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