Exfoliating: The key to the perfect tan

So you want the perfect tan. A tan that is even, that will last and last and last.

Well if you have chosen a SunFX salon then you are off to a great start. But relying on the best quality tanning solutions and highly trained staff alone is not enough. No, there is a little something that you need to do to help create the perfect tan and it’s called ‘Exfoliating’.

Now sure we have all heard about it, done it, know we should etc, etc. But do you really understand why you need to exfoliate prior to getting a spray tan?

Well, if not, then keep reading. It all has to do with your skin cells.

When you are sprayed with a SunFX tanning solution, the all natural active ingredient in the solution reacts with the amino acids in your skin, to create a rich, gorgeous tan. But this only happens on the surface of your skin. It does not penetrate deep through the layers.

Now your skin is made up of millions of tiny skin cells. These cells don’t live long, and eventually they die and fall off. Don’t worry, there are more getting made every second of every day. But the important thing is to realize that they do die and they do fall off.

So if your tanning solution only tans the very top layer, it stands to reason that you want that top layer to be as new and alive as possible doesn’t it? Therefore you need to get rid of all the old, dried up, dead skin cells prior to your tan.

Ideally this needs to happen the night before your appointment. If you have not exfoliated for a while then you might like to do it a couple of nights in a row leading up to your tan. Pay particular attention to rough areas of skin like the tops of your feet, heels, ankles, elbows, knuckles etc. These areas lose skin cells very quickly.

IMPORTANT:

So now you understand why it’s important to exfoliate prior to your appointment, you now need to know that not all exfoliating treatments are the same. Now I am not going to get into the various styles of manual vs. chemical, BHA’s vs. AHA’s, that’s a topic for a different time. What I do want you to realise though, is that some exfoliating foams, gels and treatments contain oils.

Now in case you have not realized it yet, oils on your skin are bad for your spray on tan. Why you might ask? Well simply because they stop the tanning solution from properly reaching your skin cells. In areas where there might be less oil on your skin, you might find that your tan looks ok, whereas areas with a lot of oil might not tan at all. As you can imagine this results in a blotchy tan!

So to avoid a tanning disaster, I recommend that you use SunFX Body Polish. This gorgeous body polish combines walnut shell and pumice with rich emolient properties that gently remove dead skin cells, leaving only fresh healthy skin cells for your tan. More importantly, it contains no oils that would interfere with your spray on tan.

So remember, you must get rid of the old skin cells prior to your appointment by thoroughly exfoliating your entire body, and do not use an exfoliant that contains any type of oil. When in doubt, choose Body Polish from SunFX.