When someone says the word "orange" to me, I twitch a little. Like most professional sunless artists, when someone says they feel like they are brassy & warm, it can ruin my day. I take my job seriously, & I hate getting that feedback! Luckily, we've been doing this long enough, that we've got pretty good at avoiding this outcome. However, there is an element of human error to our craft, both on the artist & client's end. There are four different ways I've determined that cause people to turn this unwanted color post-spray.
Overprocessing. This scenario can especially true for clients who prefer rapid sprays. Rapid sprays are developed to have a shorter processing time so if you get one, please don't sleep in it! They continue to get darker as the DHA reacts with your skin, & if you go past the recommended amount of time, it's likely you will turn rusty colored, at least on your hands & feet. Even long-setting solutions can overprocess. Most of those are formulated to only be on the skin for 8-10 hours. Choose wisely according to your schedule & take your spray tan artist's recommendation!
Spraying too dark. This is an unpopular opinion with many of our younger clients. I get it! I used to spray as dark as humanly possible in my 20's. I have fair skin, & looking back at pictures, it just wasn't cute! If you have Type 1 & II skin with a red undertone, this can easily happen. If your solution (DHA%) is too dark, you will look brassy. In my opinion, spray tans should look natural, & I think this is why we have become a popular bridal spray destination. We have around twelve solutions on hand so that we can match every skin type. One solution does not fit all. We don't always get it right the first time, but we can usually nail it by the second or third spray!
Spray tan artist error. As I mentioned above, sometimes human error is involved, & we get it wrong. By the way, if this has happened to you, please let us know so we can learn from our mistake! Sometimes we don't match you with the correct solution, or we tell you the wrong amount of time to process. It happens! Just like any beauty service, it may take a time or two to nail it. In order to be a great spray tan artists, you don't have to be an esthetician, but you do need to understand skin types & undertones. It took around a year for me to understand how all of it worked together, & I think that's the learning curve of someone new to our industry.
Hormones. This reason gets overlooked a lot, but it is one of the main contributors to this problem. So far, I have struggled with this a couple of times in my life. In my mid-20's, I dealt with cystic acne, & in my early 30's, I was on hormones to help carry my daughter. With both of these hormonal shifts, I noticed spray tans & self tanners didn't stick quite like they used to. If you are experiencing a hormonal shift, such as pregnancy or menopause, be aware that these things can alter how your tan lays on your skin & how long it lasts. If you're nervous about this, we can always try a test patch to see how your skin reacts.
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