Self Tanning 101: RB STYLE

Y’all know how I feel about being tan – it is an instant confidence booster. I mean I feel 10lbs skinnier when I have my tan on! After lots of trial and error, I have perfected my process of self tanning and getting it to last at least a week and look natural. The two products I swear by are at the end of the post just in case you want to skip HA!

So I wanted to put it allllll in one post here and share all my tips and tricks for those of you that have been asking…so let’s go!

• First I have found that having a good base spray tan is the easiest and most natural way to tan. I have done all the lotions, mousses, foams, sprays, cloths, etc. and nothing beats getting sprayed down. I love knowing that my whole body is covered at least once a week. I go once a week to our local tanning place and get sprayed in the VersaSpa Tanning booth. (Locals- I go to Club Tan). It sprays you four times and dries you each time (it’s like powerful hair dryers going up and down). Your tanning girl will tell you what to do but you essentially do the front, back, and each side. I also do the prep and sealant. The prep is a quick two spray process (front and back and dries you each time) that preps your skin and removes any oils to ensure your skin is optimal for the bronzing spray. The prep is sprayed on before the spray tan. Then the sealant is sprayed after the tan (front and back and dries you each time) and it just seals your tan and gives you some extra moisture. You get to choose your level of darkness. Just for reference in the summer I get the darkest, 4. The rest of the year I get 3. But Claire gets a 2 almost year round. It just depends on how well your skin takes the tan and how well you tan. I am not very dry so I need the extra color to make it noticeable. You also can choose whether you want the clear tanner or one with a bronzer added. The only difference is that the bronzer will show color immediately. That’s what I get. It will not show your final tan- but I like feeling a difference quick. So just to be clear, here is the order of my complete spray:
• • Prep Spray front
• • Dry front
• • Prep Spray back
• • Dry back
• • Dry back again
• • Dry front again
• • Spray Tan front
• • Dry front
• • Spray Tan right side
• • Dry right side
• • Spray Tan left side
• • Dry right side
• • Spray Tan back
• • Dry back
• • Dry back again
• • Dry front again
• • Seal Spray front
• • Dry front
• • Seal Spray back
• • Dry back
• • Dry back again
• • Dry front again

• • And that’s it! The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes. I like this because I don’t have to be naked with anyone and it’s quick. Now here are my tips for pre, during, and post tan:

• Before you go to the spray tan: Shower, shave, and exfoliate. Take a good scrub down shower with a yummy exfoliant. Your skin will drink the tan right up if it’s clean and dry. DO NOT put any lotion on anywhere except for extremely dry areas. The only place I put lotion is the bottoms of my feet and my hands. You might need to put it on your knees and elbows but make sure you rub it in completely. No moisturizer on your face unless you are super dry. Lotion is going to make the tan slip off so you do not want it on if at all possible. If you wash your hair, dry it so you don’t have wet hair hitting your shoulders after your tan and making you spotty. Don’t wear any jewelry to the tan booth. Seriously don’t. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot and ended up forgetting them there. Also put your hair up. You want to wear loose fitting clothes. Most of the time I get my tans in the evenings so I practically wear pjs. Try not to wear a bra. But like today, I did it this afternoon so I am wearing workout clothes and a sports bra. No tennis shoes as they can leave marks on your feet.
• During the tanning process: Wear the hair cap to protect your hair. Make sure your ears are sticking out. Also make sure you pull the front of your cap to expose your hair line. Otherwise you will get a line across your forehead. When you are getting sprayed with actual tan, make sure you turn and do your arms and legs as you are supposed to. Silly yes, but you will hate it if you are uneven. Don’t keep your fingers together. Just relax. When you turn to the sides, make sure you turn your head so your face does not get too much.
• Post tan process: When you get out of the booth, you will be a little sticky, that’s ok. You will dry. Immediately take a baby wipe (my tanning place always has them, but might want to bring a travel pack with you) and completely wipe down your hands – between each finger, fingernails, front and back of hand and wrist. I promise it is not removing your tan. This just keeps your hands from looking too dark. Then wipe down the bottoms of your feet. Put your clothes and stay cool. Over the next several hours, don’t get wet. Try not to sweat but it’s ok if you do a little bit. Don’t wash your face and when you wash your hands just be careful of splashing your arms. Also be aware of what you are doing for the first few hours- you don’t want to create lines from how you are sitting or certain pieces of clothing. Your tan will not be it’s true color for 6-8 hours. Even more in 12 hours. You do not want to take a shower for as long as possible- but I never go longer than 12-14 because it is SO dark and smells HA! You will be your darkest ever right before you shower. Don’t freak out. The tan that did not process is essentially sitting on your skin and will come off in the shower. Ok – when you finally shower- don’t scrub like a mad woman. While yesterday you scrubbed and exfoliated, this time you just want to wash off your skin. Now RB is not telling you not to be clean- I am just saying that you don’t want to scrub off the tan. Also when you get out of the shower- don’t rub your skin too hard with a towel. Just pat dry.
• Ok now you are a tan goddess! Let’s talk about maintaining it and making it last!
• • After you shower for the first time and have patted dry- you want to lotion up! You need a good moisturizing lotion that keeps your skin hydrated. I just use Vaseline brand from Walmart and bath and body works yumminess. This step is probably the most important of all to make your tan last – MOISTURIZING. That first 24 hours after you got your spray tan- make sure you coat on the lotion after your shower and don’t forget to do it before you go to bed. Trust me y’all. This is a really important step also because it really evens out your tan too and makes it look more natural. The first day or two, all you need to do is put lotion on and keep hydrated. Also keep your face moisturized too. Those first two days are the easiest as your tan is new and fresh and not fading much. On the third day is when you should start maintenance ☺️.
• My favorite new tanning product that I have found that is by far the easiest and most natural is tanning oil drops. It’s easy because the only thing that changes in the process is that you will add the drops of oil to your lotion. Again – keeping your skin moisturized is key to a long lasting natural tan – so just add drops to every lotion application. For example: put enough lotion in the palm of your hand for one leg and then add as many drops as you want (the oil is buildable- the more drops, the darker the tan) and rub the two products together in your hands and apply like you would lotion alone. I focus on my legs, arms, shoulders, neck, and chest. I also buy this oil to add to my face moisturizer so my face stays tan. We wash our face more than anything so it may take more oil depending on your skin. You could use the same oil for your face and body – but I would use the face one if you only use one so the body one does not break your face out. Depending on how dark you want to be or how fast your tan is fading, you can do the drops once or twice a day. I like to do it after my shower, but before bed is easy too. It has a slight smell, but nothing like the full on tanning lotions and mousses. They are not cheap- but keep in mind that you will probably get a whole summer out of one bottle at least. Using three- ish drops a time for me and I feel like I have barely made a dent. I love these because they are buildable but mostly because it blends so well since you are doing it with lotion. You also don’t need a mit- just wash your hands after use and you should be good. On my feet and hands I always apply lotion alone after the oil lotion combo to ensure they are blended well.
• When showering throughout the week- make sure you are not scrubbing like crazy and only patting dry. Anytime you feel dry, lather on the lotion – it will help so much. You should be putting on lotion at least twice a day.
• After a week and you are ready for a fresh, all over tan from the spray booth – you have to take your good scrub down shower again. You want to get as much tan off as possible for a clean slate. I usually lay off the oil the day before so i can start sluffing off my tan. You will be streaky and patchy after that shower and you just start back over from step one! One thing to note is that over time- as you moisturize a ton, your skin will need less lotion than it did before in your prep routine.

Here is a link to the two tanning oils I love and use daily!

Wowza! I know that was a lot but I wanted to share all the deets and have it somewhere saved. If you don’t want to do the spray tan- you just need to use your favorite tanning lotion, mousse, spray, etc. and do that once a week in place of the spray tan. You could also keep the drops on hand and do the regularly for a light color and only do the full tan on special occasions. My plan through the fall and winter is just add the drops to my lotion on my arms, face, chest- the only places seeing the light of day HA and keeping some color going year round. I pay about $50 a month for unlimited spray tans – I can get them as often as I want. I can also put a hold on the plan during the months I am not getting them- it’s a great deal that I am sure can be found in your area too. It’s going to take some trial and error on your part- start light and get darker as you feel comfortable. You will screw up your hands and feet and will forget spots. It’s ok – part of it 😉. Send me any questions you have!