Rapid Spray Tan: Get the Glow Without the 8 Hour Wait

Want a spray tan but don’t want to sleep in it? Welcome to the rapid spray tan. Rapid spray tans are perfect for weddings, bridal events, holidays, date nights, last minute plans and anyone who doesn’t have the time or patience to marinate in a traditional spray tan for eight hours. And I am firmly in that camp.

What Is a Rapid Spray Tan?

A rapid spray tan is a sunless tanning treatment designed to be rinsed off sooner than a traditional spray tan.

Like traditional spray tans, rapid tans use DHA (dihydroxyacetone), which reacts with amino acids in the dead surface cells of your skin to create a temporary bronzed appearance. The difference? With a rapid formula, you can take your first rinse much sooner.

And don’t panic if you look lighter after rinsing. Your rapid spray tan continues to develop after your first shower, so the color you see immediately after rinsing isn’t necessarily your final result.

How Long Do You Leave a Rapid Spray Tan On?

This is probably the biggest and most confusing question we get. Our answer is simple: Follow the rinse time your Queen Bee esthetician gives you.

Rapid spray tan rinse times vary based on the formula, your skin and the depth of color you want. Leaving a rapid tan on longer doesn’t automatically mean a darker or better result. Your Queen Bee esthetician will discuss your desired color, customize your spray tan for your skin and tell you exactly when to rinse. That customization is what makes the Queen Bee spray tan experience different.

Who Should Get a Rapid Spray Tan?

We love rapid spray tans for brides and bridal parties, weddings, holidays, photos, date nights, last minute events and busy people who simply don’t want to sleep in a developing spray tan.

It’s also brilliant if the thought of putting on pajamas and climbing into clean sheets covered in developing spray tan fills you with dread. Which brings me to my own spray tan development anxiety story.

Why I Became a Rapid Spray Tan Person

I had my first spray tan about 15 years ago. Our master spray tan artist, Liz, told me I needed to leave it on for eight hours. I tried. By hour three, I was calling Liz at Queen Bee in an absolute PANIC. I felt claustrophobic. I didn’t want to put clothes over it. I certainly didn’t want to sleep in it. All I could think was, I’ve got another how many hours of this?

So when rapid spray tans came along, they made perfect sense to me. Get beautifully bronzed, wait the recommended time, rinse and get on with your life. Rapid will always be my and many others’ preferred spray tan.

What Is DHA in a Spray Tan?

DHA stands for dihydroxyacetone, the color additive commonly used in sunless tanning products. Rather than creating a UV tan, DHA works at the surface of the skin. It reacts with amino acids in the outermost dead skin cells, temporarily darkening their appearance. As those cells naturally shed, your spray tan gradually fades.

And an important reminder: a spray tan is not sunscreen. Unless a product specifically contains approved sunscreen ingredients and carries an SPF, your gorgeous glow does not protect your skin from UV exposure.

Is DHA in a Rapid Spray Tan Safe?

The FDA permits DHA for external application to the skin as a color additive in sunless tanning products. However, DHA should not be inhaled or ingested or exposed to the eyes, lips or mucous membranes. That’s why professional spray tan application and appropriate precautions matter.

A rapid spray tan doesn’t change those basic DHA considerations. The advantage is simply that the initial tanning product can be rinsed from your skin sooner.

How to Prepare for a Rapid Spray Tan

A beautiful spray tan starts with good skin prep. Exfoliate beforehand, arrive with clean skin and follow the preparation instructions from your Queen Bee esthetician. Dry, uneven or heavily coated skin can affect how evenly your sunless tan develops.

After your spray tan, follow your recommended rinse time and keep your skin moisturized to help your tan fade more evenly. And remember: your first rinse is not necessarily your final color. Give your rapid tan time to fully develop.

Rapid Spray Tans at Queen Bee

At Queen Bee, a custom spray tan has never been about making everyone the same shade. Our spray tan artists consider your natural skin tone, undertone and how bronzed you actually want to be. The goal is believable, customized color that looks like you had a fabulous weekend away, not like you fell into a vat of orange paint.

Queen Bee offers professional Rapid Spray Tans and Custom Airbrush Spray Tans in Los Angeles and Dallas. Whether you’re a bride, have somewhere fabulous to be tomorrow or simply cannot bear the thought of sleeping in your spray tan, a rapid tan might just become your favorite too.

BOOK A RAPID SPRAY TAN IN LOS ANGELES & DALLAS

Written by Jodi Shays, Founder of Queen Bee Salon & Spa