NOLALASHES - FAQ for Tanning

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Tanning

Why is an airbrush application better than those misting booths or applying by hand?

• The airbrush is a precision instrument that allows for a smooth, flawless application. Special care can be taken to avoid over application on problem areas such as knees, elbows, hair, blemishes and other skin afflictions that tend to absorb more color. You can airbrush tan on specific areas - face, legs, etc.
  
  Mist-on booths require a series of body contortions within the booth to cover each area. The machine or the consumer has no control over the product and where it ends up. A shower cap must be worn to protect the hair from discoloration. A natural look will take the tan up to the hairline. This can’t be achieved in a booth without exposing it to the mist. Covering the hairline completely results in unsightly tan lines on the forehead and neck.
  Hand application often results in streaky coloration and stained hands due to the inability to properly apply the product by yourself. In addition you are rubbing the product in as opposed to having it gently settle on the skin. Imagine the difference between wearing oven mitts on your hands to smear paint over your car and using the mist from an airbrush to paint it. Even with the greatest of care, and help from a friend to get all the places you cannot reach, you cannot duplicate the evenness and natural look of an airbrushed tan applied by a trained technician.
  
  The issues with the booths stem from their features. The 50 plus nozzles spray indiscriminately, not knowing the difference between your face and your legs, or about areas that should be naturally lighter, or your personal preferences. There is no awareness of differences of body sizes and shapes or skin tones; whether you resemble the Terminator, Snow White or Shirley Temple, it's all the same to the nozzles. As such, there is always excess spray that must be wiped off in order to avoid drip lines and blotchiness. Accumulation on the hands and feet is difficult to avoid, and may cause orange splotches. The presence of alcohol and other agents added for quick drying, makes the solution especially formulated for the spray booths somewhat harsh on the skin.
  
  The airbrush with its inherent precision and flexibility is by far the application method of choice.
   

Is it safe?

• Yes. Sunless tanning is a safe and proven method of obtaining a tan.  Dihydroxyacetone has been FDA approved for use in the personal care industry for over twenty years. No adverse effects have been reported other than minor skin irritations on allergic people. Allergic reactions are extremely rare and can usually be eliminated by showering. Although no problems have been reported, we do not recommend use by pregnant women. As with any personal product, sensitivity can occur but is very rare. There it is not exposed to any harmful UVA or UVB rays, which can damage the skin.

• While it varies with individual skin types your tan will last approximately seven days or longer depending upon your ability to follow a proper daily moisturizing regimen and your lifestyle. A sunless tan fades just like a tan from the sun. As you sluff off dead skin cells, your tan begins to fade. Proper skin hydration is the key to maximum longevity. We offer a complete line of aftercare products especially designed for use with your sunless tan. When used as directed, they can extend the color of your skin and keep it smooth and even-looking for up to two weeks.
  There are many factors that may impact the quality, color and duration of airbrush tans. Professional factors include quality of DHA solution, the training and experience of the technician, consumer education, and the caliber of equipment used. Lifestyle factors include things such as frequency of activities which cause sweating, swimming in chlorinated or salt water, length of baths, and frequency of shaving and/or exfoliating. Other factors that have the potential to impact the wear ability of airbrush tans are skin related, including skin condition (dryness, sun/UV damage, disease), skin ph, and an individual's skin regeneration and sloughing patterns.

Will cause the skin to turn orange?

• The formula has been specially formulated to produce a balanced tan without an orange tint. The orange tint is often the result of excessive quantities of the DHA tanning agent being applied to the skin.

• It takes about 20 to 25 minutes for the whole process to be complete. The first 10 minutes is having the DHA solution applied to your body. Then it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for it to dry. It is important that the solution dry on the skin prior to putting your clothes back on to avoid smearing or removing solution from the skin.

• If you are a woman, you may wear lingerie, a bathing suit or opt for no tan lines at all. If you are a man, we require that you wear something such as a bathing suit, underwear or Speedo.
  

Will the tanning solutions stain clothes?

• While it is formulated to wash out with regular laundry detergent, you are encouraged to wear older clothes to the tanning session.

• No. In fact, in most cases, freckles and blemishes will become less pronounced because the lighter skin or less pigmentation areas are darkened to help darken and blend skin color more evenly.
  

Is the ingredient that colors the skin immediately and the ingredient that colors the epidermis different?

• One is a cosmetic bronze that shows a tan right away and is a color guide for the applicator. The DHA bronzes by a reaction with the amino acids in the outer layer of the skin. The cosmetic will wash off when you shower and leave behind your developed tan that will last about a week.