Have you been considering a spray tan at home product? With the technological advancements found in spray tanning over the past years, the popularity has risen dramatically. Due to the demand, more cosmetic brands are offering take home versions to save you time and money with a do-it-yourself option. Thanks to celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, a spray tan has become truly fashionable. Once again, a tan can be described as a healthy glow.
Spray Tan Salons

If you are looking for information on spray tanning booths or airbrush salons, check out our article Spray Tanning at LoveToKnow Makeup. Visiting a salon will ensure that your tan is applied by a professional, but it also comes with the professional price. The following information will help you to evaluate whether you would like to try a home-done version of a spray tan.

How it Works

Whether you chose a home tan kit or a salon spray booth, both employ the same tanning process. With the evolution of a chemical called dihydroxyacetone (DHA), fake tans have developed a more natural appearance. DHA causes a reaction at the surface of your skin temporarily turning the skin a tan color. A completely safe process, the chemical has actually been around since the 1970s with only recently being discovered as an artificial tanning product. When you compare the DHA chemical reaction to the possibility of skin cancer from the sun, a spray tan sounds like a much safer tanning option.

Spray tan products actually provide two services. Pigments added to the spray impart an instant tan color to your skin, while the DHA reaction takes about ten hours to achieve a change in your skin's color. So, at about the time the pigments wash off, the longer-lasting chemical tan has set in. Most spray products, either done at home or the salon, only last about five days.

Tips for Spray Tanning at Home

With a variety of products available at as little as $7 a tan, many people are trying an imitation tan at home. Success is based more on the application process than the actual product selected. The following is a step-by-step program to ensure the most naturally even tan.

Exfoliate your entire body between three to twelve hours before applying the tan product - ideally with a moisturizing body scrub.
Immediately after the exfoliation process, cover the skin with a penetrating non-oily moisturizing lotion.
Within 30 minutes before your spray tan, take a shower to remove all the body and product oils from your skin.
Cover the floor area to protect it from the coloring in the spray.
Shake the can thoroughly and spray approximately fifteen inches from the skin in a light sweeping motion.
Spray particularly light on your feet as they tend to react to the tanning solution more dramatically.
Blot any drips with a soft towel.
Stand completely still after misting for around 30 seconds.
Use gloves and spray the tanning mist on your hands, then apply to tender areas like the face.
Wait at least ten minutes before dressing and eight to twelve hours before bathing.
As you are dealing with chemicals not recommended for internal use, always avoid inhaling the spray while tanning.

Products

Tan AirBrush
As the name describes, this product provides a tan in a can by ModelCo available for purchase at Sephora. Advertised as ensuring no stained hands or uneven coverage, it includes a cocoa butter scent for that fresh from the beach smell. Applied with a fine mist, it provides both a golden pigment for an instant glow and the self-tanner chemicals for the longer lasting tan. Tan AirBrush offers a specially designed spray nozzle that provides 360 degree coverage for easier application.

Soleil Flash Bronzer
A Lancome Cosmetics version of the home self-tanning product is the Flash Bronzer. Completely oil free and easy to apply, they advertise its particularly unique texture. It is available in a variety of styles, with different color depths and application processes. Choose from a body spray or a face gel as an example.

Body Drench Quick Tan
A particularly quick drying spray tan product, designed for both the face and body. Guaranteed to not streak or turn orange, this product produces an immediate golden color followed by the longer lasting bronze of the tanning chemicals.