Spending time in the garden or enjoying walks around the neighborhood or playing at the beach. That’s what summer is all about! You remembered to put on sunscreen but still it happens. Some parts of your body are a bit more tan than the rest! Now you have to go out for the next few days sporting an uneven tan line, which can ruin that beautiful open back dress you were going to wear and wondering how you can fix this issue and even out that ta line.
No worries! Anyone can fix this with a good self or spray tanner, a proper application tool and technique. We will talk about both scenarios for at home DIY fixes and how spray tan artist can fix clients with similar issues.
First let’s talk about the DIY method
For this we recommend you use a good self tanner, make-up sponge and kabuki brush or tanning mitt.
Make sure to exfoliate right before you apply your self tanner to avoid any issues. Our variety of sugar scrubs removes dead skin cells while moisturizing the skin to leave a perfect canvas for a sunless tan. Make sure the area you have chosen to work in is cool because you don’t want to sweat while applying the self tanner.
Apply the self tanner (preferably choose a tanning solution or a mousse) to all the lighter areas of the skin. You will need to dab or “paint” self tanning solution with a cosmetic sponge or kabuki brush while blending at edges. Please note you might need multiple applications of self tanner to match the surrounding darker areas of the skin. After one or two applications you will notice that the lighter area is starting to look darker than rest of your body, but don’t worry! This is because your self tanner also has an instant color guide, also known as a bronzer. The bronzer will rinse off with your first shower. Let the tan develop in the lighter pale areas for around 4 to 6 hours. At this point you can do a quick rinse to reveal the tan color on the lighter area and if you think the tan is relatively a similar tone, it’s time to apply self tanner to the full body, using the same self tanner and application tool. Start from your feet upward, covering all the areas of the body. Working quickly and making sure you have an even application. Let it develop for 6 to 8 hours and you are ready for your first shower, and remember to only rinse off with warm water, no soap, pat dry and to apply a daily moisturizer.
Plan to do this a day or two in advance before any event so your tan has time to fully develop and you can show off your beautiful tan!
Now, if you are a spray tan artist and you have a client who needs this situation fixed, the process will be similar, but will have to be done in a shorter amount of time. This will be reflected in the products used.
Make sure that the client is well prepped. Try and use a pre tan prep spray to make sure the surface of the skin is cleaned of any sweat or skin care products. Now choose two products with different DHA strengths while keeping in mind the client’s skin type. You can do this a few different ways. First choose a high DHA level product and apply that to the lighter skin area using a spray gun, a make-up brush, or sponge while making sure to blend to the edge. Keep a hair dryer at the cool setting or a spray gun blowing air handy to make sure you dry that area in-between coats. Before applying a second coat check to see if you are close to matching the tanned skin area, a little darker is okay because that is just the bronzer looking dark. Once the last coat is dried, fill the cup with a product with a lower strength DHA solution and do a full body application, including all the earlier lighter areas in order to even out the skin tone.
As always, the same rules apply. Let your client know to stay out of water, not to exercise and to wait at least 8 hours before showering with warm shower without soap and to apply a light moisturizer afterwards.
Try to see the client again in 24 hours, via text, photos, or quick salon visit, after they have showered, to hear what they have to say and to do any touch-ups that may be needed.
A few things to keep in mind, this method is a solution to a problem and you can achieve an even skin tone with adequate practice and choosing the right products and applications.
The pale areas will often fade differently, and might look rusty or speckled after a few days. This is normal because of the lack of pigmentation in the skin.
To really take it to the next level for the perfect look you can choose a liquid bronzer or makeup product on top of the spray tan, to help further blend, and even out skin contrasts after a few days.
Hope this gets your creative juices flowing to keep your skin looking fresh and beautiful.
