Once upon a time, the only way to get a tan was to spend a lot of time in the sun. Over the course of history, people from hot, tropical, and sunny climates, such as the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Africa, generally had darker tans than those from cooler climates, such as in Canada, Northern Europe, and Russia. That was because people from these places spent time outdoors, working in the sun, meaning that their tans were more pronounced. It didn’t happen in cooler areas because even if people worked outside, they still weren’t receiving as much sunlight, so their tans were almost non-existent.
The History Of Tanning
Over the years, people from the less warm places began not to enjoy this way of doing things and wanted to change it – so that they too could have a tan, even though they lived in places where a tan might not naturally occur. Initially, the idea was to get as much exposure to the sun as possible; on the rare days where the sun was out where they lived, and they would hit the garden and get as much of a tan as they possibly could.
Alternatively, after the introduction of global travel, people would head for the nearest hot place for their vacations and spend as much time as possible on the beach – to get as much of a tan as possible. For many people, this was not enough, a couple of weeks a year may have produced a decent tan for a while, but it would fade away. So people started looking for a better way. That is how tanning beds were invented. Tanning beds could provide a year-round tan without the expense or short-acting nature of going away on vacation to get a tan.
Tanning bed uptake was massive, with hundreds of thousands of people using them weekly, and people began to get great tans, the like of which they had never reached before in their places. Not everyone was happy with tanning beds, though, as they were expensive, and there was some question about the safety of tanning beds. In extreme cases, exposure to UV radiation was thought to contribute to skin cancer. So many people avoided sun beds but still wanted a tan. Fortunately, there was a method they could use to get a natural, healthy-looking tan without the risk of traveling anywhere. They are called spray tans.
The Benefits Of Spray Tanning Over Other Methods
Spray tans appeal to many people for quite a few reasons:
- Results are almost instant; once the tan has been sprayed onto you, it is on you, and you will look noticeably more tanned from when you leave the salon. Much quicker than any other method of getting a tan.
- It is much safer than any other tanning method. With both tanning outside and tanning via a tanning bed, you are exposing your body to a lot of UV radiation. It would be best to use as much sunscreen as possible for protection outside, but people don’t do that indoors at tanning salons. Therefore they are receiving large doses of UV radiation. Which can cause damage to the skin, causing it to age prematurely and even, in some extreme cases, give you skin cancer. With spray tanning, this isn’t an issue. The spray tan is harmless, can’t give you any diseases, and won’t damage your skin, making it the ideal tanning choice for those health-conscious people concerned about other tanning methods.
- You can decide exactly how tanned you want your skin to look with spray tanning, whether you want just a light tan or something darker. You can pick the shade you want your tan to be, which is how you will look. With other methods of tanning, this isn’t possible. While you can try and control how much exposure your skin gets, you can’t be accurate, and every person’s skin will react differently to the UV radiation from the sun or tanning bed, meaning that you can never truly control your tan. But if you Use spray tanning, you can look exactly how you want to look.
Spray Tanning Tips
So if you’ve decided that either spending a lot of time in the sun or time on a sun bed is not for you due to safety reasons, that you want to control your tan, or you prefer the simplicity of using a spray tanning machine, where you can be in and out in a short amount of time and have the tan that you want. Then read on for some fantastic tips to make the most of your spray tanning experience – and get the tan you always wanted.
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Exfoliate Before You Get The Spray Tan Done
To ensure that the spray tan has the most effect on your skin, you must exfoliate the skin before you hit the spray tanning place. It will clean your skin and reduce the oils, making it easier for the spray tan to stick to your skin and achieve the desired effect. Make sure that you use a water-based exfoliate. If you don’t want to buy an exfoliate, get salt or sugar-based scrub or a washcloth and scrub your skin with that. You should also ensure that you exfoliate with an exfoliant that is not overly oily. Essential oils are OK, but avoid options that make your skin too oily.
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Don’t Wear Any Jewelry & Remove All Watches.
The last thing you want is gaps in your tan, and if you accidentally leave your watch on, or maybe a bracelet, or probably the easiest thing to forget – a necklace, then you are going to have a noticeably large gap in your tan, which you don’t want. So make sure you have removed any jewelry and watches before stepping into the spray tanning booth.
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Wax Or Shave Before You Get A Spray Tan
Around 24 hours before you get a spray tan, you should shave or wax the various parts of your body that you would usually shave or wax, for example, legs, armpits, etc. It removes any hair that might get in the way of the tan onto your skin. But also, and this is why you do it 24 hours before, your hair follicles have a chance to close up before you get your spray tan, meaning that they won’t absorb any of the spray tanning liquid for your skin.
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Moisturize Your Skin Before You Get The Spray Tan
Before heading to the tanning salon to get your spray tan, you thoroughly moisturize your skin. Make sure to moisturize all the parts of the skin that the spray tan will cover, and ensure that you do it entirely so that all aspects of the skin are covered. That is because moisturized skin will find it much easier to absorb the spray tan solution than dried-out skin. That means your tan will look much better than if you didn’t moisturize before you went to the tanning salon.
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Brush Your Teeth Before Your Spray Tan
This one may sound a little strange, but there is a logic behind it. We all know that there are drippings when you brush your teeth, and you don’t want a dripping to hit accidentally the freshly spray-tanned skin before it dries. Make sure you brush your teeth before your spray tan, so you don’t have any unfortunate accidents and ruin your fresh spray tan. Give it a decent amount of time to dry after you have completed your spray tan.
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Wear Baggy Clothes To The Tanning Salon
It may not sound like the fashion style you are going for, especially if you are the type who likes to look stylish all the time. But wearing some baggy clothes (for example, a hoodie, baggy t-shirt, or baggy pajama-style pants) is the best thing you can do for your spray tan. Remember that after the spray tan, you must get back in your clothes relatively quickly before it has a good chance to dry properly. If you are wearing tight clothes, then there is a good chance you will end up smudging the spray tan before it has had an opportunity to be fully set. It will be defeating the purpose of going to the tanning salon anyway, as nobody will like the look of a smudged and botched spray tan. So make sure you wear those baggy clothes to avoid that.
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Avoid Taking A Bath Or Shower Soon After Your Spray Tan
The worst thing you could do after getting home from a spray tan gets in the shower or take a bath immediately. If you take a bath or shower shortly after getting a spray tan, you risk washing off some amount of spray tan that has just been applied to your skin. You should avoid the shower for 8-10 hours after getting a spray tan, and even after then, you should limit your shower to a short period. And try to keep the water at a low heat level because too hot showers can reduce the effectiveness of the spray tan. With baths, you should wait even longer, at least overnight. Once again, for the first day or two after a spray tan, you should keep the bath time to a minimum, and it shouldn’t be too hot. If you leave it long enough, then the spray tan has enough time to react to the amino acids within your skin, and the tan will end up much better than it would if you took a shower immediately after the spray tan.
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Avoid Dogs Immediately After Spray Tanning
Dogs adore the taste of the spray tanning spray, and it is delicious to them. But it will be bad for both you and the dog if you allow the dog to lick your skin within a day or two of getting a spray tan. For the dog, the chemicals contained within the spray tan will not react well with them, and for you, you will be left with a large white mark where the dog has licked.
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Things To Avoid If You Have A Spray Tan
It would help if you avoided all of the following things while you have a spray tan, as using them risks removing the tan from you prematurely and leaving you with white marks and blotches and your skin that won’t look good at all. These are the things you should avoid:
- Band-Aids
- Pore Strips
- Anti Aging Cream
- Anti Spot Cream
- Shaving Cream
- Hair Removal Cream
- Face Masks
If you avoid all of these things, you significantly reduce the chances that you will accidentally destroy your tan.
Spray Tanning Is Still A Great & Safe Way Of Getting A Tan
As long as you follow all of these tips and are sensible, spray tanning is a safe and effective way of getting a tan. It is extremely easy. Simply you turn up to the tanning salon, step into the booth, and five minutes later, you have the getting of a great tan. It is as simple as that. It is also safe; no chance of harmful UV radiation here, simply a liquid spray that will turn your skin to a slightly tanned color, exactly what you want. You also don’t have to attend three times a week as you would with a tanning bed or be out every day to get a decent tan as you would sunbathing in the regular sun.
Spray tanning is the easiest and best way of getting a tan quickly, safely, and simply.
