What Causes Streaky Tans

Although it’s (almost) 2023, there’s still SO many stigmas that come along with sunless tanning. As a spray tan artist, this is just something we have to combat through the interactions we have with our clients. However, the more educated we are with the entire tanning process and the ways in which we can mitigate issues throughout the development process, the better our clients outcomes will be. The goal is to always have a flawless, even, natural-looking tan, right!? Your clients come to you because they are looking for a healthier tanning alternative and, in return, they hope to receive a result that is as natural as possible. Sometimes, there are instances that take place that can disrupt the process of creating that natural sunless tan, as we know. You may have had clients contact you in a frenzy because they noticed streaks down their body after their spray tan. There’s few reasons why this may have taken place and luckily, there’s also ways to mitigate and even fix this issue if it happens.

The First Rinse

When we are spray tanning, typically we are using a sunless solution that has a cosmetic bronzer mixed in with it. This bronzer is used as a color guard for the artist and allows the client to get that instant color even though the actual tan hasn’t completely developed. This bronzer is essentially just makeup applied to the skin and has very minimal effect on the actual color of the spray tan. However, within the post tan process, the client is always instructed to rinse their spray tan with just water after a certain period of time, usually around 8 hours after their appointment. If the client quickly hops in the shower to do their first rinse, there is a possibility that all of the bronzer is not removed during that rinsing, which can cause the appearance of streaks on the skin. This is not something to fret over, however, because if these streaks are seen on the skin after the rinse, the client can just hop right back in the shower and gently massage the rest of the bronzer off with their hands. This will help take care of the streaks. As the artist, it’s also helpful to include in your post tan instructions that the client should gently massage the bronzer off with their hands in the shower on the initial rinse to avoid this issue and any panic that comes from not removing all of the bronzer.

Water Contact

Typically, we want our clients to just chill out after their spray tan and in the 24 hour development period. This means they should not be doing any heavy sweating or coming in contact with water (aside from their first rinse). Although, this is not always the case and there are times when clients go to work out, or get sweaty because it’s a hot summer day or maybe they just got caught in the rain after their appointment. Unfortunately, in these circumstances, the development of their tan can be affected to where they see streaking. The water or sweat that comes in contact with the skin before the tan is fully developed, especially in the early hours of development, will disrupt the contact that the DHA has with the skin. Essentially, the water or sweat can remove some of the solution, which in turn, will cause those areas to not develop fully and cause streaks or unevenness. This cause of streaking is not as easy of a fix as bronzer being left on the skin after the first rinse, but it still may not be a lost cause. If this type of streaking happens, as the spray tan artist, you may still be able to blend the area out with additional solution added to the areas that were removed by the water or sweat. You can also recommend that the client use a self tanner to try to blend out the area if they have that on hand already. Generally, in this case, it may look a little funky right after it’s been blended because of the cosmetic bronzer, but once the tan is rinsed, it usually will blend out seamlessly. 

Although streaky sunless tans will most likely continue to be a concern for most spray tan clients, especially if they are a first time spray tanner, you can help calm the fears of these clients by being educated about your service and the process that occurs throughout the tan’s development. If you’re interested in leveling up your knowledge on sunless science, beauty biz marketing and how to grow your sunless business to 6 figures, head over to the Spray Tan Class website to explore the course offering that is a best fit for you and your journey!

Xoxo,

Kelly