Maintaining your tan

Loose Fitting Clothes: One of our key tips for your spray tan preparation was to wear loose fitting clothing to the salon, and we recommend staying in this outfit for the remainder of the day. Select your most stylish dark, loose-fitting outfit and pair it with sandals for lowest chance of staining your clothes and the least amount of friction. Tight bras, shirts, pants, or shoes can cause lines, streaks, and indentations if worn too soon after your appointment, ruining the spray tan effect that your technician just applied.

Baby Powder is Key: Deodorants were also mentioned as something that should be avoided before your tan, and unfortunately the rest of the day after is no different. While you may just want to tough if out for the rest of the day to avoid the patchiness that both sticks and spray can cause, sweat also causes streaks and spots. We’re going to let you in on a secret industry tip; baby powder works wonders to solve both the smell and sweat problem. Apply liberally around sweat prone areas such as your underarms, inner elbows, back of your knees, and under your butt. Who says looking great, smelling great, and prolonging your tan has to be difficult?

Liquids are the Enemy: The duration you should wait to shower after your tan varies depending on the level of color depth, your skin requirements, and the solution used, but six hours on average is recommended. This means that you also need to avoid rain, pools and the beach. Solutions are a tricky science, needing enough time to absorb and ensure an even shade. Keep in mind that leaving the solution on any longer than 12 hours can cause streaking as well, so adhering to their advice is important.

Follow Proper Shower Procedures: When it finally is time to take a shower, there are several important things to keep in mind that may differ from your normal wash routine. First, don’t spend an excessive amount of time in the water as it may cause fading before you are even able to flaunt your tan in public. Utilizing water that is too hot can also speed up this process, so be sure the water is lukewarm before you hop in. During the first shower avoid using soaps on your skin. If you need to use soap, keep in localized to the necessary areas.
Avoid washing your hair during this initial shower if you can. But, if it is absolutely critical to wash your hair, a methodical wash that avoids touching the skin is the best technique. After your shower, dab, don’t rub the towel against your skin to dry off the water. Over the next 12 hours, your tan will continue to develop before reaching its peak jaw-dropping look. 

Hydration for the Win: After you have taken your first shower, keeping your skin as moisturized as possible will be THE key factor affecting how long your tan will last. Prepare oil-free body lotion to use daily after your first rinse to properly rejuvenate your skin’s vital nutrients. If you don’t moisturize properly, there is a chance that your spray tan will wear off in dry patches of skin. 
Lotion with oil should absolutely be avoided as it will have the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve, preventing the skin from absorbing the solution and shortening the lifespan of your tan. Oil-based fragrances, perfumes, and even products like bug spray will also have this same negative effect; meaning direct skin contact with these products should be avoided as well for the sake of your tan.
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Keep Exfoliation and Shaving to a Minimum: Ideal for the preparation of your skin and harmful for the preservation, exfoliation wears away at the surface of your fresh spray tan. Along with pore strips and bandages, it should be kept to a minimum until your brilliant color begins to fade away. Shaving is also a tricky subject, as it offers the same drawbacks but is much harder to avoid for 5-8 days. So, if hairy legs or armpits aren’t your thing, then be sure to shave with light pressure and an emphasis on using slow, even strokes of your razor. If done correctly, this will prevent any unwanted exfoliation and fading.