Backstage Tanning FAQ, Preps, Maintenance
NEW HELP VIDEO: Preparation & Care (click to view).
Preparation - Before the airbrush:
Through the natural exfoliation process, the skin rebuilds and replaces itself daily and cycles completely every twenty-eight days. Twenty five percent of the skin is exfoliated each week causing your tan to slowing wear away. DHA only works within the top 25% of our skin (statumcorneum level). Liken it to a favorite pair of jeans that you love to wear. Notice the areas that have been worn out over time, the knees, cuffs, and buttocks wear out first. The same holds true with your skin in that it can wear at different times and degrees. Since a sunless spray tan affects only the top 25% of the skin, so you will want to remove this extra skin prior to tanning. By removing dead dry skin cells you are effectively removing the barrier that will prevent absorption of DHA bronzers into fresh, healthy skin cells. Exfoliating allows the sunless spray solution to penetrate deep into skin and oxidize into a brilliant golden brown.
24-48 HOURS PRIOR TO SESSION:
For exfoliation of extremely dead, dry skin cells use a sea salt scrub 24-48 hours before spray session. This provides a thorough deep skin exfoliation to nourish and moisturize your skin. It also will allow your skin to balance itself and correct its pH levels naturally. It is important NOT to use these products less than 24 hours prior to the tanning session as the oils contained in salt scrubs may cause adverse results. For a normal exfoliation, use a body scrub up to 1 hour prior to your session. Avoid using bar soaps, high pH shower products or in-shower moisturizers. These products can neutralize the DHA bronzing reaction and cause any DHA that has not yet reacted to trigger resulting in the dreaded orange effect.
DAY OF SESSION:
Do not apply lotions, moisturizers, or perfumes prior to your tanning session. Use deodorant sparingly. It is best not to apply makeup, but if you do so, carefully remove makeup prior to your session. Wear dark, loose fitting clothing and remove jewelry. Tight clothing can rub off or smear bronzers especially around the knees, elbows, and waist.
AFTERCARE :
Immediately following the spray tan application, avoid sweating. Avoid activities that may cause you to sweat excessively and possibly cause streaking of the cosmetic bronzers. Use the air conditioner in your car on a hot day. Remember, your skin has just been tinted with a water soluble solution. Avoid water, pools and spas. You must avoid water entirely for at least four hours or you will deactivate the DHA development and cause streaking. Avoid chemically treated pools and spas for at least twenty-four hours to prevent color from prematurely fading.
For maximum results, wait at least four hours before showering or bathing. Shower with plain water for the first sixteen hours after your session. While trying to maintain your spray tan, always avoid abrasive cloths, loofas, and bath scrunches. Using bar soaps or cleansers in the first 16 hours will halt the continued development of DHA color. After 16 hours we recommend using a mild pH balancing shower gel.
HEALTHCARE BENEFITS:
For many people, summer is a time to relax with friends at the pool or beach, soaking up the sun's rays to get that perfect golden tan. But before you grab your swimming suit and head for the water, or even a tanning bed, consider that there is an alternative to getting the sun-bronzed glow you want without stressing your skin out.
Lying out in the sun or in a tanning bed is no longer considered a healthy or safe way to get a tan. Whether from traditional tanning beds or booths, or the sun, doctors universally agree that UV rays are harmful to your health. In recent case-control studies, traditional ultraviolet light tanning beds have been linked to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Also, exposure to UV rays is the number one cause of premature aging. Airbrush tanning offers an alternative to sunbathing and tanning beds, but still offers the bronzed look you crave.(Plus, no tanning tax!!!!) Airbrush tanning gives you the same results in fifteen minutes as five tanning bed sessions or as many hours in the sun. It also improves your skin's overall appearance by de-emphasizing freckles, cellulite, stretch marks, scars, and varicose veins. If you are fed up with dealing with the inconsistency of sunless tanning lotions or are trying to be more health conscious less exposure to UV rays, airbrush sunless tanning gives you a great, healthy way to tan year round.
***Airbrush Tanning does not provide any type of SPF, or protection from the sun. If you are planning on being in the sun after an airbrush session, you need to take the proper steps to protect yourself from over sun exposure.
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