be done properly to save you looking like you've painted some tan coloured stripes on yourself.
Of course all of the inital preparation stays the same, you exfoliate, remove your hair and apply your favourite moisturiser 24 hours prior to applying your spray tan, taking care of the extra dry areas like the knees and elbows. But when it comes to the actual spraying part, there is some technique that you need to be aware of. If you're doing it at home you can't just start spraying it onto your legs in the same way that you would spray your deodorant. With at home spray tan, ensure that you keep the can around 10cm away from the body and spray in slow, even sweeps to get an even coverage.
Having a professional spray tan can be even better as you don't have the hassle of trying to get an even coverage at home. Professional spray tan artists are specially trained in performing tans and usually offer up to five different shades to spray on so you can choose the colour that best suits your skin. You can even get spray tan training, so if you wanted to learn the art of spraying you could do so. If you have a professional spray tan done, don't feel like you've got to be shy in front of the artist, they are used to seeing semi-naked people everyday and will not judge you in anyway at all.
If you are going to the salon to get your sunless tan, you can expect the usual salon talk, but there are some things that are better left unsaid. These include:
- Do I have more cellulite than everyone else? If you do have bad cellulite your spray tan will cover it so it's probably best not to say anything to save embarrassment.
- Am I hairier than your average customer? You're not going to turn up to a spray tan looking like a gorilla, especially since you should have already waxed, shaved or epilated 24 hours previously. If you're a man asking this question, it really doesn't matter if you're having a gorilla day, you're a man and you can get away with it.
- Are my stretch marks the worst you've ever seen? Most people have stretch marks and luckily the tanning artist can help to disguise them, but it's probably best not to go into too much detail about them as it puts your tanning artist in an awkward situation.
You could also opt to go into a tanning booth, which does offer a degree of anonymity and still gives you an nice golden glow. However, a tanning artist is able to sculpt the tan during application, masking stretch marks and cellulite and contouring in places to make you appear slimmer if this is one of the things you are hoping to achieve with your tan.
