Tanning makes your skin glow smoothly and boosts your confidence. That’s why it has become a fashion trend in the United States and the entire world. Unfortunately, suntanning isn’t so safe. When you expose your skin to the UV rays of the sun, you’d be risking skin cancer.
For this reason, you’re better off with a fake tan. However, fake tanning comes with its challenges too. If you don’t apply the tan properly, you’re likely to end up with streaks or uneven patches of tan all over your body. That’s why you have to follow every tanning instruction.
To get a great tan, it is necessary to exfoliate your skin before you apply a spray tan. Exfoliation helps you to get rid of a layer of dead skin cells. This allows the tanner to penetrate your skin. The human skin pulls off dead skin cells every few days. So, if you take a tan without exfoliating, when the skin expels the layer of dead skin cells, some tan will be eliminated too. And this will make your tan fade faster.
Hence, we have been encouraging our readers to exfoliate their skin before a spray tan. We have decided to answer the question in this article. And as usual, we will also answer a few frequently asked questions too. So, let’s get to it now.
How Long You Should Exfoliate Before A Spray Tan?
You should not take a tan immediately after exfoliation. Wait for some hours for the pores to close up before you go for a spray tan. You can wait for about 4 -24 hours after exfoliation before you tan up. What we’re saying is that the minimum number of hours to wait for is 4 hours and the maximum should be 24 hours.
As explained above, you need to remove the layer of dead skin cells before you take a tan. The best way to eliminate dead skin cells is to exfoliate your skin. It’ll allow the tan to penetrate your skin and yield a great tanning result. At the same time, exfoliation has a downside. It opens the pores of the skin.
When your pores are wide open, the tanner will find its way into them. Clogged pores give dotted skin and uneven patches of tan. So, it may be counterproductive if you tan with open pores.
While waiting after exfoliation, you might as well take a cold shower because cold water helps to close skin pores. To get an even better tanning result, you could shave your skin before exfoliation.
Do You Have To Wait 24 Hours After Exfoliating To Self Tan?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, you can wait for 24 hours after exfoliating before you self tan. And no, you don’t really have to wait for up to 24 hours. According to experts, you have to wait for at least 4 hours. You may also need to take a cold shower to help you close your pores while waiting to self tan.
The long wait is totally up to you. However, don’t let the wait exceed 24 hours. Remember, after 24 hours, another layer of dead skin cells will begin to build up. It is a natural cycle and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve got to roll with the flow. Once again, you can wait for 24 hours if you want to, but you don’t have to. You’re good with a 4-hour wait.
Can You Exfoliate And Fake Tan On The Same Day?
Yes, yes, and yes. The minimum is 4 hours and the maximum is 24 hours. Logically, if you choose a waiting period that is shorter than 12 hours, you can exfoliate and fake tan on the same day. Let’s give you a few scenarios.
Scenario 1 – You can exfoliate at 9am and take a tan at 1pm. That’s a 4-hour wait, and it’s cool.
Scenario 2 – You can exfoliate at 12pm and take a tan at 5pm. That’s a 5-hour wait, and you’re good.
Scenario 3 – You can exfoliate at 1pm and take a tan at 7pm. The waiting period here is 6 hours, and it’s fine.
All three same-day scenarios are great. You can follow any of them. There’s nothing wrong with exfoliating and tanning on the same day.
How Do You Exfoliate Before Self Tanning?
To exfoliate, you need an exfoliating brush, glove, or sponge. You can as well opt for exfoliating scrub. To exfoliate dry skin, you need to use Glycolic acid and follow it up with a moisturizer. Here are some steps to follow.
Step 1 – Get a good exfoliating serum for your skin.
Step 2 – Get into the shower, and apply the serum to your skin.
Step 3 – Gently scrub your body with an exfoliation glove, sponge, or brush.
Step 4 – Rinse it off with cold water.
Step 5 – Wipe your body dry with a towel.
Step 6 – Follow it up with a moisturizer.
You can now begin to wait. It is good to time your wait or set an alarm. If you want to wait for 5 hours, set an alarm on your phone. Once the timeline elapses, the alarm will go off. Do not exfoliate your whole body at once. Do it in sections.
Start with the face. After you rinse off the serum, you can start with the neck and torso. After that, you can exfoliate your arms. Finish off with your legs and toes.
Final Thoughts
To wrap up this piece, we’ll remind you that you can wait for about 4 -24 hours after exfoliating before you take a tan. Also, it is okay if you want to wait for 24 hours, but you don’t have to wait for that long. Yes, you can exfoliate and self tan on the same day. Most importantly, you must moisturize your skin after exfoliating.
