Smarts Skin
Secrets To Extending That Gorgeous Tan
by Judie Bizzozero
 With the hectic holiday season a fading memory, many of your regular
customers are making a mad dash to your facility for a little “me time.”
Like tired soldiers returning from battle, these loyal customers are in search
of a little tranquility and a lot of pampering. Whether it’s an 80-minute
Swedish massage or an invigorating full-body salt scrub followed by a beautiful
sunless treatment, they want their spa experience to last long after the
treatment is over.
Gaining Momentum
With the skyrocketing popularity of sunless tanners, spas and
salons nationwide have realized another profit area. Sunless is a natural
extension of spa services because it completes the overall body treatment
experience. Adding sunless services also allows spas and salons to attract a new
base of customers who desire a rich, golden tan but either cannot or do not want
to tan indoors or outdoors.
Need proof? Cunard’s new Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger
ship in the world, features an elaborate 20,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch SpaClub™
that just happens to offer selftanning on its menu of services. Need more proof?
Luxury resorts the likes of The Ritz- Carlton and Four Seasons also have seen
the light and embraced the concept of sunless tanning. These facilities are
getting more than $100 for a full-body sunless application—more if the
spa-goer adds a salt scrub or massage to the package.
Skin Deep
Whether a spa-goer spends $30 or $100 on a sunless tan, he or
she wants it to look good and last as long as possible. In addition to using
professional-grade products, spa and salon staff need to teach clients that a
great-looking tan begins with healthy skin. Maintaining a healthy skincare
regimen is a 24-hour process and requires a greater degree of commitment than
simply using a quality moisturizer.
The skin replaces itself naturally about every 28 days. That
means that 25 percent of the skin is exfoliated each week, causing UV and
sunless tans to wear away. Typically, sunless spray tans affect only the top 25
percent of the skin. If a client can slow or stabilize the natural exfoliation
process by using a tan-extending program, he or she may be able to maintain the
sunless tan longer.
To accomplish that goal, clients should use quality shower
gels or body washes and use exfoliators at least once a week before they walk
through a salon’s doors; use a professional indoor tanning lotion if they are
tanning indoors; practice proper nutritional habits with a well-rounded diet
that includes plenty of antioxidants; and plan an after-tan campaign that
focuses on moisturizers that contain ingredients proven to keep skin hydrated,
healthy and happy.
If a customer with rough and unhealthy skin spends $100 for a
sunless tan, the tan won’t look good and won’t last for more than a couple
of days. However, if a sunless tanner is applied to healthy, exfoliated and
moist skin, that tan will last about seven days—longer if the customer uses an
after-tan moisturizer that contains a hint of DHA or bronzer.
The Skincare Regimen
The art of preparing skin to tan isn’t a new concept. The
first step in achieving skincare nirvana begins in the shower. While many people
realize the importance of avoiding dry skin, they may not follow the best means
to keep their skin moisturized. For example, someone may use a wonderful lotion
during a tanning session and a moisturizer each morning after they shower, but
choose a bar soap as a cleanser, which is very drying to the skin. Gentle
cleansers such as shower gels or body washes protect the skin’s natural
moisturizers—fatty acids, body oils and emollients that are custom-blended to
each individual. Protecting these natural moisturizers is a vital step and a
great beginning to skin health.
After a nice shower, it’s moisturizer time again. The best
time for skin to be given nourishment is while it’s hydrated, because hydrated
skin best receives nutrients in the products. Without enough water, key
nutrients get stuck along the way.
The second step in the skincare process is exfoliation.
Experts suggest exfoliating the skin at least once a week. While some customers
believe the process strips away a tan, it is not true. Time, stress and
environmental issues add pollutants, oils and dirt to skin and make cells stand
up like blown shingles on a roof. But, unlike a rooftop, customers can get rid
of the flaky skin by exfoliating. Fresh skin cells are smooth, allowing skin to
breathe, function normally and tan faster. But exfoliation is just the beginning
of a pre-tanning program.
Once a client achieves a tan, there are ways to lengthen the
life of that golden glow. That is where after-tan products or tan extenders step
in. A person who has dry skin will tend to have a dull, ashy-looking tone. Using
all-natural vitamin- and botanical-rich after-tan products replenishes the skin
with the essential moisture, vitamins and nutrients needed to remain hydrated
and soft, as well as promote antioxidant activity to counter the effects of
free-radical activity—the process responsible for decreased skin elasticity
and pliability.
In addition, the moisturizing and replenishing effects of pure
vitamins and botanical extracts result in a darker, richer glow to the tan and—because
hydrated skin cells exfoliate much slower than dry ones—extend the life of the
tan.
Winning Ingredients
Extending the life of a tan would be very difficult if it
weren’t for the quality ingredients that lotion manufacturers incorporate into
their blends. Spa-goers constantly are pursuing faster, darker, longer-lasting
sunless tans; that’s why bronzers are becoming so popular. Additionally, many
lotion manufacturers are incorporating small doses of DHA into their
moisturizers. The reason? DHA allows a little “cheating” by providing an
extra hint of color.
An after-tan product formulated with moisturizers and DHA
offers the best of both worlds, as it helps keep skin hydrated and smooth, plus
delivers continuous color to keep the tan from fading. Tan extenders with DHA
are great for tanners to maintain color if they are going away on a trip and won’t
be able to tan, or for beginning tanners with lighter skin who want to see
results immediately.
 With DHA, users must carefully apply and take the proper steps
to clean hands after application. It’s also important to rub the product into
skin as smoothly as possible to prevent excess darkness around elbows, ankles,
knees, etc.—something individuals aren’t accustomed to when applying a daily
moisturizer. Also, DHA is not fool-proof and sometimes presents uneven results,
especially if applied carefree and not as part of a sunless tanning regimen.
Proper diet also is a must to maximize the life of a tan.
Spa-goers need to enhance their natural body functions to maintain healthy skin,
which can be achieved by eating a wellbalanced diet supplemented by a
multivitamin and plenty of water.
The Final Word
Let’s not forget that spa-goers spend a lot of time and
money on products and services. By following a complete skincare regimen,
including using shower gels/body washes every day, choosing a quality
moisturizer and being dedicated to an after-tan campaign, customers will achieve
longer-lasting color and healthierlooking skin.
Exciting new ingredients continuously are being discovered or
created and incorporated into skincare products. As science becomes more
sophisticated, there will be new means of delivering ingredients deeper into the
skin— where they can work more effectively—and potent extracts rich in
powerful antioxidants. Revitalizing skin will help customers maintain the overall
health of their skin, which in the end will lengthen the life of their tans.
Salon and spa employees should have a firm grasp on all of the
latest skincare products and industry studies that promote good skin health and
the anti-aging process. By doing so, spas and salons will be able to capture
additional sales by becoming a one-stop shop for a customer’s skincare needs.
Please turn to our Skin Essentials Showcase on page 32 to learn more about some
wonderful products that help nourish the skin and extend the life of a sunless tan.
An after-tan product formulated with moisturizers and DHA offers the best of
both worlds, as it helps keep skin hydrated and smooth, plus delivers continuous
color to keep the tan from fading.
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