Lets Talk About Bronzers & DHA

Lets Talk About Bronzers & DHA

Let's talk about bronzers. The fact about them is that they stain the skin until your first rinse. Back when I started back in 2005, all the bronzers were a reddish brown. There were no violet or green base solutions until like 2009 in the USA. Everyone found that a spray tan application brought out clients' red undertones which is why the violet and green were created, to counteract the pink, red, etc. Color Theory (according to Vibha Makwana from AYU Sunless) works with makeup foundation, lipstick, and even clothes. In makeup, the bronzers that are used in that are different in the colors we use in spray tan solutions. Spray tan solutions use FD&C and D&C which are water-soluble colors. Those don't stain the skin, they rinse off. When it comes to spray tanning clients it's not about what color you should use on your client, it is about what DHA percentage you should use on them. Keep in mind that when we tan outside under the sun, the color we get is exactly the color we get from a spray tan. (ex: if you get a golden brown tan from laying out in the sun, you are going to get the same golden brown from a spray tan) Why? It is the DHA that leaves us with the final color. In my honest opinion, why spray your clients with a solution that looks different on them while being applied and then later they notice that the color is different after the first rinse? This is why I stick with the universal sunless solutions at all times because it never misleads a client. In the past, I've tried a violet-infused solution on myself and a client. The color looked pretty and brown but after being rinsed off, it was different. #Facts......DHA plays a huge role on what our tan is going to look like because DHA works with the chemistry of our skin tones and undertones not the violets, greens, etc. and that goes with the color drops too, those rinse off. In many Facebook forums, you always see posts about people saying what color should I use on my client, you don't see posts about people saying what DHA percentage shall I use on my client (Which is more of what should be said) DHA comes in strengths from 5% (the lightest) to 15% (pretty dark) With these percentages, you want to go by the skin type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 with skin type 1 having a lowest DHA percentage. Think about it, you have a client that is a skin type 1 and has very little pigment. It would be foolish to use a 10% DHA on her because that would make her look unnatural. Would you use a dark makeup foundation on your very pale light face? Most likely not. In conclusion, always remember, it's the DHA that gives us the tan, not the bronzers. It's about using the right DHA percentage on your client, not color. Trust me......I've tanned myself with many different brands of sunless solutions out there and after I rinse off and the tan is developed, I always get the same shade which is a golden brown.