So you had a spray tan, or used a self-tanning product, and you’ve got a lovely bronzed body. Is there a way to keep that tan from fading fast? Yes, there is!

Moisturising helps, but what works even better is using a special Tan Extender.

Why do fake tans fade?

Sunless tanning products, such as spray tans and self-tanning lotions, colour the outer layer of your skin only. The main ingredient of tanning products is DHA, or dihydroxyacetone – this is what turns your skin brown after applying the fake tan.

Because our skin cells renew themselves constantly, your tan will gradually disappear as your body sheds dead skin cells. If you don’t do anything to your skin, you will see your fake tan starting to fade slowly after about 3 days, and it may be gone after about a week or so.

How to keep your tan longer

Fake tans fade faster on dry skin.

If you don’t want your tan to disappear before your eyes together with your shedding skin cells, you should avoid:

• Long swimming sessions in salt or chlorinated water • Exposure to sand and very windy conditions • Overexposure to artificial heating or cooling • Too much exfoliating, waxing or shaving

The importance of moisturising

Avoid dry skin, and a fast-fading tan, by keeping your skin moisturised. But don’t use moisturiser until after your first shower, at least 6 hours after applying your fake tan.

If you’re really serious about wanting to extend and enhance your sunless tan, use a Tan Extender.

What is a Tan Extender?

A Tan Extender is a specially designed product that you use to make your sunless tan stay darker for longer. It is a special type of moisturiser with a small amount of DHA in it.

How do you use a Tan Extender?

The first time you use a Tan Extender is the day after you got your fake tan. By applying it daily – the best time is after you bathe or shower – you moisturise your skin and enhance and prolong your sunless tan.

There are different types of Tan Extenders that each work slightly differently. Some may contain a higher percentage of self-tanner or bronzer than others. With light levels of DHA, they will keep adding colour gradually to maintain and enhance your fake tan.

Aloe Vera and other moisturising ingredients will help soothe and condition your skin. Each tan extending product contains different ingredients with unique benefits, such as skin firming or anti-aging. But what they all have in common is that they help you keep your fake tan looking fabulous for longer!

• Visit our shop to find the perfect tan extender.

How long does your fake tan usually last? And do you use a tan extending product to enhance or prolong your tan?

Leave a comment below to share your experiences.

The 2-hour tan – is it a myth or is it actually possible? Getting a fake tan is already a quick solution to getting a bronzed look. With sunless tanning products you can have white skin this morning and sport a beautiful brown tan this afternoon. That’s half a day. But could you have a fake tan in 2 hours?

Before we answer that question, let’s look at how a fake tan develops.

It’s all in the DHA

The all-important ingredient in sunless tanning products is DHA.

DHA stands for dihydroxyacetone, which is a sugar-like substance that is used in most externally applied sunless tanning solutions. DHA is what makes your skin go dark in the hours after applying a fake tanning product.

How does it do that? The sugar in the DHA interacts with the skin cells in the outermost layer of your skin (the ‘stratum corneum’ of the epidermis) and a change in your skin colour starts taking effect. Let’s not get more scientific than that – I’m afraid you’ll stop reading…

How long does it take for the tan to develop?

Each sunless tanning product uses slightly different ingredients, including possibly different types of DHA and other ingredients that help the tanning process along.

That means that some products need longer than others to develop. You will need to carefully read the instructions of the tanning solution you use to make sure you leave the product on for a long enough time to get the best result.

Basically, the DHA starts to develop on your skin about an hour after applying and will keep developing for several hours after that. Some sunless tanning products recommend leaving it on for 6 hours, others for 4 hours and yes, some products claim you can have a tan in 2 hours.

For example, Amber Sun carries sunless tanning products that take 2-4 hours to develop.

Does that mean you can have a tan in 2 hours? Sure, but it won’t be the darkest possible tan. If you leave it on for 2 more hours, your tan will be a deeper, darker colour.

To get the most out of your sunless tanning session (and product), you should always try to leave it on for the maximum recommended time. That’s why it’s often suggested it’s good to apply your fake tan before you go to sleep so you can leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning. That way your tan will have had plenty of time to develop.

What about immediate colour on your skin?

Some sunless tanning products contain a bronzer. A bronzer is a cosmetic colour that you can see immediately. Bronzers are often used in spray tans or self-tanning products so that you, or the therapist at your spray-tan salon, can easily see where the product has been applied and where it hasn’t yet – ensuring a more even result.

Temporary bronzers: If you really need a bronzed look immediately and don’t have a couple of hours to spare, you can use bronzing powder. These bronzers are cosmetic solutions, like make-up. They tint your skin until you wash them off. Great for when you need that sun-kissed look right now, but you probably wouldn’t use it for your entire body.

Compare self-tanning products: Have a look in our online self-tanner shop to find the perfect sunless tanning solution for you.

2-hour tan – possible or not? Let us know! Which product do you think gives a quick tan? Is it actually possible to get a fake tan in 2 hours? We’d love to hear what you think – just leave a comment below.

Are you seeing what I’m seeing? I’m talking about more and more tanned, healthy-looking men – in the gym, on the street, in clubs, on the beach and even in the office.

Well, I’ll let you in on a secret. A good percentage of those guys are faking it!

They’re either visiting a salon regularly for a spray tan or solarium session, or applying self-tanning lotion at home. Yes sirree, that’s right. Real men can – and do – fake tan! Even if not all of them would care to admit it.

Why do men use fake tan?

We asked some male fake tanners why they do it. Here are some of their answers:

• Pale vs healthy looking: “I have a pale complexion, and people always asked me if I was sick. A fake tan makes me look healthy. I feel better and don’t get that question any more.”

• Confident sportsman: “I play AFL and didn’t like how white my arms and legs looked sticking out from under my uniform. So I get fake tans during footie season. I feel much more confident now.”

• No time for holiday: “I’m really busy with work and just don’t have time to go on holiday or to the beach. But I do want to look good so I book in for a regular spray tan.”

• Muscle definition: “I work out at the gym a lot and everyone knows that your muscles just come out better when you’re brown. Using fake tan gives me more definition.”

• Sun sensitive: “My skin is very sensitive to the sun so I make sure I don’t get much sun exposure. I do want to look tan in summer though so my girlfriend got me to use self-tanning lotion.”

• Attracting girls: “Well, there’s no denying it – girls dig guys with a tan. It’s just sexier. I’m single so I’m trying my best to look good for the ladies. I use fake tan before I go clubbing.”

3 Ways to get that great sunless tan

1. Professional spray tan at a salon 2. Session on a tanning bed/solarium 3. Applying self-tanner at home

Self-tanning? Here’s what you need to know

OK, here are just a couple of things you should be aware of when you’re going for a fake tan – especially if you’re going DIY.

• Prepare your skin – self-tanner and spray tan go on much more easily and evenly on smooth skin. If you have rough skin, sorry, but you need to “exfoliate”. Ask your girlfriend, mother or sister for details if you’re stumped. • Use a good product – choose a self-tanning lotion, cream, foam or spray from a reputable self-tanning brand and test it on your wrist first. • Apply it evenly – because guys are usually hairier than girls, it’s best to use a tanning mitt when applying self-tanner to ensure it goes on evenly and smoothly. • Be patient – you’ll have to wait a bit before getting dressed and several hours before taking a shower or exercising. Self-tanning for a special occasion? Do it on the day before. • Moisturise – if you want your tan to last, you need to keep your skin hydrated. So use a moisturising lotion after showering. Don’t worry – there are moisturisers that don’t smell all sweet and flowery, so nobody needs to know!

Want to know more? See our Articles section for further tips & tricks, such as Will Fake Tan Turn Me Orange?

Do you have any special tips or tricks for guys who want to get a fake tan? Please share them below.

Booked in for a spray tan? Excellent. When is it, you say? The day after tomorrow? Great, that way you can still make sure you prepare properly to get the best possible results.

If you’re confused about what you should and shouldn’t do right before or after getting a spray tan, you’re not the only one. So let’s just clear some things up, shall we?

1-2 days before your Spray Tan

• Shave/wax Don’t shave or wax just before getting a spray tan. Leave waxing to one or two days before and shaving to one day or at least 6 hours before your appointment. Wax residue can take a few showers to get completely off your skin. You also need to give your pores some time to settle down after waxing or shaving. • Moisturise Make sure you moisturise after shaving or waxing to keep your skin hydrated.

Just before your Spray Tan

• Exfoliate You should thoroughly exfoliate your skin at least 2 hours before your spray tan, especially dryer parts of your body like your knees, ankles, wrists & elbows. If you use an exfoliating product, make sure it’s oil-free, because oil will hamper the tanning process and may result in a blotchy tan. When your skin is freshly exfoliated, your fake tan will last longer and will fade more evenly, without the dreaded fake tan patchiness.

• Don’t moisturise After you exfoliate, you should NOT put any moisturiser on your skin when getting ready for your spray tan. Lotions can create a barrier that prevents the absorption of the tanning product.

• No make-up, perfume or deodorant Remove all make-up, perfume and deodorant for your spray tan, or better yet, just don’t put any on after your last shower and exfoliation. Your skin and face should be free of any product so it can fully and evenly absorb the spray-tanning product.

First 8 hours after your Spray Tan

So you’ve been sprayed. Now what? As you know, a fake tan will take some time to develop.

• What to wear Wear dark, loose fitting clothes after your spray tan. The immediate cosmetic bronzer could wipe off a bit on your clothes. This is easily washed out of most clothing, but you don’t want any smudges showing if you wear lighter clothes. Don’t wear wool, nylon or silk as the bronzer may cause staining in those fabrics.

• No perfume, deodorant or moisturiser As your tan develops, don’t use any product on your skin such as perfume, deodorant or moisturiser. Wait with all of that until after your first shower.

• Don’t swim, shower or exercise Don’t do anything that gets you wet or will make you sweat. This can cause streaking or your new tan wiping off before it’s fully developed.

• Don’t shave, wax or exfoliate Shaving, waxing or exfoliating will remove fake tan from your skin, so don’t do this after your spray tan unless you think your tan is too dark.

From 6-8 hours after your Spray Tan

• Shower It’s OK to take a shower about 6-8 hours after your spray tan. However, DHA (the main ingredient in spray tans) can take up to 24 hours to fully develop so the longer you leave it on your skin, the deeper the tan will develop. Leave it overnight if possible.

Following days

• Moisturise Your tan will last longer if you keep your skin hydrated. So use moisturising lotion daily, especially after baths and showers.

• Exfoliate If you exfoliate, only do so gently and evenly to preserve your tan. If your tan should start to peel, exfoliating is the best way to get rid of dark patches.

How long does a spray tan last?

If you have followed all the recommendations, you should have a consistent colour for about 3-5 days. After that, you’ll start fading gradually and your tan will fully fade within 10-14 days. You can prolong your tan by using a tan extender.

Nobody wants skin that looks orange. A beautiful bronze or golden or brown colour, yes. But not orange, it just doesn’t look natural. And the good news is, you don’t have to.

Sunless tanning products have come a long way over the years and absolutely nobody should need to worry about their skin turning orange when using a self-tanner.

But a lot of you still worry about it. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience in the past. With a random self-tanning product from the supermarket shelf maybe. Or you hadn’t prepared your skin. Or you wanted to be brown so badly that you went overboard with it.

And once your skin is orange, you can’t just rinse it off, you’ll have to wait several days for it to wear off. So we worry. We’re hesitant. And we don’t know who to believe. Plus we continue to see pictures of people with orange skin and hear horror stories about self-tanners that turn you orange.

OK – stop worrying! You really won’t turn orange. Just make sure you know what you’re doing. Here are some guidelines:

Most people that look orange have used TOO MUCH self-tanner or applied it TOO OFTEN. So just make sure you don’t go overboard with the self-tanner, and if you follow the tips above, you’ll get a beautiful, healthy-looking, natural tan and definitely won’t look orange.

Do you have any other tips on how to get a perfect hue and not look orange? Please share them in the comments section below.

Everyone wants to look their best at the Races and a fake tan has become an integral part of “the look”. But it’s important to get it right. Nothing is worse than wearing an expensive dress complemented by an elegant fascinator, beautiful heels and carefully selected accessories… and having streaky or patchy orange limbs to go with it!

Getting your fake tan wrong has become one of the big “No-No’s” at racing carnivals around the country. You’ll see them at the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the Sydney Racing Carnivals and any other races you attend: women and girls with Bad Fake Tans.

You know the ones – their skin looks streaky, patchy, orange or just way too dark for their natural skin tone. They make me cringe. They make others point and laugh. And they make their friends feel embarrassed to walk next to them. Unfortunately, more and more Bad Fake Tans are starting to put a damper on Racing Carnivals and Fashions on the Field events everywhere.

Luckily, it’s quite easy to avoid a Bad Fake Tan. Even with self-tanners. You just need some preparation.

Follow these tips, and you’ll look lovely with a natural, even bronze tan on Race Day:

And most importantly: DON’T OVERDO IT! It’s good to have a bit of a bronze tint and a healthy, natural-looking glow – but don’t fall into the trap of reapplying it day after day. It will be too much. And you will be another example of a “Bad Fake Tan”!

Have you seen Bad Fake Tans at the Races? And how do you avoid them? Leave your comments below.