Your Event Is Coming Up—Should You Self-Tan or Book a Spray Tan?
Homecoming is next weekend. Your wedding is getting closer. Maybe you have family photos, a vacation, a Halloween party or another special event on the calendar—and you want a little extra color.
Picking up a bottle of self-tanner can seem like the easiest place to start. And there’s nothing wrong with self-tanner. When you know how a product works with your skin and how to apply it evenly, it can be a great tool.
The problem is that the days right before an important event may not be the best time to experiment.
At Sunsations, we regularly meet first-time clients who come to us two to five days before an event after an at-home self-tanner didn’t turn out the way they expected. Maybe the color developed unevenly, their ankles or wrists became too dark, or streaks appeared in places they didn’t notice during application. Now, instead of simply preparing for their event, they’re trying to remove one tan before there’s enough time to create another.
That doesn’t mean you should never use self-tanner. In fact, we think it can be very useful for maintaining professional spray-tan color or touching up specific tan lines. The better question is when should you use self-tanner yourself, and when might it make more sense to start with a professional spray tan?
If the event is important to you, the answer often comes down to three things: your experience, your skin and how much time you have if something doesn’t go as planned.
Why DIY Self-Tanner Can Be Tricky Before an Important Event
Getting an even sunless tan starts before the self-tanner ever touches your skin. Skin preparation and application both matter, and inconsistencies in either one can affect how evenly your color develops.
One mistake we commonly see is uneven preparation. Areas of dry or thicker skin can absorb sunless tanning solution differently, which is why areas such as the ankles, wrists, hands, fingers, knees and elbows require a little extra attention. Applying the same amount of product everywhere doesn’t necessarily mean every area will develop the same way.
Timing your shower matters, too. Showering immediately before applying self-tanner can leave the skin in a less-than-ideal condition for an even application. Preparing your skin ahead of time—and then starting with clean, product-free skin on tanning day—gives you a better foundation for consistent color.
Then there is the application itself. When you’re applying self-tanner to your own body, it can be surprisingly easy to use more product in one area than another, miss a spot or overlap an area without realizing it. Often, you don’t know there is a problem when you apply the product. You discover it several hours later as the color develops.
None of these mistakes means you can’t successfully self-tan at home. With experience, good preparation and a product you already know works well with your skin, you may get a result you love.
But if you’ve never used the product before—or you’re new to self-tanning—the night before Homecoming, a wedding, photos or another important event probably isn’t the ideal time for your first practice run. The closer you are to the event, the less time you have to correct the color if it doesn’t develop the way you expected.
Can You Get a Spray Tan Over Uneven Self-Tanner?
When someone comes to us with uneven self-tanner, the biggest challenge usually isn’t whether the color can be removed. It’s how much time we have before the event.
A sunless tan doesn’t simply wash away in one shower. A self-tan remover can help break down existing color, but the process takes time. The remover generally needs to sit on the skin for at least five minutes before being wiped away. If some of the unwanted color remains, that process may need to be repeated—sometimes more than once—to create a more even starting point.
And removing the old color is only the first step. We still need to think about preparing the skin properly, applying the new spray tan and allowing enough time for that color to develop before the event.
This is why clients who come to us two to five days before Homecoming, a wedding, photos or another special occasion can sometimes find themselves in a time crunch. What started as a quick attempt to add some color at home has now become a process of removing, preparing and reapplying.
Our goal isn’t simply to make the skin darker to cover the problem. We want to create the most even, natural-looking result possible with the time we have.
If your event matters to you, give yourself enough time to solve a problem before there is a problem. Trying something new can be fun—but the days immediately before an event you care about aren’t always the best time to experiment with your color.
What a Professional Spray Tan Does Differently
A professional spray tan isn’t simply self-tanner applied by someone else. The biggest difference is the ability to make decisions based on your skin, your goals and the event you’re preparing for.
At Sunsations, that process begins before your spray tan. For a first-time client, we explain how to prepare your skin so we’re starting with the best possible canvas. When you arrive, we look at your natural skin tone, talk about the color you’re hoping to achieve and consider factors that may affect your result.
Even age can play a role. As our skin changes, adding the right skincare to a spray tan can become just as important as choosing the color itself. Our goal isn’t simply to make every client as dark as possible. We want your color to complement your skin and look natural on you.
We can also recommend which of our spray tan options makes the most sense for your goals.”. Some clients prefer the privacy and consistency of an automated spray booth, while others may benefit from the customization of a handheld spray tan with a trained artist. Solution choice, color depth, skincare options and development time can all be adjusted based on the result you’re trying to achieve.
Professional application also gives us the opportunity to pay special attention to the areas we know can develop differently. Hands, feet, wrists, ankles, knees and elbows aren’t treated as an afterthought. Proper preparation and application techniques help us create smoother transitions and avoid drawing unnecessary attention to those areas.
Most importantly, you don’t have to make all of those decisions for the first time by yourself.
For an everyday tan, experimenting at home may be perfectly reasonable. But when you’re preparing for an event that will be photographed, celebrated and remembered, having someone help you create a plan can take a lot of the guesswork out of the process.
How Soon Before an Event Should You Get a Spray Tan?
For many special events, about two days beforehand is a good time to schedule your spray tan. That gives the color time to develop, complete the recommended first rinse and settle into the finished result before the event.
But not every event deserves the same plan. A first spray tan before Homecoming is very different from a bride choosing her color for her wedding day.
Homecoming, Prom, Parties & Photos
If you’re getting your first professional spray tan for Homecoming, Prom, a party or another special occasion, scheduling about two days before the event is generally a good starting point.
The most important part is preparing correctly beforehand and following your aftercare instructions afterward. You don’t necessarily need an elaborate trial process for every event—especially when budget and time are considerations.
What you don’t want to do is wait until the last minute. A little extra time gives your color an opportunity to fully develop and gives you time to ask questions if something concerns you.
Weddings Deserve a Different Timeline
If you’re the bride, we recommend taking a more planned approach—especially if you’ve never had a professional spray tan before.
Engagement photos can be a great opportunity for your first test run. Ideally, schedule a trial spray about two weeks before your engagement-photo spray tan. This gives you the opportunity to see how the color looks on your skin and in photos, while allowing enough time for that tan to completely fade before your next application.
Then schedule your engagement-photo spray approximately two days before the photos.
From there, you can use what you learned to plan your color for the other events leading up to the wedding—your bridal shower, bachelorette party and, of course, the wedding itself. For each event, approximately two days beforehand is generally a good target.
When possible, working with the same spray-tan artist throughout your wedding events can also be helpful. Your artist gets to know how your skin responds, what color you prefer and any adjustments you may want to make. By the time the wedding arrives, neither of you is guessing.
What About Vacations?
Vacations require a little extra thought because your travel schedule, first shower, swimming and other activities can all affect your timing.
Rather than squeezing a spray tan into the last available hour before leaving town, plan enough time to complete the recommended development period and first rinse before you travel whenever possible.
The goal isn’t to follow one perfect schedule for every occasion. It’s to work backward from your event and give yourself enough time for the result you want.
And the bigger the event—or the more important the photos—the more valuable a little advance planning becomes.
When Self-Tanner Actually Makes Sense
Self-tanner absolutely has a place in a good sunless-tanning routine. In fact, we often think of it as a useful tool for maintaining or fine-tuning color, rather than something you need to avoid.
One of our favorite uses for self-tanner is helping prolong the life of a professional spray tan. As your spray tan gradually fades, the right at-home product can help maintain your color and keep it looking more consistent between professional applications.
Self-tanner can also be useful for targeting specific tan lines. Racerback tank tops and sports bras, for example, can leave distinct lines that aren’t always easy to address with a full-body application. Carefully applying self-tanner to a targeted area can help soften the contrast without adding unnecessary color everywhere else.
Experience matters, too. If you’ve used the same self-tanning product many times, know how your skin responds to it and are comfortable applying it evenly, using it before an event is very different from opening a new product for the first time two days before Homecoming.
So the question isn’t really professional spray tan or self-tanner—which one is better?
It’s which one makes the most sense for what you’re trying to accomplish?
For maintaining color or making a small adjustment, self-tanner may be exactly the right tool. When you’re creating your color from scratch for an important event—and don’t have much room for trial and error—starting with professional guidance may give you a more predictable plan.
Planning a Spray Tan for Your Next Special Event
Whether you’re getting ready for Homecoming, a wedding, vacation, photos or simply a night you want to feel your best, the best time to think about your spray tan is before you’re racing the clock.
If you decide to self-tan, give yourself time, prepare your skin carefully and—especially before an important event—stick with products and techniques you already know work well for you.
If you decide a professional spray tan makes more sense, good preparation still matters. Knowing when to shower and exfoliate, what to wear to your appointment, how long to wait before rinsing and how to care for your color afterward can make a significant difference in your results.
We’ve put all of that information in our Complete Sunsations Guide to Spray Tanning, where we walk you through the entire process—from preparing for your appointment to caring for your color afterward. If this will be your first spray tan, it’s a great place to start.
First Time at Sunsations?
If you have an important event coming up and would rather start with professional guidance than experiment at the last minute, your first spray tan at Sunsations is 50% off.
Our team will help you choose the spray-tan option that fits your skin, your goals and your event—and make sure you know exactly how to prepare before you arrive.
Because the goal isn’t simply to be darker for your event. It’s to walk into it feeling confident in your color.