So...If there is something you can do afterwards to mess up a tan, there is a good chance I have personally done it or I have heard of it happening. I love spray tans, I am completely addicted to them and tanning. I don't however always listen to my own advice or think before I do something, it definitely helps you out with the what not to do's. lol I personally think I don't because I know I can fix it any time and I am not going to get upset if it is a little messed up for a couple days. No biggie. Now on your end, paying me to do it, I would probably care a little bit more. :) So here is a little what not to do.
1. You are not supposed to get water on you or sweat afterwards, right! I have went to take a drink out of a water bottle only to have a little spill down my chin and leave a line. Straws are great afterwards for this reason.
2. I went to clean out my spray tan gun. A normal, done it a thousand times task. Was doing it out of habit and a little water splashed up on my hand and made a couple marks.
3. Took the mat to the car wash to hose it down, because I spray tanned myself earlier that day. Didn't even think twice about it until it splashed up on my leg a little.
4. I let my stubborn butt sit outside all day one Sunday because I was bound and determined to catch a bunch of fish and they were bound and determined to not let me catch them. Needless to say, I forgot to put sunscreen on (which is the worst thing you can do) and I got burnt. I thought everywhere that was going to peel had peeled. I got spray tanned (mom helped me) and the picture you see at the top of this is what happend. The next day after my tan, my arm started peeling. I did not plan for my tan, so I didn't exfoliate before. I was just there and had done a few and being addicted to them, like I am, I got one too. It looks like I have some sort of skin disorder. I don't, it just peeled. Another thing to note from this though, it shows you how the solution doesn't soak all the way into your skin, deep. :) Exfoliation would have helped and waiting a little longer before a tan would have helped.

The following are customer oops:
5. A new mom, went home and gave her baby a bath.
6. Texting, a lot, or even some. If your arms are bent in at your elbows, especially if it creates a little moisture, its going to cause the tan to not develop in that area.
7. No dishes that night after.
8. Forget to bring loose clothes. If you slide on tight pants right after the spray tan, there's a good chance it will rub off or leave a line or mark.
9. Shoes. If you are getting tan for a special occasion, wear shoes that are similar to what you are wearing in the event. I don't mean wear some heels out. But if the top of your foot will be showing you don't want to wear flip flops. You could always wear the cardboard feet protectors out.
10. Do not under any circumstance, try on your wedding dress or prom dress after the spray tan. There is a real good chance you will stain it up. After your first shower it is fine, anything before though is a disaster waiting to happen.
11. I've had someone put water in a bowl for their pet. The pet runs in there and jumped in it I guess. lol Anyways, water splashed up on them.
12. The barrier cream I have you put on your hands and feet. This is lotion that prevents certain areas from absorbing too much color. If you put on the bottom of your feet, the feet things won't stick. If you accidentally apply all over your skin, the spray tan will never set.
13. Moms with little babies AKA tiny little slobber machines. If at all possible, you might want a sitter for the night. If not, I would highly suggest long sleeves and stuff. Breastfeeding moms, you definitely want to pump before. Have you ever seen that meme where the baby has spray tan all over his face. lol
14. If your kid has a baseball game after your tan. I would not advise to go sit out at the field in this crazy Oklahoma wind. If you can, sit in the car. If you have to go, try to find a place where dirt won't be constantly blowing on you. If it is hot outside for their football, basebally game, etc. you do not want to get out there and sweat your tan off. Let's see if we can schedule it after their game.
15. Coming to an appointment in the rain or it rains after. Completely doable, but try to bring a loose long sleeve tee or jacket to wear out and pants. I'll open the car door and help any way I can. Make sure you take the stuff off or AC on as soong as possible. You don't want to start sweating.
16. Got allergies?! Try not to go crazy rubbing or scratching anywhere just after. That goes for bites or anything else.
17. If it is the next day after your tan. You looked down at your legs and notice a mark and have no clue how it got there. It may look really noticeable at that point. There is a good chance that it is just the bronzers, the part that washes off with your first wash. So don't freak out, give me a heads up. We will make a plan B to fix it, but when you shower that day, there is a good chance it will all even out and look great.
18. Baths are the worst for spray tans. Not only does it make your color fade sooner, it also dries out your skin.

All of these oops are definitely not meant to turn anyone away or talk you out of a tan. Just to help be a little more aware and give you a little laugh at my mistakes and others. Everything listed is preventable or fixable. Let me know if something happens and you need help! I would never want any one to look awful on their wedding day or anything else important like that. I will gladly come in and do what I can to fix it. We also sell touch up spray to fix these oops at home and tan prolongers to build some more color. A lot that I have mentioned here, more than likely, will not happen to you. The tans are only super sensitive right after we do it, most of the stuff in this does not apply after the first 24 hours. Hope to see you and that I haven't scared you off! If you have had a spray tan and made a total oops after, please share! Add your comments. I'd love to hear them or any suggestions I may have missed that you want to share. Thanks!

Today I wanted to talk to you about how to make your spray tan last long. As a spray tan tech, oddly enough, I am only part of what makes your skin take a tan and keep it. The other part is how you prepare for your tan and how you take care of it. In the last blog, I talked about how to prepare so this one is how to care for it.

So as I am tanning you, you kindof feel like a stiff robot in awkward positions. It is very important while I am spraying you to try and keep different parts of your body from touching each other. An example, if I have you hold your arms up. When I am done spraying, your first instinct may be to lower your arms to your sides. Thats fine, but you need to keep them a lil bit away from your body. Also, you want to be mindful of your neck position. It is very natural to want to see what I am doing, but if I just sprayed your face and neck, then go to your legs, you may make marks on your neck or rub off the color since it hasn't had time to set.

After we get done and your getting dressed. I wouldn't suggest to put your bra back on because the straps may make marks. Just need to be careful not to rub anything. It does feel a lil sticky up to 20 minutes after, but that feeling will go away. You do not want to do anything where you will spill any liquids on you that night. Its best to wait a full 24 hours to shower, but if you absolutely can't wait at the least give it a full 12 hours. The first shower you take, just do a warm water rinse, no soaps on your body. Be mindful of the soaps you are using after your tan. We sell soap and moisturizers that are made for your new tan. Some of them even have some DHA that will build a little more color or help keep your color up better. If you don't use these, make sure your soap isn't something that really strips. Examples, dial, lever, zest, etc. You don't want to scrub your body at all, would advise against a regular wash rag. Would prob be best to use a soft rag substitute or hands. When you dry off, pat dry instead. Lotions are great to use, try to use one that doesn't have a lot of perfumes. Baths are not advised. They will soak off your tan faster and dry out your skin. If you text often, especially right after your tan, you want to make sure your arms are held out some. If they are bent at your elbows, I have had a customer that it all rubbed off there. It probably was too soon or maybe some moisture built up that made it rub off sooner. This is unusual but something to keep in mind. You don't want to go home and forget and do the dishes or give your child a bath. No water! lol

I know your probably thinking, whoa, maybe I don't want to mess with this now. I'm not trying to scare you off at all. The most sensitive time is the same day you get the tan. I may exxagerate a little, just because certain problems do come up, and its better to know what to watch out for and be mindful of. Most of this is just tips on making it last longer so that you do not have to come back in for a touch up. If something does happen, don't worry, just call me and we can figure out a time to come in to get it fixed. If you are not about to get married or go to something important, it might just be something that will remind you not to do it next time and no big deal. :)

If you have a big event, it is always best to come in a few weeks early and get a practice spray.  Just so you can see how it looks on you and see if you want to go darker.

Keep in mind, it can also be a learning curve for us both. If you get one and think it was too light or too dark, I have at least 4 colors on hand and we can adjust it. I write down the color I use on you. I want you to absolutely love it! Let me know if you have any questions or if anything happens and you don't know what to do! My next blog is going to be on fails or things to not do! Most of these I have personally done myself. Being able to fix it anytime I want, I think I'm probably not very careful. Maybe I don't listen to my own advice. lol Hope to hear from you! If you have done something completely silly to mess it up, please share!!!