Tanning Tips

Before You Tan…

• For best results exfoliate for 1-2 days prior to your appointment and use an “Exfoliating Mitt”.  If you don’t have one these can be purchased at the Colour Me Bronze Studio or local supermarket.  You can use products to help exfoliate your skin on these days. Exfoliating needs to be done at least 12-14 hours prior to your appointment to allow the acid mantle to reset and the amino acids to be recreated.  The amino acids are what helps create your tan.  The less amino acids you have the lighter the result will be.

DO NOT do a full  proper exfoliation the day of your spray tan appointment.

• Moisturise heavily the evening prior to your appointment to rehydrate your skin.  This will be the last time you use moisturiser until 24 hours after your spray tan appointment.

DO NOT use moisturiser on your skin again prior to your spray tan appointment.

• On the day of your appointment, wash, shower and very gently exfoliate (basically a very light brushing) using water only to remove any leftover product on your skin from the day before (ie any exfoliants and/or moisturiser that may be still sitting on top of the skin).

DO NOT use any soap or body wash during your shower as these products can leave a barrier on your skin and prevent the full colour from developing. Washing with products on the day of your appointment can also change the pH level of your skin.  Products like body washes/soaps etc are very alkaline (higher pH level) and can cause the skins pH level to rise.  Elevated pH levels of the skin can cause a tan to more easily overdevelop and result in a more golden or orange result.

• DO NOT shower within 3 hours of your spray tan appointment.  To get the best results for your spray tan your skins pH level needs to be at its standard level of around pH5.5.  Your skin temperature also needs to be normal and not elevated.  Using water and/or products can elevate your skins natural pH levels.  The higher your skins’ pH is the more chance you have of the tan resulting in a golden or orange result.

• Undertake personal hair removal a minimum of 24 hours prior to your spray tan appointment.  We DO NOT recommend shaving your legs the same day as your appointment. If you do wish to do so make sure that you give your legs a light exfoliation (with water only) after shaving to make sure that all excess product has been removed from the skin.  However you MUST NOT shave your legs within 3 hours of your appointment timeslot. 

We cannot guarantee a perfect result should you shave the same day as your appointment.

Shaving your legs the same day as the appointment may result in the colour developing lighter in these areas.  The skin on the shin is very thin already, which means that less amino acids are created in these areas.  The thinner the skin the harder it is for the skin to tan.  Shaving the same day (and even worse shaving just before your appointment), means that the skin would not have had time to recreate the amino acids which are necessary for the skin to colour.

What to wear to and during your appointment…

• Most people like to be spray tanned completely naked so that they don’t end up with any tan lines.  If you do not wish to be spray tanned naked you can wear a thin g-string.  We also provide disposable g-strings and hair nets.

• Most people get spray tanned without wearing a bra, but if you do not wish to do this a strapless bra will work best or a bandeau.

• Wear comfortable, loose, dark clothing to your spray tan session, preferably a top where you don’t have to put your bra back on after your appointment.

• Avoid wearing any tight or heavy clothing, including shoes until your first initial rinse.  ie no denim, no gym or yoga pants, no tight underwear.

• Avoid heavy exercising until after your shower

• DO NOT wear red clothing.  This can potentially turn the bronzer green whilst it is on your skin prior to showering.

• DO NOT wear any makeup, moisturiser, deodorant or perfume to your appointment.  Doing so will potentially inhibit the spray tan from fully developing correctly in the areas where these products are applied.

• We will do a full skin analysis and discuss why you are needing a tan prior to spray tanning you.  This way we can guarantee the perfect colour for your skin tone.

• The spray tan will take approximately 15 minutes including drying time.

After your appointment…

• DO NOT shower for the time instructed by your Colour Me Bronze tanning technician.

• DO NOT swim or exercise heavily for the 24 hours after your spray tan appointment.

• Your first initial shower should be no longer than 30 seconds.  It’s just a quick rinse… long enough to remove the bronzer left on the skin, but not long enough to deactivate the DHA.

• DO NOT use any products on the skin, it’s a water rinse only.  During this rinse off you will notice the bronzer washing away. Don’t worry… this is not your tan coming off, it’s just the excess colour guide that is still sitting on your skin.

• When you come out of the shower make sure that you pat yourself dry, DO NOT rub yourself dry.  Make sure you do this after every shower.

• No products are to be placed on the skin for 24 hours after your spray tan appointment.  This includes body wash, soap, deodorant, moisturisers, and hair products.  If you wish to wash under your arms and your privates this is fine, but keep all products off the rest of your body until the 24 hour period has passed.  This is to ensure that the tan develops as naturally as possible without being inhibited or influenced by products whilst the tan is still in its development stage.

• Moisturise your skin twice daily to maintain your spray tan as long as possible.  DO NOT moisturise until 24 hours has passed.  This is to ensure that the tan is fully developed first.Please check the ingredients in your moisturiser.  If it has mineral oil in it DO NOT USE as mineral oil will strip a tan, and break it down very quickly… either by making the tan come of quicker and/or patchy.

• Best time to moisturise is straight after a shower.  you have a 4 minute window to take advantage of the moisture that has been absorbed into the skin before oxygen will start to withdraw it.  Pat yourself dry but leave your skin damp/slightly wet.  Moisturise with the water that has been left on the skin.  This will break down the product and will make it easier to apply.  It will also encapsulate the water left on the skin and what has been absorbed by the skin and give you ad added moisturising boost making your spray tan last even longer.

• Colour Me Bronze Professional TANtoner Tan Extender can be used to moisturise your skin whilst prolonging your tan.  This is best used after Day 3 to avoid saturating your skin with too much DHA too soon.

• Avoid prolonged soaking in water as it dries the skin and may fade your spray tan.

• Do not exfoliate your skin until the tan has faded (or just before your next spray tan at Colour Me Bronze).  You can use our Tan Remover Mousse our try one of our new TANblast Bath Bombs to remove your tan.

• Your new tan will not provide protection from the harsh UV rays of the sun.  Continue to be sun smart.

• Please remember DHA can react for up to 24 hours after being spray tanned.  This means that you may not have your full colour straight away after your shower.  Please allow 24 hours to view your potential full colour. Everybody’s skin is different… some people will be lucky enough to have their tan develop in minimal time, others may  have to wait the full 24 hour period.  This  means if you are getting your spray tan for a special event it is best to do so 2 days prior to the event.