How to spray tan a bald man

Tan Credit: Tamara Stochel using Aviva Labs Original 10%. Photo Taken 5 days into the tan!

How to spray tan a bald man

The idea of spray tanning a bald man scares a lot of people. They are worried that the tan won't match, and when the tan is in such a visible area it's perfectly acceptable to be a bit nervous about tanning your first bald man! Luckily the technique is actually quite easy and can be done quickly: good news if you're on a tight schedule!

Before the tan: Make sure he hasn't shaved his head within the last 24 hours, recently applied sunblock or moisturizer as the residues from these can all block a tan. If possible, make sure he exfoliates his scalp as this will remove any stubborn dead skin cells and help the tan apply more evenly and fade more naturally.

During the tan: It is important not to apply too much solution to his head because you don't want it dark by comparison. This can be tricky because most men will already be getting some sun and have a slight tan on their head already--perhaps less so in the winter months. The best technique, regardless, is to lightly mist over his head until it is blended with the bronzer in comparison to the rest of his tan. I say lightly because you also don't want to have excess spray filtering down onto his neck, face, or shoulders.

Tan Credit: Amanda Bowling of Glowout

Technique 1: When spraying his back, allow his neck to dry and then have him crane his neck and tilt his head slightly back, spraying side to side, starting up towards the forehead and moving back towards the neck, blending as you go (remember: roughly double the normal distance and lighter spraying)

Technique 2: Have the client crouch down slightly and tilt head forward. Standing on the side of him, lightly spray from the forehead to the back of the skull, continuing down the neck as needed for blending purposes. (remember: roughly double the normal distance and lighter spraying)

Technique 3: When you are spray tanning his face just ask him to bend his head forward so that you can spray his head. This is just a variation on technique 1 so you will want to start towards the back of his head and move towards his forehead, spraying side to side, blending as you go (and remember: roughly double the normal distance and lighter spraying!)

Post-Tanning: Moisturize! Because the skin on top of his head is exposed to the elements his tan is going to fade faster unless he maintains a healthy moisturizing regimen (it wouldn't hurt to offer him a light tan extender for this purpose either!) And remember: no soaps or shower products on first rinse off of the bronzer! If he's going to be sleeping in his tan before rinsing off then make sure he knows not to sleep with a hand touching his head or he'll be in for some really interesting patterns when he wakes up!

What NOT to wear after the tan: Advise him not to wear any tight-knit caps or tight baseball hats after his spray tan. Also make sure he knows that if he is going to wear a hat then he needs to make sure it's not going to make his head sweat AND that he can't fiddle with it: it's either on or off--don't keep putting it on and taking it off or he's going to rub off a majority of the tan before it can develop!