3 Common airbrush tan blunders and how to fix them

Messing up your airbrush tan is a fear many of us have before a big event or wedding.  Streaks occur every now and again and sometimes they even show up on the most visible areas of your body...your face!  

Whether it's a spray tan streak on your face or hands or even if spray tan solution rubs off on your clothes, we have a fix for these common disasters.  

Stained hands from spray tan solution

This is one of the most common spray tan blunders.  You wake up the next day and see the inside of your palms have turned brown.  Typically, a barrier cream will be applied to your hands to prevent this from happening but in the event it does happen there is no need to panic because listed below are household items that will remedy the situation:

• Lemon juice and salt or sugar: mix these ingredients into a bowl and you have a home made scrub.  Be sure to carefully apply to only the areas that need to be lightened since it could affect other areas that you want to remain tan.
• Hydrogen peroxide - this is a common household item that many people have in their medicine cabinets.  It has been used to lighten hair (so I'm told) but it can also be used to remove a spray tan stain.  Rub some hydrogen peroxide on the affected areas and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.  Then take a wash cloth or loofah and scrub the area.  Be very careful that you are using this only on the area of concern.  If you are too liberal with it you will remove the spray tan from surrounding areas.
• Tan remover (you can purchase tan remover product in most stores)
• Acetone or nail polish remover - another household item for most ladies.  Apply the nail polish remover to a cotton ball and wipe the affected area
• Heavy duty hand soap.  If your husband has some mechanics soap around the house to remove grease stains from his hands, you will find that a product such as Orange Goop will work as well.  Most of these products have little exfoliater balls in the soap that aid in exfoliating the area.  
• Pumice bar - use a pumice bar such as Mr. Pumice.  You can use it wet or dry but a dry pumice bar may work better for our purpose but be careful because it could irritate your skin if you rub too hard.

Streaks on your face

This can be a shocker when you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror!  Whether you tend to drool in your sleep or you slept with your hand on your forehead, a streak on your face will tend to blend after your first rinse.  In the event the spray tan doesn't blend, we recommend using some self tanner to blend in the light spots with the darker spots.  You can also purchase products such as Norvell Sunless Mist which will be perfect for touching up those troubled areas.  

Airbrush tan solution on your clothes

If you airbrush tan enough then this is bound to happen at some point.  The key is to never wear your expensive or dressy clothes immediately after your spray tan.  Opt for loose fitting, dark colored clothes that have little value.  You always want to weight until the airbrush tan has dried before putting your clothes back on.  If you do find that your airbrush tan has rubbed off onto your clothes then you will want to hand wash them immediately with soap and warm water in an attempt to remove the stain.  Then you can put them in your washing machine for a proper wash.  Most likely the stain will come out if treated immediately but always remember to wear clothes that you wouldn't mind getting dirty.