How Do I Prepare My Skin Before a Spray Tan?

A big topic of discussion of getting a spray tan is how to prepare your skin for the best possible tanning experience. There are many different things to do to prepare your skin the week before, the night before, and even the day of your spray tanning session… so let us walk you through our recommendations and tips to prepare your soon-to-be glowing skin!

The Week Before:

The week before your tan, it’s super important to moisturize daily. That means morning and night make sure to use a paraben and sulfate-free body moisturizer and really prepare your skin to soak in that beautiful bronze color!

Another good thing to do the week before your session is to get any hair removal appointments out of the way. The reason for this is because, after your spray tan, you want to avoid doing anything that might exfoliate or strip the tan from the skin, which both waxing and shaving do.

If you must shave close to your appointment, do so at least 24 hours prior! DO NOT shave or wax the day of your appointment. Shaving the day of your appointment can lead to dark spots on the legs from the pores opening and affect the overall outcome of the spray tan on the legs making it patchy or uneven.

The Day/Night Before:

The day before your spray tan session, make sure to get your mani/pedi appointments done if you have them! We say this because many nail techs soak the skin, put lotion or oil on the skin, or even exfoliate the skin which are all no-no’s post spray tan! Do yourself a favor and get it done prior!

The night before your tan, you want to take it easy on your skin. Avoid putting lotion on at this time, and try to keep your skin as dry and clean as possible.

Right before bed, it’s even good to exfoliate extremely well to remove any dead skin cells so you’ll have a smooth, soft surface for the tan to go on.

The Day Of:

The day of your spray tanning appointment, it’s important to not use any sort of moisturizer at all, and avoid showering if possible

If you MUST shower right before you come in for your session, DO NOT use anything on the skin. Just rinse the body with water. Using a bar soap or body wash right before your sunless session can result in an uneven or patchy spray tan. We recommend that you shower 4-6 hours before your session.

Immediately following your tanning session, avoid applying any kind of moisturizers and deodorants for the rest of the day. Also do not shower, or bathe for at least 8 hours following your appointment. **Note: If you book a rapid tanning session, this time frame is shortened to 2-4 hours**

After your appointment, do not shave or wax at least 48-24 hours. When you do shave, make sure to use a brand new razor blade to reduce sloughing off dead skin cells which is where the tan is attached to on your body. If you wax after your session, you will take off the spray tan, so avoid that completely.

And there you have it! We hope these tips and tricks help you achieve the best results from your spray tanning experience! If you have any more questions, feel free to visit our FAQ page on our website, or shoot us a message on social media! We’d love to answer any more questions you might have! Happy Tanning!