Tips for tanning at home

We’ve been lucky with the weather during lockdown but between sunny spells why not maintain your glow with some self tanning sessions?

What you will need:

  • Your favourite tan – I love St Tropez mousse or Sienna X Express mousse – both of these have a shorter development time than some tanning products. They are both still super pigmented but need less time to develop, meaning you can shower off before bed to stop it rubbing on to your sheets and you won’t spend the whole day waiting for your tan to develop.
  • Tanning mitt – available cheaply from Boots, Superdrug, most chemists, Amazon, etc. If can’t get hold of one rubber gloves will work too.
  • Loose, dark and comfortable clothing to wear whilst your tan develops. Any strappy knickers and bra straps may rub against your tan and it may come off slightly. T shirts & joggers or loose PJs are best.

Procedure:

  1. The day before applying your tan, take your time to shave and exfoliate your body. Apply your exfoliating scrub and rub into your body either using a hard pressure in a circular movement with your hands or a body brush. Exfoliating will remove your dead skin cells and will create a smoother, more even base for your tan to grab onto. By not exfoliating before your tan, the solution will grab onto skin cells that will fall off in the next few days and so your tan will fade quicker and unevenly. Shaving before your tan is key! Shaving once your tan has developed will simply remove some of the colour and therefore won’t last as long.
  2. If you have applied any deodorant, use a wet wipe or wash your underarms to remove it. Deodorant doesn’t play a huge part in obstructing tan development but can cause some alarm! When tan is applied over deodorant, the ingredients mix and usually tend to turn deodorant green but this will wash off normally so do not panic!
  3. Using any kind of moisturiser apply a thin layer to the dryer areas of your body to stop tan grabbing onto these skin cells and turning slightly darker. Elbows, knees, ankles, along the sides of your feet, the palms of your hands, fingers and knuckles and your eyebrows if they are fair (to stop them going darker).
  4. Apply your tan all over using your mitt and buff it into the body in circular motions. When you get to areas such as the inside of your wrist, fingers and feet, use a very small amount of tan here. These areas need to look natural and so by using just a small amount and dusting it lightly over your knuckles, fingers and toes this will make it look perfect. If you would like these areas to look darker once it has developed, you can always do one more layer and let it develop again.
  5. Air dry your body for a few minutes until you feel dry and then wear loose, comfy, dark clothing.
  6. Wait for your tan to develop for the recommended development time & avoid all contact with water. When going to the bathroom, use a baby wipe to wipe the palms of your hands, rather than washing them in water.
  7. When showering off your tan, use only warm water, no bubbles or soap. This allows the tan to sink fully into your skin before being washed properly. From your second shower onwards you can shower as normal but always pat yourself dry, don’t rub.
  8. Treat your tan like a normal holiday tan. The more you look after it by moisturising, the longer it will last!

So what are you waiting for? Get glowing!

We offer Sienna X spray tans in the salon too, check out the options and decide which one you’d like to book when the salon reopens!

Hope to see you all again soon, stay safe, Madison xxx

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