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Spray Tan Body Contouring is a highly sought after specialized technique provided by spray tan artists! This technique requires special training to gain the knowledge on how you can go about providing a highlight and contour effect on bodies of all different shapes and sizes. Today we are going to talk about what it is, who it’s for and how it can impact your business! Contouring is an AH-mazing way to differentiate yourself as a spray tan artist in your town. If you already currently offer contouring in your beauty biz, you've probably already realized what a game changer this service can be for your clients. If you haven’t taken your body contouring certification yet, but you’ve been thinking about adding on contouring into your business, keep reading because we are going to dive deeper into the benefits of learning this technique!  

Spray Tan Contouring Explained

There’s a common misconception about spray tan contouring and the types of clients that it can be offered to. Spray Tan contouring is actually a very versatile service that can be offered to all body types. Your client does not have to be extremely toned or have an athletic physique to reap the benefits of a body contour! When contouring, you’re essentially creating the illusion of shadows on specific areas of the body in order to emphasize (or de-emphasize) features. We all know the client that jokes with you and asks if you can give them six pack abs when they clearly don't have the natural muscle definition to achieve that. This is not how contouring works! This process emphasizes what’s already present on the client’s body. Spray tan contouring works by looking for the natural muscle tone on the body and applying contour shading techniques to those areas in a fashion that sculpts the muscle or bone structure to create the appearance of more prominent features. Contouring techniques offer clients the option to emphasize clavicle bones, as well as create the illusion of larger breasts and a perkier booty! As we’ve mentioned, you don’t want to add contour where there isn’t a feature to define in order to avoid the risk of creating an outcome that looks unnatural. Depending on the client’s body composition, spray tan artists can create a slimming effect by applying the spray tan solution in areas that give the illusion of a shadow. This technique can be used to create slimmer thighs, slimmer arms and a cinched-in waist. There are two different techniques known as Full Body Contour and Mini Contour that can be used as a spray tan artist to recommend the best option depending on the client’s body composition and the results they're hoping to gain. 

Spray Tan Contour Techniques:

• Full Body Contour

When a client comes to you that already has  visible natural muscle tone, you can recommend they get a full body contour! This type of technique is great for clients with a more athletic figure. When applying the contour shade during a full body contour, you will focus on sculpting out the muscle tone that is already visible to the eye by adding the contour into the muscle definition to deepen its prominence. The full body contouring technique can be used on areas of the body including abdominal muscles, biceps, thighs, back muscles and calves. This technique also allows you to elevate the contouring experience even further by adding a contour to the clavicle bones, chest, booty and face!

• Mini Contour

We said previously that body contouring is for every body type! Applying a mini contour is the perfect option for clients with body compositions that don’t have as much visible muscle tone. Mini contours are really a great option for all clients because although it can look unnatural to add contour shading to areas that don’t have natural muscle tone, the mini contour allows us to shade larger areas of the body to create the illusion of a shadow. Adding shadows to areas, such as the sides of the wait, the arms and the thighs allows the client to experience a slimming effect created by their spray tan. As you can imagine, pretty much all clients would opt to have shadows placed on their body that allows them to look more snatched!

Benefits To Business

Now that you know the difference between the two contour technique options, you can better go about recommending this service to all your clients no matter what body type they have! Spray tan contouring is a specialized, expert-level service, which means elevating your service menu with this add-on option allows you to bring in more money per appointment! For example, you have the ability to charge $10-$20 additional for a contour service on top of what your spray tans are currently priced at. That means you have the opportunity to upgrade each appointment and earn an additional $10-$20 in revenue to all of your sales tickets. Imagine the difference this would make to your sales overall! This service allows you to elevate your client experience and the amount of money you bring into your business. It’s a win-win situation! 

There’s so many benefits to offering spray tan body contouring to your clients, not to mention, you can get certified right now! Visit the X-Tan Sunless website to learn more about our body contouring course and to order your professional contour equipment so you can hit the ground running! 

Xoxo,

Kelly

As a spray tan business owner, we of course love what we do! We put so much passion into our work, but when it comes to business, we also need to know the numbers. That’s why today we are going to talk all about the money you can make as a spray tan artist. In order to create a successful and sustainable business, we need to make sure that we are putting as much energy into knowing our numbers as we are into the love of what we do as a glow giver. It’s not lost on us that starting a new venture with launching a business comes with a lot of uncertainty and fear from making a large investment. That’s why women who are curious about starting their spray tan biz journey want to know what possible earnings can be made. Some of the questions you may be wondering before starting your sunless biz are:

•  Is spray tanning a profitable business venture?

• Can spray tanning make me a livable wage plus more?

• Will it be worth the investment to start my spray tanning business or add spray tanning into my current business?

When we look at how much can be made as a spray tan artist, the answer to all of the questions above is a resounding, “YES!” Spray tanning is a unique beauty service because the startup costs can be minimal and the overhead is relatively low. This allows artists to have a larger profit margin with uncapped income. Let’s let the numbers speak for themselves, shall we? Below we will outline possible income earnings as a spray tan artist so you can get a better idea if this is the right career path for you!

On average, spray tans are typically priced at about $50 each. The price per service can most definitely fluctuate depending on your brand, your geographical area and the type of services you decide to offer. For example, if you decide you want to provide mobile services in an affluent area of your town, you can expect to make upwards of $100+ per appointment, not including retail and add-ons. For the sake of keeping this in the range of what most spray tan artists tend to charge for their services, let’s base this equation off of making $50 per spray tan. Once you become a more seasoned artist who feels good about your routine and the operation of your appointments, you can comfortably do four tanning appointments an hour. In this scenario, at $50 a tan, doing four tans an hour, your income would come out to around $200 an hour. To take a broader look at the possibilities that being a sunless business owner offers, explore the income graphic below.

The wonderful part about starting a spray tanning business is the fact that you can build this business to be anything you want it to be! You have the option to be a solo artist making $200 an hour by yourself. You have the option to scale your business and open a brick and mortar that has employees. You can operate your business as a mobile artist to keep expenses low and service prices higher. The variety of business models that are available to you allows there to be a high possibility of bringing in a 5-6 figure income! As we mentioned earlier, your service price is also your base price! You have the opportunity to double the amount you make per appointment by offering retail and expanding your services with add-on options. Carrying retail in your business allows you to not only make more money, but also create a five star sunless experience for your clients so you can build a clientele of raving fans!

Being your own boss comes with a lot of excitement and fulfillment. Being able to channel creativity and passion into your work is a beautiful thing, but it’s important to know that doing what you love also comes with the type of money you dream of. The possibilities as a sunless biz owner are truly endless and absolutely doable! Getting certified and set up with the right equipment and products is the first step to getting started in this journey on the right foot. Make sure to head over to the X-Tan Sunless website to explore all of our package options!

Xoxo,

Kelly

Being a sunless Glow Boss is all about being dedicated and educated! Can I get an “heck YES!?” As your number one beauty biz cheerleader that has been around the spray tanning block, we feel it’s our duty here at X-Tan to create a space that helps spread the knowledge we’ve gained in the industry throughout the years. It’s also a MAJOR passion of ours to offer the most premium sunless products for all spray tan artists whose mission is to build a successful luxury spray tan business. Our goal is to be the place that is trusted among artists and their clients to offer items that not only give beautiful results, but advocate for skin health. That means offering quality products made with quality ingredients that nourish, hydrate and tan the skin. 

Today we are excited to dive into the nitty gritty of the ingredients that make up one of our best selling sunless solutions. Obsidian Sunless has been a customer favorite ever since it was launched and we could not be more proud of the feedback we’ve gotten over the last few years. We owe all the rave to the specialty blend of beautiful ingredients that sets Obsidian apart. This skin-loving formulation offers the versatility to be used as a 8-hour or rapid rinse solution. What else could you ask for, right!? We were also very intentional with making sure that the Obsidian Sunless blend was made with organic and natural ingredients that work together to offer a light to dark sunless tanning experience that works for most skin types and tones.

The ingredients used in this product were not only intended to produce breathtaking sunless results, but also offer an experience that feels incredible to the skin. From the moment the solution starts working its magic to long after the first rinse, Obsidian offers nourishment and hydration for a finish that is soft and smooth to the touch. If you’re not already fully obsessed with what this solution has to offer you and your clients, let’s highlight just a few of the ingredients that allows Obsidian Sunless to create the ultimate healthy sunless glow.

1. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice a.k.a Organic Aloe Vera

Aloe is an ingredient that many of us are familiar with in terms of the way that it works to help soothe the skin after a sunburn.The is exactly the reason we’ve chosen this ingredient to be a great addition to our sunless tanning solution! According to Baylor College of Medicine, Aloe Vera provides healing anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in antioxidants, enzymes, as well as vitamins A and C. This ingredient was a perfect fit for helping to add moisture while giving an overall smooth feel and appearance to the skin. The antioxidants that are naturally occurring in aloe also help reduce signs of aging! Anything we can do to provide products that fight fine lines and wrinkles is a win in our book!

2. Caprylic Triglyceride 

Although this ingredient is a little less recognizable as Aloe Vera, if you’ve ever worked in the cosmetics industry, you may recognize Caprylic Triglyceride as an emollient that is often used in makeup and skincare products. This ingredient is typically chosen in the cosmetic and esthetics industry because it interacts well with other ingredients and is safe from creating skin reactions for the majority of people. According to an interview on Byrdie done with dermatologist Ife Rodney, Caprylic Triglyceride is derived from the fatty acids of coconut oil and combined with glycerine. Some of the benefits of this well-rounded ingredient include being a smoothing and moisturizing agent to the skin and providing antioxidants that reduce the signs of aging skin. In addition to those benefits, due to the antimicrobial properties of coconut oil, this ingredient helps to rebalance the microbiome of the skin while intervening in bacteria growth. 

3.  Hyaluronic Acid

This ingredient may be at the top of the list of all time favorites that we’ve included in this list of high quality naturally derived ingredients formulated for Obsidian Sunless. Did you know that Hyaluronic Acid is an ingredient that is already naturally produced by our bodies to retain moisture? We like to think of Hyaluronic Acid as an extra quench of hydration to the skin. Since this acid acts as a moisturizer for dry and depleted skin, it also has age fighting benefits that help reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles, according to Healthline.com. 

You may have caught on to a couple recurring themes with the ingredients that were chosen for Obsidian Sunless. You guessed it! We are all about replenishing moisture and reducing the signs of aging to support healthy glowing skin! As sunless professionals, we know that nourished skin is essential for the longevity and quality of a spray tan. To get the best results for your service, it’s a must that you also use high quality products. To learn more about what else is included in Obsidian Sunless and stock up your spray tan kit, head over to XTan Sunless!

Xo,

Kelly

https://www.bcm.edu/news/benefits-using-aloe-vera

https://www.byrdie.com/capric-triglyceride-for-skin-5186339

First time spray tan clients typically have quite a few questions regarding everything that goes into the spray tan process! One of the frequently asked questions you’ll always get regarding spray tans, is how long they actually last! Clients want to know how long their spray tan will last because they want to make sure that they are able to get the most from their investment. As professional spray tan artists, it’s our job to understand the time frame that spray tans will last, as well as all the factors that play into the longevity of a tan. We can confidently say, on average, a tan will last 7-10 days with proper care. In order for your clients to see the best results from their appointment it’s important to communicate what “proper care” actually looks like. It’s crucial that we do our best to educate our clients on how they should go about preparing for their appointment and taking care of their tan afterward in order to get the tan to last as long as possible. Let’s dive into what proper care actually means when it comes to getting a tan that lasts 7-10 days or even up to two weeks!

Keep Skin Moisturized & Hydrated

In order for clients to achieve the most natural looking sunless tanning result, they have to have hydrated skin! The skin should be well moisturized and very hydrated to keep the vibrancy of color lasting as long as possible. Following pre-tan prep is crucial from both the client and artist side. Both parties need to do their part to create the best canvas for the skin to receive the spray tan solution. Paying special attention to hydrating the skin is especially important if the client has a dry skin type. In this instance, advise clients to drink a lot of water and moisturize the week or two leading up to their appointment. As a spray tan artist, you can use prep spray to add extra hydration to the skin and barrier cream to alleviate the potential of oversaturation on drier areas, such as the hands and feet, to ensure that the client has a longer lasting result. The reason spray tans fade faster when the skin is not hydrated, is because dry, under moisturized skin tends to be more flakey than well hydrated skin, which can cause the tan to naturally exfoliate more quickly.

Reduce Exfoliation 

Excess exfoliation is one of the number one factors that increases the likelihood that a client’s spray tan will fade prematurely. Exfoliation can come in the form of excessive sweating, rubbing instead of patting dry after showers and soaking in bodies of water. Although additional exfoliation to the skin will result in the spray tan fading more quickly, some of this fading can be combated. Your client’s aftercare is essential in the overall results of the spray tan. That's why it’s important to make sure the client is provided with extremely clear and concise instructions provided at their appointment so they are well aware of what steps should be taken to see the best results. 

Using Sunless Safe Products

Something that should always be communicated to our clients when it comes to post tan care is that not all products are ideal for spray tans! The ingredients that are formulated in certain products can cause sunless tans to fade more quickly. Products to steer clear from when strutting a spray tan include products that contain alcohol, mineral oil or are highly fragranced. Educating your clients on sunless safe products also provides you with a great opportunity to introduce retail into your sunless biz! One way you can allow your clients to get pro-longed results would be through products like a tan extend lotion that act as a gradual tanner. When you work with clients who are getting tanned for certain events such as honeymoons and vacations where they are more likely to be in and out of the water, tan extenders can be a huge benefit to combating premature fading of their tan. Sunless safe products that hydrate, cleanse and protect the skin should be on your client’s radar, but if they’re not, you can introduce and educate them on the items that will allow them to get the most out of their investment.

It should be no surprise that your clients want to get the most life out of their spray tan. They are investing their hard earned money into a service that will change their appearance and they want to make sure they will experience flawless, long-lasting results! As the professional, it’s your job to step in as the expert and educate your clients on their prep and aftercare in order to create this outcome for them. Producing prolonged results for  your client’s allows you to have a greater chance of getting rebooked and encourages word of mouth advertising! It’s human nature for us to share the products and services we’re obsessed with, right? Make sure you’re building a five star experience from the first communication with your client all the way through the duration of their developed results so they will want to tell all their friends and family. If you’re ready to level up your client experience, the first step is using high quality products! Stock up your kit with the most premium professional spray tan solutions in our PRO Shop!

Xoxo,

Kelly

If you’re a spray tan artist, you know that the active ingredient in all sunless solutions is Dihydroxyacetone, also known as DHA. This active ingredient is what causes the chemical reaction to take place with the amino acids on the top layer of the skin to create a tan-like appearance. Being a sunless professional means that it's crucial you understand how DHA percentages impact your clients results so that you can always deliver a stellar experience! When purchasing spray tan solutions, we have to go off the percent of DHA that is included in each formula in order to understand which spray tan solution will be the best option for each client’s unique skin type. The varying levels of DHA will thus create varying depths in color once the spray tan is fully developed. Typically, classic 8-hour spray tan solutions range between 6% - 12% DHA. The higher the DHA percent, the deeper the depth of color will be! Spray tans are not one size fits all. Each client’s skin type and tone will determine which level of DHA will be best suited to give them the most natural looking results. It’s your job as the professional to guide your clients through choosing the depth of color that will meet their needs and be optimal for their skin type. 

The reason we need to use our knowledge about sunless solutions and the effects that DHA has on the skin is because your client may not know what tan goals they have or what will work best with their skin to produce the most natural looking sunless tan. It’s our job, as professionals, to be the moderator of expectations. We want to make sure that our clients understand that if their natural skin tone is too light for the depth of color they want, it’s not going to be beneficial for their results overall to choose a DHA percentage that could create an unnatural appeal. We also have the responsibility to bring understanding of the process to our clients so they feel more comfortable with the experience overall. For example, it’s common for fair skin clients that are on the Fitzpatrick Scale as a Level 1 to feel nervous about looking unnatural, going too dark or turning out “orange.” This is where understanding DHA percentages will help you to ease the minds of clients that are concerned with the outcome of their spray tan and ensure that their tan develops to a depth of color that they will be comfortable with. 

Here’s how you can correlate the DHA percent to the outcome of the tan when consulting with your clients on what their desired tan goals are:

6% DHA:  A light tan

9% DHA: A medium tan

12% DHA:  A dark tan

You may be thinking that in order to put together a spray tan kit that allows you to meet the needs of all clients, you must carry all DHA percentages. The thought of having to carry this amount of inventory can feel daunting! That’s why I’m going to share a spray tan professional pro tip with you! In order to cut down on inventory and expenses in your sunless biz, you can focus on mixing solutions to create different levels of DHA so that you don’t have to carry all the DHA percent options in order to customize the perfect blend for each client.

Pro Tip: When mixing your lightest solution with your darkest solution, you’ll be able to create any depth of color that’s desired! For example, doing a 50/50 mix of 6% DHA with 12% DHA will produce a 9% DHA, which is equivalent to a medium tan. In order to customize each client’s tan, you can vary the levels of each of those two percentages in order to fluctuate the depth of color and therefore, offer a customized tone for your clients.

Our goal at X-Tan is to provide you with sunless products that allow you to feel confident in the service you provide to your clients. With our revolutionary spray tan solutions your clients can trust that they are receiving the most natural looking tan. Our solutions are formulated to create high quality customizable results for all skin types that hydrate, nourish and tan the skin for longer lasting color. With X-Tan you are given the tools needed to build a business full of raving fans! For more information on our spray tan solutions, head to the X-Tan website!

Xoxo,

Kelly