Why does my skin look bad in the winter?

I don’t know about you, but when I think about the oncoming winter I think about my skin drying out from the wind and the cold. I think about how terrible my skin looks at the supermarket, at restaurants, and at work. So I started wondering: why does my skin look so bad in the winter? The answer surprised me.

At first, I thought that my skin looked so bad because it had dried out.

Moisturizers are great at keeping your skin healthy in the winter. My feet dry out the fastest, and quickly become a “danger zone”. My heels crack and split, and it can be painful to walk. My elbows, arms, and face, thankfully, do not reach this same level, but they can get so dry that my skin becomes very patchy. To counteract this, I use moisturizers. But even though I keep my skin clean and healthy, I still look patchy and uneven while I’m out and about.

If the secret isn’t in keeping my skin hydrated, then what’s wrong?

Believe it or not, the answer is in the lighting. In the winter we are forced to live with considerably less sunshine (It’s pitch black when I’m leaving work); to counteract this we have this nifty invention called the light bulb. Unfortunately there is a very large discrepancy between natural light and the artificial light that comes out of our lamps.

Sunlight contains the full spectrum of the rainbow (remember Roy G. Biv?), artificial light contains three colors (blue, green, and red). Okay, so what does that mean for your skin?



What it means is that any naturally-occurring blemishes on your skin are going to appear magnified. Why? Because with only three colors to transition through your skin has to blend one extreme color with another extreme color instead of picking and choosing through a large selection.

So my clients’ skin looks uneven because of artificial light; what does this mean for me and my spray tanning business?

This is actually great news for you!

With a spray tan, your skin will look smoother, even under artificial light. Because of this, you can sell a subtle, extremely light spray tan as a product with a focus on “evening out skin tone” rather than “getting a tan”. This can help clear up hyper-pigmentation, acne, and makes your skin look healthy all winter long. 

Given that the "slow season" is starting up again soon, this would be a great idea for salons: just remember that it should be marketed less as “a tan” and more about keeping your skin tone even and healthy looking, and as always, remind your clients to maintain a rigid moisturizing regimen.

Why is my spray tan business always slow in the winter?

Your business is great in the spring and summer. Around November it starts slowing down. December, January? Forget about it.

While a healthy tan undoubtedly looks great in the summer, when the winter rolls around people just don’t want that “fresh off the beach” look because it does not look natural. They don’t want to walk into work and have their coworkers wink and say, “hey, nice fake tan you got there.” Nobody wants that—the purpose of a fake tan is that it looks as natural as a sun tan.

There is a common misconception that there are only one or two types of spray tan solution. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Just as there are products that develop faster, or tan you more deeply, there are also products that are perfect for providing subtle color for the winter months, weddings, and holiday family portraits.

Instead of trying to figure out how much of that “universal solution” to spray, wouldn’t it be easier just to find a solution that is formulated for gentler use? It would certainly take the worry off my mind.

Following that idea, how easily do you tan in the winter?

The quick answer is not easily at all. Nobody can just walk outside and tan in the winter, and many people believe that any tan they get in the winter would look unnatural. I am happy to tell you that this is absolutely untrue.

A spray tan can achieve any color that you could naturally get from sun tanning.

This means that a spray tan can get you as dark as your darkest summer tan, but it can also give you just a hint of color in the winter. You don’t have to always look like you just came in from the beach; in fact, there are many people who get tans and nobody is the wiser. 

How is this possible?

By knowing what you want from your solution.

Look for a solution that is client-specific, not general-purpose. I only shop “One size fits all” when I’m buying sweatpants, or some other cheap thing that isn’t really worth my time. A spray tan should never fall into this category—a spray tan should be refined for the individual like a tailored suit or a carefully fitted dress. If your clients knew they had a choice between suffering with their winter pale and enjoying a hint of color that would help make their skin even and blemish-free, which do you think they would choose? Pretty loaded question right? Then why are you losing business in the winter??

How can I sell a winter spray tan to my clients?

Really, it shouldn’t be all that hard. Your clients are already coming to you because they love your product, and love how they look after being spray tanned.

Explain that a more subtle tan can take out any irregularities in their skin while keeping a natural look—this is great because in the winter our skin really takes a beating and a little help goes a long way!

Remind them to think about the holidays—and what about family portraits and gatherings? How many times has old Aunt Bethany said that you need more sun, or need to lose some weight? A spray tan can help you look healthier and more toned.



Offer your clients discounts for sharing the gift of a spray tan with their friends (for a secret Santa present or just as a holiday gift). This could be great because they feel like they are getting a gift too while drumming up new business for you!

Don’t Forget New Years! Everyone wants to look their best heading into the new year. Suggest a pamper party to gear up for a fun night. Nails, massages, spray tan, some drinks—anything you (and/or maybe a coworker) can do to make their evening unforgettable.

These are just a few of the holiday ideas that could turn your slowest time of the year into some of your busiest. Don’t forget that during the winter, any excuse to do something fun will be more than appreciated by your clients!

Want to share some winter tips you've found? Let us know on Facebook, and we can help spread the word!

Part Two: How Do I Get The Best Spray Tan?

5. Spray Technique

Based on years of experience teaching other professionals, and with working with our vast, international clientele of salons and spas, we have found that spraying horizontally produces more even results and is less time consuming than any other method. We have tried each and every technique for spraying, and the results are always the same: side to side is best.

6. Using 10% DHA solution on a client who should be getting sprayed with 8% DHA (or 12% on a 10% client, etc). 

You can’t use the same solution on every single client. Before you spray tan anyone, you need to know how they fair in the sun. If they burn easily, then they will likewise tan easily. If you use a high percentage DHA solution on a client who burns very easily, there is a greater risk that their skin will absorb too much—just as if they had stayed out in the sun too long. So make sure you talk to your client's before you tan them!

7. Post-tan Care: Moisturizing of the Skin.

The sunless tan only colors the outer layer of skin cells, and your tan will fade as evenly as your skin cells die. This means that you need to make sure you are moisturizing your body, and paying particular care to those areas that are drier (elbows, knuckles, and anywhere that sweat collects like cleavage or inner elbows).

Much like the problem with exfoliants, there are moisturizers out there that will actually degrade your tan by drying your skin out faster. This is caused in one of two ways: 1. Putting the moisturizer on before your tan can block the DHA from properly setting into your skin. 2. If the moisturizer includes certain oils it can dry your skin out, thus causing your tan to fade faster.

8. Outside factors:

There are always outside factors that can have an effect on the spray tan, and there are far too many to write down in one guide; eczema, acne, psoriasis, certain diets, medications, hormones, other skin conditions and skincare products all have the potential to change a tan. The best way to combat this is by doing research on whichever problems arise for you.

One example I can quickly provide is that if you wash your skin with soaps that contain oil or AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid), you can greatly accelerate the fading of the tan.

The last and most important thing that I want to tell you is not to be frightened: we have thousands of thrilled salons & spas worldwide who spray tan every day without any problems—these are just to help you IF you ever experience anything similar.

For other helpful video tips, please visit our Video Library.

Part One: How Do I Get The Best Spray Tan?

Maybe you've been spray tanning for years, maybe you're new to the industry--either way you may be undermining your work by not achieving the best results possible. I've talked to salon and spa professionals, mobile business owners, skincare consultants, and using that information have come up with a quick list that may help you get the very most from your spray tan. 

A wedding by Aviva Labs and Attagirl Spray Tans

Here are some steps to easily remember to ensure that your clients are getting the most out of their tan and that you are producing flawless results every time:

1. Pre-tan Preparation: Clients are not preparing with a proper exfoliant.

Not preparing your skin for a spray tan would be like not washing an apple before you eat it. It's a healthy thing to have, but made less effective by the residue that's on the surface. For apples this can mean pesticides, for spray tans this can mean anything that's on your skin from moisturizers to soaps, shampoos, and perfumes.  

There are lots of great exfoliants, body polishes, and body scrubs on the market, and your clients very likely already have several at home. What they might not know is that not all exfoliants are the same. Almost all exfoliants clean your skin by scrubbing off dead skin cells; unfortunately, most also include an oil or a moisturizer meant to hydrate your skin. 

While this would not be a bad thing, normally—it certainly is when you are getting a spray tan. 

Having these oils and moisturizers on your skin can affect the length and strength of your tan. Instead, look for an exfoliant that leaves your skin as fresh and “naked” as possible. 

Places that are commonly missed/overlooked/need special attention during exfoliation: 

Hairline--this can create a ghastly tan line between your forehead and your hair--unless you wear hats all day, every day, you definitely want to make sure that this area is carefully treated. 

Back, neck, and shoulders: If you have long hair--be sure to pin it up and scrub from the base of the neck and up so that this area is clean and fresh. Also, make sure you scrub your shoulders, neck, and back AFTER you rinse your hair--this is to make sure that any shampoo residue that rinsed off your hair is then scrubbed from your body entirely instead of simply finding a new place on your shoulders. 

Around your armpits: Deodorants will leave a barrier with your tan. Think of it this way: after I put on deodorant I don't spend the rest of the day with my arms in the air. I walk, I swing my arms back and forth, I wave---all the normal activities, or abnormal if you are doing something strange, move that deodorant around. So it may stain down farther than you expect on either your arm or your side (especially if you were wearing it while working out!) So make sure to scrub around this area carefully. I'm not saying scrub your armpits, but I am saying be aware that deodorant can "travel" to other places--and these places will need to be exfoliated. 

Be careful: some deodorants can affect the color of the bronzer part of the tanning application--this will be rinsed away with your first shower, but it could look weird until then. 

Knuckles: your knuckles get pretty dry, they scrape stuff, punch walls, and get generally roughed up. They also have stuff on them--think about how many times your hands touch things throughout the day. Clean these well!

Elbows and knees: backs and fronts! These are joints, and joints get much more movement and activity than say, your forearm. They also just generally dry out faster than the rest of your skin so be sure to carefully exfoliate--this will ensure that the tan lasts longer in these areas.

2. Equipment: Spray equipment needs to be cleaned. 

Obviously this one is important. I mean, you're not dumping the solution over your client's head--or at least you shouldn't be--you're spraying it from the machine. If the machine isn't working properly, the tan won't come out properly, it's that simple.

A High Volume, Low Pressure, or HVLP spray gun machine operates by spraying liquid through a very small opening (where the needle fits through he hole). Over time, this opening gets clogged from the buildup of sunless solution, lint, dust, etc., and it must be periodically disassembled and cleaned. I recommend doing this about once every month, unless you are spray tanning vast numbers of clients. This one minute instructional video should cover everything you need to know about disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling your spray gun.

3. Spray Technique: The spray gun is being held too close to client during spraying. 

Pretty straight forward, I recommend holding the airbrush 8’-12” from the client’s skin. And remember to pull the spray gun back away from the hands and feet in a very gentle fanning motion: this is because these areas don’t need nearly as much spray to achieve the same color.

4. Spray Technique: Application is too heavy—too much solution being sprayed on clients.

On average, you should only be using about 2 oz of liquid per full body spray. If you are using more than this and your spray gun has been adjusted (see our spray gun troubleshooting article), your technique might need to be improved a bit. For this, please consider taking an in-house training course from a reputable company.

(Continued in part two)

For other helpful video tips, please visit our Video Library.

How do I set up a spray tan tent?

The Co-founder of our company, Mitch Bloom, challenged me to set up and take down a spray tent, “Just so I could have the experience.” I’ve heard they were difficult to deal with, but was sure that I could handle it: I nearly lost an eye (and my temper). I’ve decided to put together a short article about my adventure.

Moving it to my “set up” spot

I had two spray tents that I tried out. One was the kind that you can easily find on Youtube, the other was similar, but with a sturdier built frame and with poles made from the stuff high-tension deep sea fishing rods are made from (it was also a much more expensive tent).

I decided to try to move the tent in two ways:

1. In its round carrying case

2. Folded up into thirds so it lies flat, but not “rolled up”. I decided to do this because recently a spray tan consultant confided that this is how she transports hers, rather than stuffing it back into its bag.

The round carrying case is nice, a little awkward to put into the trunk of a small car like mine. Other than that it wasn’t a problem—I began to think that maybe this wouldn’t be that hard after all.

I nearly knocked over a lamp when moving the folded tent and had to set the thing on the ground to open up the door. I can easily see how this could be annoying and unprofessional for anyone with their own mobile spray tan business—instead of looking like I was boxing with a bear, I would want to look like I know what I’m doing, like I have everything under control. 

Set-Up

Set up was pretty easy—both the tents popped right open, and after a little bit of a struggle I figured out that you have to pull the tent out of itself so that it stands upright. This was pretty confusing at first because it doesn’t really look like it should bend that way.

When it was set up, I wrote up a quick article about how I felt the spray tan tent compared to backdrops, which was to say that there is really no comparison.

Fold up instructions:

Take down

If you enjoy something that feels like fighting an angry bear every time you want to spray tan, then a spray tent is the product for you! I felt like an idiot when I was trying to fold the tents back down—even after our president, Mitch Bloom, showed me how it was still a challenge.

For one thing I was terrified that I was going to break the darn thing—its thin, slippery plastic and some tent rods. I mean come on: my dog has torn through a tent like that and not even realized it had walked through something.

The over-complicated nature of this process just makes this a poor choice, especially for mobile businesses. And why bother go through all the hassle if you have easier alternatives anyways?

Walk Away

The last, easiest, and by far most satisfying part of this entire project!

--Good luck to anyone out there with one of these! Feel free to write to me and describe your experiences.

Part Three: Easy-fix solutions to spray gun problems, Other Issues

Other issues

None of the above seem to be the issue? Below are some more tips that may help you solve that problem.

If your gun seems to be sputtering or spitting like my grandfather used to whenever he forgot to put in his dentures: This is most often caused by a clog in the nozzle (see image above: item 3).

Think of it this way: when you’re watering your garden, have you ever put your thumb over the hose to spray farther? Have you noticed that some water squirts around your thumb and maybe gets you wet as well? That’s essentially what is happening to the nozzle. Something as small as a hair can potentially cause a clog and send the solution spraying in a different direction.

This can affect your tanning by allowing the bronzer (a thinner liquid) to “shoot” out of the spray gun while the DHA (a thicker liquid) is more easily clogged. What this means is that your clients will appear to have a tan, but then it will wash off (because it is only the bronzer that they actually got sprayed with). Obviously, this is a problem you want fixed as soon as possible!

To fix: Fixing this problem is easy. Simply disassemble the gun and run water through the nozzle piece. Lift the nozzle up to a light and look through the tiny hole. If you can see anything in there then it needs to be rinsed out more.

If your gun is shooting solution off to one side what is probably happening is one of two things:

1. The hole at the tip of your gun has been gunked up, in which case please refer to: Cleaning your spray gun

Or

2. The needle may be damaged in some way.

If you have a steel needle and have not been using your spray gun as a hammer then there should be no way that it has become pitted or gouged; however, if you have a plastic needle then you may have some problems.

Plastic needles can become gouged, scratched, bent, chipped, scraped, or even broken off. Given that the solution is being sprayed out from such a small hole, even a small change in the needle can drastically affect the difference in how the spray gun is operating.

Unfortunately, if your needle has been damaged in some way there is only one cure: Replacement.

If it seems like it may just be coated or need to be cleaned: rinse it under hot water—do not scrub it as this may damage a needle if it’s plastic.

If the solution isn’t spraying at all, you may want to first ensure that the gun is clean and the nozzle hole is not blocked by anything. Secondly, check to make sure the dip tube is free from blockage and, third, that the air hose is properly connected to both the spray gun and the air compressor.

Hopefully, your problems have been solved. If, for whatever reason, your spray gun still does not seem to be fixed after reading these three articles--or you are confused about any part--please call Aviva Labs and we will help you sort it out. 

Part Two: Easy-fix solutions to spray gun problems, Over spray

Overspray

Overspray—The dreaded “Fog”: nobody wants to feel like they are getting a spray tan from a sneezing giant so you should be doing your best to ensure that your gun is spraying a fine, gentle mist.

One of the causes of over spray is that your spray gun’s trigger is set to allow too much solution to pass through when the gun is “fired”. What this does is allow the needle at the tip of your gun to pull back too far and thus let more solution shoot out.

To fix: try adjusting how far back the trigger can be pulled. To do this, adjust the nob at the back of your spray gun (located just beneath the connection with the air hose) and tighten it until the trigger cannot be pulled at all (Remember: righty tighty, lefty loosey).

Each gun has a different trigger sensitivity, but the following method works for every spray gun we produce:

1. With no cup of spray tan solution in the gun, turn the machine on and begin “shooting” air through the spray gun. Note: because the nob has been completely tightened, no solution would be able to get through if the cup was in place.

2. Begin loosening the nob, all the while still gently pulling the trigger (don’t pull too hard that you have to struggle against yourself to unscrew the nob). 

3. As soon as any give occurs in the trigger, stop unscrewing the nob! Now, you can unscrew the nob a tiny bit more, but to be safe try the gun out in this position first. 

4. At this point, your gun should not cause any more over spray (unless the needle needs to be cleaned).

The easiest way to demonstrate how to clean your spray gun is with a direct link to our video: Cleaning my spray gun.

This will cover everything you need to know and should fix your over spray problem if resetting the trigger has not.

Hopefully, your problems have been solved. If, for whatever reason, your spray gun still does not seem to be fixed after reading these three articles--or you are confused about any part--please call Aviva Labs and we will help you sort it out.