What to do before your 1st coat of Airbrush tanner:
STOP USING DEODORANT!
We are all different and we all use different products for deodorant. Generally speaking, a competitor should stop using deodorant 2 weeks prior to competing and make sure to exfoliate the armpit area thoroughly 3 to 4 times a week for those 2 weeks prior to show time in order to give your skin time to get rid of most of what has been built up in your pores.
Deodorant has a way of leaching into the skin, and then leaching out again. Some deodorants contain minerals which will react with the tanning solution and make you turn green and, when I say green, I mean it! Not pretty at all trust me! I have seen a lot of train wrecks backstage and it is sad to see such an avoidable issue! The main culprit is again metals such as aluminum oxide. So, plain and simple, get funky! What I mean is, if you don't stink, you should!
EXFOLIATE!
If you haven’t been exfoliating, start now! Scrub as much dead skin off as possible with every shower until you have to apply your first coat of air brush tan. After your first coat of tan you will not exfoliate anymore! Use exfoliating gloves, my favorite! They easily penetrate all of those crevices of our body even more accentuated as we lean out. Exfoliating body washes are not ok close to competition time. I recommend body soaps with pH neutral and free of metals such as aluminum oxide. A safe bet is Jan Tana exfoliating scrub or Neutrogena Rain bath. Otherwise, you can purchase online the Jan Tana body scrub. Pay special attention to the rough areas of your skin such as the elbows, knees and knuckles. Rough skin tends to soak up more of the spray tan solution, causing that area to be darker and blotchy. Exfoliating thoroughly will help prevent this and it will also help the tan fade more evenly as it goes away.
Moisturize!
Your skin must be well hydrated with a neutral pH lotion such as Neutrogena, or Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Jan Tana makes a lotion that is guaranteed not to conflict with the tanning solution. If you choose your own lotion, just be sure it is neutral in pH, has no perfumes added to it, and is free of metals such as aluminum oxide. We have seen perfume and lotion cause the tanning solution to turn green on the skin as well as repel the solution due to improper pH. Just as with exfoliation, pay special attention to your knees, elbows, and knuckles. You can use lotion as many time as you want throughout the day up to the day your first coat of tan is applied; just make sure to let the lotion dry thoroughly before your tan is applied!
Wax, Shave, Mow, Whatever!
However, you decide, get the hair off before you tan. Hair tends to draw more solution into the root, causing small black spots. Make sure you show up to get spray tanned, cleanly shaved. If you haven’t been able to get waxed (no sooner than 7 days prior to your appointment) or shave, make sure that when you, you do so very close to your first coat of tan to limit the hair regrowth by the time you get on stage. After you shave, make sure you exfoliate as razors have a little thin strip which often contains metals and in some cases if one doesn’t exfoliate thoroughly can show interesting green stripes!
Hang Loose!
Wear very loose fitting clothes to and from being airbrushed. Tight clothes, including socks, will rub against the freshly applied tan and cause light areas. Consider what may be exposed later and make sure you're not causing issues with waistlines and sock lines.
Wear flip flops!
What to do AFTER your 1st coat of Airbrush tanner
Stay away from any water sources!!
Use wipes to wash and sanitize your hands or gently wash your fingers under gently running water. Do not splash as you will NOT rinse this coat off!
Be very careful with this coat!
You want the solution to penetrate evenly into your skin. Keep your body away from any surface(s) and or body parts from rubbing on each other for as long as the tan needs to dry. As for drying time, everyone is different and the technicians will check you to see if you are dry.
To dry.
Your technician will take you into the next cubicle and you will stand in front of the fan making sure to face both away and toward the fan periodically.
Wear flip flops, kimono, or other loose, baggy clothing.
If you wear a kimono, do not tighten the belt to tight around the waist. Flannel or synthetic material such as fleece is better than cotton. Turning your tops inside out will help alleviate marks from the seams of shits, sweatshirts, hoodies etc.
Do not sit on the toilet. Instead, squat over the toilet!
Watch for splashes when using the toilet!! (APPLIES TO ALL)
Ladies this is especially important to you. Peeing in a cup (24 oz. minimum) is the way to go. Place some toilet paper in the toilet to minimize splashing when emptying your cup. The fun of being a competitor!!!
Sleep in long sleeved shirt and pants (flannel pajamas work well!)
Prepare your bed with dark sheet and pillowcase.
This stuff washes off but you will find dark sheets and pillowcases will be more comfortable. Flannel works best for sheets and pillowcases.
Sleep with long sleepwear!
Long sleeves and pant type pajamas will help make sure that you don’t wake up with marks on your skin from skin rubbing. Make sure you don’t lay arm on your face as the tan will transfer.
Do not be alarmed if your tan has a couple of marks after you wake up! Your airbrush technician will fix everything during the second coat!
Special Notes for Competitors and Models:
You've worked hard to get your body where it is and it is time to show it off! Don't let a hastily applied, sloppy tan hide all of that work! As judges, Shawn and I can tell you that it does affect your scoring and, in fact, skin tone is one of the original judging criteria. Truly, if it comes down to a close call between you and another competitor, if your tan is poorly applied and distracting, it will make it easier to look at the other competitor. You do not want your tan making you hard to look at! Following are some steps in the tanning process that, when added to the above preparations, will help you look your best on the big day.
Your first coat of tan will be applied the day before your event. If your physique prejudging is on Saturday, your appointment will be scheduled for Friday. This is exactly what you will all be doing in preparation for this show! With Jan Tana On Stage Competition Color, there are two different processes working to color your skin. First, there is a dark mahogany pigment. This will darken as it dries, giving you a pretty even color. Unseen to the eye is DHA (dihydroxyacetone). DHA is a safe chemical used in most modern air brush tanning solutions that actually causes your skin to brown due to an amino acid response on the outer layers of the epidermis. This browning can last up to 67 days but this depends a great deal on how well you prepped your skin. The better prepped your skin is, the longer the tan will last and the more evenly it will fade, which is great for those post contest photo shoots!
The reason for starting your tanning so early is so you can give the DHA in the first coat a good deal of time to brown your skin. We like to have clients get sprayed as early as possible in the day and then wear the tan all day long.
Saturday, the day of prejudging, you will receive touch ups. For fitness, figure and bikini, you want to be dark but it is possible to be too dark. For bodybuilders, generally, the darker the better. It can also depend on the venue. Some venues have good professional quality stage lighting so you may want to be darker where other venues use what amounts to house lighting for prejudging in which case you will want to be a little lighter. An experienced tanner or airbrush technician will know something about most major venues. For photo shoots, you normally want to be lighter than for competition, especially women.
Once upon a time, a novice competitor put Dream Tan or Pro Tan on his face and the results were disastrous. No one else ever wanted to be "that guy" so the word on the street has been don't Pro Tan your face. The result is often a freaky white faced Phantom of the Opera look that, from a judge point of view, can be very distracting. Since we are talking about the face, your face will be airbrushed only during the first coat application!!!
This is not an issue with Jan Tana air brush tanning products. While you do want your face to be a shade lighter than the rest of your body, this difference should not be noticeable. A good spray tan technician will apply the tan in such a way that there will be a smooth transition at the neckline. Between prejudging and the evening show some touch ups may be necessary.
A lot goes into making sure your color is just right on the big day but it is well worth the effort. We've all seen those athletes with the perfect tan and we know that it is impressive when a great physique is polished with magnificent mahogany color.