Best Spray Tanning Tips to Fix a Bad Tan: Solutions for Spray Tanning Gone Wrong

We’ve all seen those lotion and spray tanning gone wrong horror stories. Many of them happen with even the best intentions. For example, in preparation for the 2018 Met Gala, singer and actress Selena Gomez reached for a bottle of tanning lotion. But instead of getting a sunkissed glow, the star felt she channeled her inner Oompa-Loompa.

“I look at a photo of myself when I sit down and I am completely orange,” Gomez gushed of her tanning fail in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video three years later. “I was like, ‘This is going to be terrible because I’m going to get eaten alive about this.'”

At their best, fake tans can be a safe, ultraviolet-free way to add color and enhance your overall look. Spray tans in particular offer clients a professional, natural-looking tan that can moisturize skin, minimize imperfections, and boost confidence.

But not all artificial tans come away with stellar results. At the Met, Gomez only had herself to blame for not reading her spray tan’s instructions. But as a spray tanning technician, your clients are looking to you to deliver great results. Here are six spray tan problems and solutions to protect yourself from spray tanning gone wrong.

Here are six spray tan problems and solutions to protect yourself from spray tanning gone wrong.

Problem #1:

The bad spray tan that’s too dark or orange.

Like Gomez, your clients will feel embarrassed if their spray tan is too dark or orange. Save them from the cringe of a bad spray tan by catering to your client’s skin type.

Sunless tanning solutions contain a certain percentage of dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the chemical responsible for browning the skin. The higher the percentage of DHA, the darker the tan that develops, explains Sol Potion. By using the Fitzpatrick scale, a list of skin phototypes based on skin color and tendency to tan or burn, you can determine the appropriate percentage of DHA to avoid over development.

You also might be standing too close, leading to overapplication or too much spray tan. Aviva Labs recommends spraying between 6 and 12 inches from your client’s skin.

Problem #2

The tan is uneven, patchy, or blotchy.

How do you fix an uneven tan or a patchy spray tan?

If you’re missing some spots and oversaturating others, you probably need to improve your technique, Aviva Labs state in their spray tan tips. Spraying side-to-side rather than up-and-down produces a more natural look that fills the “negative space” on the sides of your clients’ bodies, Aviva explains.

Hold your spray gun level with the tines pointing at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock to spray vertically and get even coverage. Wondering how to fix blotchy spray tans? To avoid blotching, slow down when you spray. Taking your time to cover your client’s body in slow, deliberate passes will ensure a good service, writes Aviva.

Additionally, check your equipment. Different spray guns have different spray pattern sizes. The wider the pattern size, the easier it is to evenly spray an entire body, Aviva says.

Problem #3:

Your client’s tan on their body looks great but their face is too dark.

Another common spray tanning gone wrong scenario happens when the spray tan on the face is too dark compared to the rest of their body.

Your client wants to turn faces with their spray tan—but not because their own face looks like it belongs to another person’s body. A bad spray tan on the face face is likely due to one of two issues:

1. Too high a percentage: If a client has too tan a face, you may have used a percentage solution that’s too strong for their skin type, writes Aviva in another article.
2. Too much spray tan: Another reason for a spray tan with a face too dark is because you used too much product. Most professionals, salons, and vendors recommend about two ounces per client. Those two ounces should cover the entire body, including their face. 

Problem #4:

After your service, your client has bad tan lines.

Do your clients report white lines across the knuckles and the sides of their thumbs? How about the knees and elbows?

Here are some spray tanning tips for how to fix tan lines for good. Next time, spray your clients’ hands while pretending to hold a grapefruit in each hand and flexing their fingers into claws, suggests Aviva. As you spray their knees and elbows, make sure they bend their legs and arms, too. The claws and bent limbs prevent the wrinkles at the joints from blocking the tan.

If your client insists on wearing any clothing or a hair cap or net, such articles can cause unattractive tan lines, too. To reduce their “spray tanning gone wrong” complaints, let clients know when they book that less clothing means fewer tan lines. But always put their personal comfort first. If they do prefer clothing, let them know it may stain and offer them disposable underwear.

When it comes to hair caps and nets, you can let clients know that they’re not recommended for personalized spray tans. If they insist, Aviva recommends asking your client to pull the net or cap back from their forehead so the solution can blend with their hairline.

Problem #5:

Your client’s nails, armpits, or feet are turning colors!

Manicured or bare, it’s common for nails to turn colors after tanning. But clients often see this common side effect as a sign of a bad spray tan. 

To prevent the mood ring effect, dab moisturizer on each nail before spraying, says Aviva. You can also wipe each nail with a wet or makeup removing wipe after spraying, recommends Blush.

When it comes to discolored armpits, blame the deodorant. Leftover deodorant can turn clients’ armpits Grinchy green. While the tan underneath the deodorant won’t suffer from the discoloration, it may make the tan lighter than expected due to the barrier the deodorant caused, Aviva explains. To avoid deodorant-induced spray tan issues, instruct clients to come in with clean pits. Also, have wipes onsite for additional cleansing, suggests Aviva.

Feet and palms tan much easier than other parts of the body. Kelly Callaghan of Spray Tan Class shares this spray tan tip: Employing the feathering method on these areas will prevent them from developing too dark.

Problem #6:

Amidst the lovely tan, you’re seeing white spots or streaks.

Wondering how to fix fake tan mistakes like streaking? 

If your tans are streaking, you’re likely missing areas as you spray. For an even glow, slightly overlap each layer to cover all areas of the skin, writes Callaghan in another article for Spray Tan Class. And don’t forget to stand between six and 12 inches from your client, as previously mentioned, since spraying too close can lead to streaking.

Oversaturating your clients’ skin can also cause bad spray tan problems like streaks and runs. Remember to stick to the two ounces per client rule we mentioned earlier.

Give your insurance a glow up against bad spray tan claims.

As a spray tanning technician, you’ve got a lot to worry about. Giving a good service, booking more services, keeping up with the latest spray tan tips and trends—it can be a lot to handle. And if you own your own business or salon, you face a whole host of additional challenges and responsibilities. 

Don’t let your insurance be another thing to worry about. Instead, let your coverage take some of that stress and worry off your shoulders.
Here at WellnessPro Insurance, we specialize in beauty pros like you. So while you focus on giving your clients the tans of their dreams, we give you the protection and defense you need when an upset customer (or their lawyer) comes knocking. Click here to learn about our tanning salon insurance.