I bet you didn’t get much time at the pool or the beach this summer. But that doesn’t mean you have to be pasty-looking.
All you need is the best airbrush tanning solution. It will give you a beautiful bronze regardless of the time of year.
Check out the best professional spray tan solutions below.
The reason why spray tanning is worth it
It’s worth it to get a spray tan because you can look gorgeous without exposing your skin to UV rays. You don’t have to raise your risk of skin cancer or deal with premature aging to look healthy.
It only takes a few minutes to get an airbrush tan. Then, the color develops rapidly.
Also, an airbrush tan lasts anywhere from 5 to 10 days. The durability depends on how much DHA is in the formula (1).
How to prepare for a spray tan
Once you’ve made the appointment, exfoliate your entire body every day for 3 days. Simply scrubbing with a washcloth is sufficient – you don’t have to overdo it.
For 24 hours before your session, don’t use oil-based products or chemical exfoliants like glycolic acid. These may cause the tan to look streaky. Don’t shave or wax because it will open the pores and you’ll end up with dark spots.
Check with the salon about any other directions to prepare for and care for your new tan.
How can I make my airbrush tan last longer?
The secret to making an airbrush tan last longer is touching it up with self-tanner. Gradual tanning lotion is an excellent choice.
Best Airbrush Tanning Solution in 2024
Now, if you’re new to the world of airbrush tanning, let me introduce you to a kit with the basic material you need.
Norvell Sunless Kit
It’s called airbrush tanning because it uses an HVLP sprayer for applying the solution. This is the same type of equipment that professional painters use. But don’t worry, it doesn’t sting or hurt the skin.
The equipment is straightforward to use. It merely requires practice laying down smooth strokes.
Novell’s kit comes with the M-1000 HVLP Mobile Spray System with the spray gun, hose, and compressor. There are 3 8-ounce bottles of tanning solution. Finally, there’s an instruction manual that’s part of the official Norvell Training Program for spray technicians.
They suggest getting a pop-up tent to keep the work area clean and protected from overspray.
The training program goes into detail about the science of sunless tanning as well as choosing colors based on skin tone.
Since this is a review about airbrush tanning solution, let’s take a closer look at the three types included in the kit.
First, there’s the Norvell Dark solution with warm brown undertones. It contains botanical extracts and vitamins that nourish the skin. There’s also something called Ordenone that eliminates sunless tanning product odor. That technology is in all of Norvell’s tanning solutions.
Next, there’s the Venetian solution with cool violet-brown undertones. It’s best for a Riviera or Mediterranean tan. With the slight purplish tint, it completely eliminates orange undertones.
Lastly, the Ultra Vivid Cosmo Lite is a proprietary mix of Venetian and Dark bronzers with a vanilla summer fragrance.
Norvell Premium Sunless Tanning Solution – Venetian One
Norvell’s Venetian One is the one-hour spray tan solution.
Instead of waiting hours to shower, you can rinse off the instant bronzer in as little as 60 minutes. If you leave it for up to 3 hours, you’ll get the deepest color possible.
What’s interesting is that the color will continue to develop over the next 24 hours even after you wash.
You should also know that Norvell never includes gluten, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, artificial fragrances, GMOs, or petrochemicals in their airbrush solutions.
Allure Spray Tanning Machine System with Sjolie Natural Airbrush Tan Solution
For comparison, take a look at this airbrush tanning system. It’s perfect if you’d like to get a complete setup that’s ready to use right out of the box.
It features the Aura Allure HVLP sprayer and five bottles of Sjolie spray tan solution. The colors include medium, dark, rapid, fast dry, and reserve.
But it also has barrier cream to prevent spray tanning nipples or other areas. There’s also a pH-balance spray to use before spray tanning to ensure perfect application without streaking.
Then, there are disposable hair caps and stick-on feet, plus a pop-up spray tent. But don’t forget the gun cleaner and spare parts to keep the sprayer in top condition and ready to use.
Spray Tan Solution – SJOLIE
SJOLIE makes the best organic spray tan solution. Even the DHA is organically-derived.
Their products are vegan and natural. They never include artificial fragrances, parabens, or erythrulose, an unproven tanning ingredient.
The formulas contain aloe vera to extend the lifetime of the tan. The aloe helps the DHA to penetrate deeper into the skin so that the color lasts longer.
With this particular shade, skin color will begin to deepen as quickly as one hour after application. But you should still wait at least 8 hours before showering.
The company guarantees that you will never turn orange.
Tampa Bay Tan Rapid Tan Bronze Spray Tanning Solution
Tampa Bay Tan indicates that you don’t need a spray tan machine to apply their solution. It’s possible to put it on with an applicator mitt. That could save you a significant amount of cash if you don’t have to buy a sprayer.
In as little as two hours after applying the Rapid solution, the skin color should be noticeably darker. But the DHA will continue to work for up to 24 hours.
The formula has a pleasant cantaloupe scent. It’s vegan and free of gluten and parabens. The ingredients include aloe vera gel, plant extracts, and vitamins.
Why might you choose the Rapid Tan solution instead of one of the other options they offer?
For one, it’s ideal for busy people who don’t want to wait 8 hours or longer to shower. Remember, it’s not just showering – you also can’t use makeup or deodorant.
Moreover, you can adjust how dark the color goes depending on how long you wait before washing.
Belloccio Simple Tan Sunless Tanning Solution
Belloccio makes one of the best spray tan solutions for light skin. The 8% concentration of DHA is a perfect match for tanning fair to medium complexions.
The liquid has a cosmetic bronzer that serves as a color guide. As you apply it, you can clearly see where you left off.
It’s a professional salon formula with a citrus fragrance. It contains no parabens that could mess with hormones. Instead, it’s based on aloe vera and vitamins.
Choose from 4, 16, or 32-ounce bottles as well as half-gallon and gallon sizes. (Each time you spray, you’ll need about two and a half ounces).
Fake Bake Instant Self Tanning Liquid
Fake Bake makes a professional tanning solution with a blend of DHA, erythrulose, and DMI.
That’s because DMI (dimethyl isosorbide) helps the active ingredients absorb into the skin. Meanwhile, erythrulose works like DHA to brown the skin, but it helps the tan last longer.
Happily, the company leaves out parabens and DMDM hydantoin, which is a formaldehyde releaser.
The solution won’t make you orange or leave you smelling like a sunless tanner. It has a cosmetic bronzer color guide for a more straightforward application. If you wait for the recommended amount of time before dressing, it won’t rub off on clothes.
MineTan Spray Tan Solution
Here is a professional spray mist that develops color in only an hour. The express tan solution has melanin-activating ingredients that they call a “quad bronzing formula.”
Think of it like indoor tanning lotion with tanning accelerators.
It’s packed with moisturizers and antioxidants. That’s good news as DHA can make the skin more sensitive to UV rays. Then the UV rays can make free radicals that damage DNA and age the skin.
This means you should always wear sunscreen if you have a spray tan because it doesn’t provide any protection against the sun. It’s not a real base tan.
St. Tropez Self Tan Express Pro Bronzing Solution
St. Tropez makes premium sunless tanning mousse for home use. But they also produce a professional airbrush tanning solution used by salons on celebrities.
The Express solution develops a sun-kissed glow in an hour. After two hours, you’ll have a medium golden tan. Three hours will give you a deep bronze.
Paasche Airbrush Tanning Solution
If you decide to try Paasche, choose from 8%, 10%, or 12% DHA solutions. The 10% formula is appropriate for most skin tones. It works with all sprayer types.
The solution blends DHA with erythrulose for a streak-free tan. Erythrulose keeps the skin bronzed for longer and prevents dehydration.
After the application, the dry time is about 6 minutes.
Lavish Tan Organic Sunless Airbrush Spray Tan Solution
Lavish Tan was selected as the best organic tanning solution for four years running by Allure magazine. It lasts up to twelve days, depending on skin tone.
It’s 99% organic and has a delicious brown sugar vanilla scent.
On the downside, you must apply it with an HVLP spray tan machine. There’s no cheating with an applicator pad.
You’ll need to wait between 5 to 7 hours to shower afterward.
Professional Airbrush Spray Tan Solution by Body Botanicals
What if you could blend the best of two worlds and combine spray tanning with aromatherapy? Then, you’d end up with this solution.
Body Botanicals eliminates sunless tanning odor with essential oils. It’s not oily or greasy, and it dries quickly. It contains pharmaceutical-grade DHA for a natural-looking tan. Plus, it has fruit extracts to repair the skin.
In case you’re wondering, it has the aroma of vanilla cupcakes.
Neutrogena Micromist Airbrush Sunless Tanning Spray
It’s not cheating; it’s realistic. Not everyone wants to purchase an HVLP sprayer and a pop-up tent to give themselves a spray tan when they can’t get to the salon.
Instead, consider this little can of sunless tanning spray. It’ll get you up to two shades darker.
Instead of messy mousses and creams, you’ll use an ultrafine mist for perfect coverage and a streak-free tan. Just take it easy on kneecaps, knuckles, ankles, and elbows.
It doesn’t need any rubbing, and it dries in five minutes. Obviously, it’s non-comedogenic as it was made by Neutrogena.
Awaken Anti-Aging EXTRA DARK Airbrush Spray Tanning Solution
Kahuna Bay Tan doesn’t just sell gallon jugs of professional solution. They also have tanning solution in spray cans like this. You can use it to trial their product or touch-up a salon tan.
The product is paraben-free and made in the USA. You can get it in 7%, 9%, or 11% DHA concentrations.
It has a fresh scent, plus it’s loaded with vitamins and liposomes to keep the skin young.
L’Oreal Paris, Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Spray
You can get it in towelettes or lotion as well as a spray. The Sublime Bronze might be a drugstore tanning solution, but it works well. Don’t expect it to get you as dark as a professional treatment, and you’ll be pleased.
The applicator is designed for 360° coverage so that you never miss a spot. Then, the color develops in as little as two hours.
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs
Did you know that Kim Kardashian uses Sally Hansen leg makeup? I’m sure she’s not the only celebrity to do it.
What’s nifty about this product is that it hides varicose veins, freckles, and birthmarks. You can literally give yourself a makeover with it.
Furthermore, it stays on in water and won’t rub off on clothes. Choose from five shades to match all skin tones.
Conclusion
I hope you have fun trying out your new airbrush tanning solution. It’s easy to enjoy a sun-kissed glow or a deep bronze any time of year.
What’s more, airbrush tanning with professional solution and equipment provides the longest-lasting tan.
If you found your new favorite sunless tanner today, please come back and tell us about it in the comments below.
Source:
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-long-does-a-spray-tan-last by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA, published on August 21, 2018, accessed on October 16, 2020