This picture of LL clearly demonstrates what can go wrong when trying out a faux tan. I recently had my very first spray tan and despite what I think were acceptable results, I wish I had some no nonsense, MKIA advice before going under that gun. So here it is, our first ever MKIA “how-to” post, based on my personal experience and some good advice I found online:

Go to a professional. There are two types of spray tan: the kind done in a booth with an automated machine and the kind done by a trained technician. You are essentially spray-painting your entire body for a week so this is something I would not entrust to a machine. A trained expert can make sure you are covered, literally. Go on yelp.com and look up your local spas to find who does it best. Pay attention to the reviews of the technicians themselves and the product the spa/salon uses.

Exfoliate until it hurts! Before your appointment, make sure to shower and use an exfoliant to remove dead skin and smooth out rough patches. Give extra attention to knees, elbows, hands and feet so that the color does not gather in cracks, which can give the appearance of aging skin.

Shave, shower, and moisturize right before your appointment. This should be done the morning of or right before your appointment as you should not shower until the day after you have your treatment. Most salons recommend waiting 8 – 10 hours before showering, but if you want the color to set-in properly, my tech says to wait overnight and then shower. Shaving cannot be done after, at least for a few days, so as not to remove the color. And moisturizing will leave your skin ready to receive the color.

Make sure you have a fresh mani/pedi. A spray-tan is not a perma-tan so remember that it does come off eventually and using chemicals or a scrub (such as during a mani/pedi session) removes color and will leave your skin looking patchy!  My advice would be to get a fresh mani/pedi the day of your spray tan.

Make sure you reach every angle, don’t assume that they will. Here is where I really wish I had that MKIA advice before my first experience. When you receive a “personal air brush tan” you stand in front of the technician wearing not much more than the g-string they give you.  Make sure you move the side straps of the panties around so that you don’t end up with any lines.  Your bathing suits and underwear are not going to be the same shape and you will end up with little lines instead of a smooth, seamless tan, which is what you’re paying for after all.  ALSO, and this is a big one, when the technician is applying the tan to your butt, make sure you lean forward and get under those cheeks!  You stand in different positions and that can cause skin to touch and areas can be missed.  You don’t want to lean over to grab your sunscreen and have your bum outlined with two white streaks!

Wear very loose clothing, that stuff is sticky. No one said beauty was easy.  Spray tanning leaves you feeling sticky and kind of dirty.  You don’t want to ruin any good clothes or wear something that will rub the color off.  So bring loose clothes that you don’t care about to wear after your treatment.

Don’t plan to do anything the day of… As I mentioned, you should not shower until the day after your spray tan.  This will leave you feeling a little sticky and a little darker than you will be after you finally shower.  So if you have an event or are planning a trip, make sure you give yourself a full 24 hours of recovery time before making your first appearance.

Sound like too much effort? Maybe so but the MKIAs agree it’s worthwhile for a special occasion or trip. I went to Miami in the dead of January with a healthy glow (not something you see very often in my otherwise cool Chicago neighborhood). I felt confident in my bikini the minute I arrived and never felt the need to subject my skin to extra sun just to fit in. So get your spray on and keep your skin safe!