Ask Emma

What tan to opt for.

Personally I do prefer a salon spray tan application, if it sprayed by the right person. We have all had botch jobs where the tan is sprayed so heavy it gives that dimpled caked on effect or else the famous white strip running down you leg, where the poor lighting ment she missed it. Everyone has a spray tan saga story, and every therapist has had a spray tan mess up a little on her. It truly is not always the fault of the therapist. When booking your spray tan, the salon should advise you on your pre care.

This involves, exfoliate well 2 or 3 times the week coming up to your spray tan application avoid deodorant, perfume, body lotions etc the day of your spray tan (unless you like that lovely green effect) paint your fingers and toe nails with a coat of clear nail polish to help prevent staining of the nails wear loose dark clothing bring flip flops try arrive a little early for your appointment so our not flustered and perspiring

If these procedures are not taken, it more than likely will result in flaws, to no fault of the therapist. Some salons will even refuse to apply the tan if they feel you have not followed through with these procedures, as it will appear that they have a poor tanning solution or therapist. For those of you that are regular fake tan Thursday experts you must exfoliate regularly.

As you notice your tan wearing off, scrub, scrub, scrub! When you continually apply tan, even though you do exfoliate regularly you do get a build up of tan. Its important to give your skin a break from tan every couple of months. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Allow it to breath.

After you have had your spray tan, your therapist will advise you on the following, allow your tan to dry for approx 10 minutes before getting dressed don’t panic, the colour that you are now is not the colour you will end up with. The initial bronzer is simply a gauge for the therapist to spray an even tan.

This always appears slightly orange and sometimes slightly green. The green tinge is added to prevent you going orange when the chemicals react with your skin if possible leave your bra off to avoid nasty strap marks make sure you avoid perfume, deodorant, body lotions, water (remember to avoid washing your hands for as long as possible) after having your tan appliedavoid jewelry, white / tight clothing, boots etc. try not to perspire your and clothes will stain, don’t panic, it all washes out in a good hot wash.

Remember, it washes off your skin in days, so it must wash off fabric too make sure you leave it a minimum of 8 hours before having your shower.

The longer you can leave it the better. I always recommend to have it applied in the evening, leave it overnight and wash it off the following morning when showering, make sure you wash (don’t scrub) until the water runs clear. You want all the initial bronzer to come off, leaving you with a beautiful natural looking tan. having had a shower you may spray deodorant, perfume, body lotions etc as normal now it is up to you.

A spray tan lasts longer when maintained. Moisturise at least once a day with a good body moisturiser as your skin dries out with all tans and when this happens, your tan starts to look patchy.

Please note that spray tans do not contain spf to protect you from the harmful rays of the sun, so you must continue to apply a good sunscreen top up treatments are a good idea, but only if you have the top up tan applied within 3 days of the first application Really it comes down to three things, who applies the tan are the correct procedures being taken finance – salon tan is more pricy than home tan kits Some people prefer a cream tan application in the salon.

This is more time consuming on the therapist and is generally the only reason why is more expensive than the spray tan, which is more convenient. I would always recommend the cream tan for anyone that has dry skin. It tends to take longer to dry but is more hydrating on the skin than a spray tan.

The convenience and efficiency of a spray tan is often more appealing people however there are some more mature ladies who just wont entertain the idea of an airbrush system. Perhaps cream tans will become a thing of the past in salons. What a lovely thought for all you therapists out there. Imagine no more brown hands, fiddling around with a towel or leaving you client ages to dry!

This leads me to talk about automatic spray tans. You usually find these in solarium shops. Remember that hilarious episode of friends where Ross had quite an experience in a spray tan booth? Need I really say anymore? Avoid them. They are pre programmed to spray, meaning it is one for all. When a therapist applies your spray tan she is able to gauge it perfectly, unlike this one for all system.

Some tans tend to suite some people better than others. The only way of finding which tan sits you better is trail and error. I must have tried every tan out there, both home and salon tans.

If you are applying your home tan, ensure you follow the above guidelines. Pre care is essential as you must prep your skin in order to achieve a perfect tan application. There are so many different brands of tans and types of tan out there. Sometimes there is too much choice. As you stand there in the supermarket aisle wondering which one to buy, the various t.v advertisements repeatedly run through your mind. You need to look for a few things,

What is in your price range? Please note that often the cheaper tans are equally god if not better. Just because it is expensive doesn’t automatically mean it is suitable for your skin type. Always check the discount box to see what is being sold off. You might not need it for a week or too but it will save you in the long run.

Choose one to suite your skin type. If you are fair, don’t choose a tan for darker skin types etc.

Examine what the bottle says. For example if it says the tan will be ‘a beautiful flawless tan lasting more than 7 days’, you should know not to believe this. Any tan starts to fade after 3 days, and by day 6 you will definitely be best to remove any traces which may be left. If the bottle states something which seems unbelieveable or unrealistic, don’t underestimate your own intelligence and put that one down!

Ask a friend of similar colouring what she has tried

I would always recommend my clients try various different brands and types of tan on a weekend where you have nothing planned. Trial and error is the only way to find what suits you best. What suits your friend and lasts days on end on her may look disastrous on you, and vice versa. Always remember your separate SPF as false tans do not contain any SPF.

Tanning products from the beauty shop