How are clients maintaining their tan results and helping to build for future results in between tanning sessions? Contrary to common practice, there is so much more you can help your clients with to help aid their tan development outside of the salon. Not only does this give you the opportunity to provide an even better service, for the best tan results possible, but it also lends itself to further upsells! Check out some of our top tips for how clients can care for their tan in between sessions with these “at home tanning maintenance tips”…
Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!
One of the biggest tan faders is dry skin. If your clients have drier skin, their skin will shed faster, resulting in a dull complexion, uneven, patchy tan, and slower future tan results. Dry skin also reflects light. Therefore, our first tanning maintenance tip is to encourage clients to moisturise as regularly as possible! By encouraging clients to moisturise daily, especially after tanning, they will be able to help encourage the most even, glowing complexion possible.
Sun cream is not counterintuitive
“I’m off for a day to the beach after my sunbed today” – oh lovely! This sounds like a wonderful day out. However, have your clients considered that they’re putting themselves at a higher risk of overexposure and burning? Just because a client has visited you in the morning, and gone outdoors for a prolonged period of time in the afternoon doesn’t have any impact on the fact that they are increasing their UV exposure that day. If this is the case, you should always be recommending clients apply SPF regularly throughout the rest of the day.
Contrary to what some believe, apply sun cream will not stop tanning. It will, however, protect skin from overexposure and burning. Not only can this cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and also dry skin out, ridding your clients of their tan results, in the short term, but it can also cause longer-term skin damage. Not only does educating your clients on safe sun practices help to care for the results, but it also can become an added revenue stream in-salon.
Wait 4 hours before showering or bathing
Did you know that your tanning lotion will work for a further four hours after your tanning session? By showering prior to this, you are not allowing the skincare ingredients and bronzing technology to work to its full potential before removing it, wasting money spent on lotion, lessening results and risking drying skin with hot water.
When it comes to tanning, we recommend showering at least four hours after your session, and also lowering the water temperature. Hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils, drying it out.
“Is it best to shower before or after tanning?”
For best results, clients should come into salon with clean skin, ideally post-shower. Although this isn’t always realistic for clients, what is important is reiterating that this a necessity for the face. Clients should remove all cosmetics and perfumes prior to tanning. Perfumes and deodorants may work magnify UV, and also react to bronzing technologies applied to the skin. Whilst tanning wearing cosmetics can block pores and create spots.
Pre-future tanning sessions…
There are also further things clients can do prior to future tanning sessions to care for their current glow and ensure the best results from future sessions:
- Exfoliate 1-2 days before tanning – this will rid tanners of any dead skin cells for an overall, smooth, glowing complexion
- Remove hair at least the day before – did you know that hair removal can strip your skin of natural oils? This is typically why legs are harder to tan than other areas. By removing hair a couple of days prior to tanning, and then moisturising after, this restores any lost hydration.
- Increase water intake – hydration from the inside out!
- Use the right products – although a high street moisturiser is a good option, this isn’t designed specifically for tanning. Therefore these products also contain alcohols and drying ingredients which could otherwise lessen their hydrating impact on your tan. In comparison, a specially designed Tan Extender is ideal for ensuring the longest life for your tan.