One of the questions we get most often is how long their tan will last. The truth is that how you take care of your tan afterward has a huge effect on how long the tan will last.
One of the most essential factors in making your tan last is the type of soap or body wash you use. There are certain ingredients used that can be harmful to a spray tan because either they rub the tan off, or they cause your skin to exfoliate faster.
Since a spray tan only covers the top layer of the skin, once you start to exfoliate, the tan will come off too.
These are the best soaps and body washes that will help your tan last longer.
Let’s start with the first rinse or shower after your spray tan. It is important to avoid soaps, body washes or any other products you would use in the shower for the first shower after your tan. You want to give the active ingredient, dihydroxyacetone DHA, as long as possible to work its magic and be absorbed into the skin.
During the first shower, you want to make sure that you only use lukewarm water and you keep rinsing until you see that water go clear to make sure you rinse off all the bronzer from the spray tan.
We also recommend using your hand to rinse and avoid using a washcloth, loofa, because it can act as an exfoliator and can lead to your tan being lighter than desired.
Generally, our spray tans should last about 7-10 days, although that length will vary depending on many things.
Ideally, you want to use a product that is as natural as possible and has very few ingredients. Also, it shouldn’t contain any harsh ingredients, such as mineral oil, that will negatively affect your tan.
Soaps or body washes with moisturizing ingredients are an added bonus, having hydrated skin will help your tan last longer.
Below, we listed our favorite products that are available for purchase on Amazon.
– Aveeno Active Naturals Body Wash
– Puracy Body Wash
– Cetaphil Daily Refreshing Body Wash
– Mrs. Meyer’s Moisturizing Body Wash
– RAW Sugar Pure Bath Soap