Can I spray tan after waxing?

Waxing is one of the best ways of exfoliating your skin and its effects last far longer than any other form of hair removal like shaving or epilating. Waxing is also a great way of preparing your skin for a spray tan.

However, if not planned properly waxing together with tanning can damage your skin. So, asking the question can I spray tan after waxing will help you understand why it’s important to put a gap between waxing and spray tanning.

Waxing is a very popular beauty treatment among both men and women because it’s an excellent way of removing unwanted hairs and dead skin cells on the surface of your skin.

This is an essential process in spray tanning that will help you achieve that sun-kissed glow. However, timing is everything to avoid irritating your skin or interfering with your impending glow.

Waxing and Spray Tanning

Spray tanning is the only form of tanning that is directly related to waxing. Hair removal is an important step in your tanning process, but it shouldn’t be followed immediately by spray tanning.

You should wax at least 24-48 hours before a spray tan. This time helps to make sure your skin is smooth and give it time to recover before tanning. Waxing removes all unwanted hairs and dead cells leaving your skin very clean and flawless.

So, once you apply the DHA chemicals on the freshly waxed skin, there will be no flaking for a while which makes your tan noticeable and effective.

However, ensure that your skin is free from any wax you had applied because even thin waxy layers can prevent your spray tan from properly adhering to your skin which can lead to blotches and white spots.

This period you give your skin before spray tanning also helps to reduce the risk of your skin getting irritated by the tanning chemicals.

Freshly waxed skin has open pores and if you spray DHA on your open pores, it can cause a skin reaction. So it’s best to wait for your pores to close to better equip your skin to deal with DHA.

When You Can Plan to Wax Before Spray Tanning

If you want a long-lasting spray tan, don’t rush into waxing your skin if you have planned a spray tanning session the next day.

Avoid waxing your skin less than 48 hours before your spray tanning session. After waxing your skin is very vulnerable and extra sensitive and an immediate application of the spray tan can cause damage, irritation, or form rashes on your skin.

Two major reasons why you should wait at least 2 days after waxing before spray tanning include:

  • First, waxing opens up your pores during hair removal and it will take about 1-2 days before your pores can close. If you apply any tanning products on your skin before your pores close, it can build up in your pores leaving darks spots all over or even worse cause a skin reaction or irritation. This isn’t something you want to go through.
  • Second, the wax remnants left on your skin take at least 2 days to completely leave your skin. There will be a thin layer of wax left on your body after waxing and if you get a spray tan before this layer is off your skin can leave white spots on your body. Which won’t look good.

At the end of the day, it’s best to wait 48 hours after waxing your skin before getting a spray tan. However, if you can’t wait that long to get your sun-kissed look, wait at least 24 hours or you can also opt for other ways to exfoliate your skin. One way is using a brush when bathing or using a body sponge to scrub your body. This way you still remove the dead skin cells and expose your fresh skin that the tanning color will easily stick on and for longer. You can also use a washcloth or an exfoliating body wash and make sure it contains exfoliating beads.

Spray Tanning after Waxing

Waxing immediately after a spray tan doesn’t sound like a good idea because when you wax after tanning your skin will have a dull look. Exfoliating your skin after a tan takes away the impact and fresh look of your spray tan. This makes your tan short-lived as the wax removes the hairs and the small layer of tan that was on the surface of your skin. After a spray tanning session, it takes 4-7 days for your tan to fully develop.

It’s advisable to wait at least 4 days before you wax your skin after spray tanning because the more you wait for the better your tanned skin color will develop.

Basics of a Spray Tan

Spray tans use DHA which is an FDA-approved color additive that interacts with the amino acids in your skin to give you a darker pigment for a short time. Taking proper care of your skin before and after a spray tan will ensure that the color is evenly applied on your skin so that it can last at least a week before it starts to fade off.

Waxing isn’t the only step in your sprat tanning process, there are also other factors that you should keep in mind that can affect the application of your spray tan.

Removing the build-up of dead skin cells on your skin’s surface also helps to give you a more natural-looking and even tan. Properly exfoliating the drier parts of your body like your elbows and knees if important so that you can avoid getting a darker pigmentation in these areas.

Moisturizing is also a very important step that you should perform immediately after tanning because it helps to improve your skin and the color of your tan.

Conclusion

First of all, waxing after a spray tan will not produce your desired effects, while on the other hand waxing at least 48 hours before spray tanning will help you achieve a long-lasting tan. Timing is the key point here, and your tanning experience to be complete without waxing. So, to achieve that sun-kissed look, wax intelligently before your spray tan and moisturize well.

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