Humidity plays a crucial role in the lifespan of a spray tan, and understanding how it works can help you provide better service and results for your clients. In this article, we’ll debunk some common myths and explain why lower humidity can lead to quicker fading of spray tans.
The Role of Humidity in Skin Moisture
Humidity levels directly affect how much moisture your skin retains. When the air is dry, it pulls moisture from your skin faster. This rapid loss of hydration can cause a spray tan to fade more quickly. In low humidity environments, the moisture that would typically be pulled from your skin over a 24 period can be lost in just 4 hours, similar to the conditions experienced on an airplane, and why it is always recommended to moisturise at every 4 hour mark when traveling on a long-haul flight.
How Low Humidity Draws Moisture from the Skin
Low humidity environments accelerate the evaporation of moisture from the skin through a process known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The skin naturally loses water to the surrounding environment, but when the air is dry, this process speeds up significantly.
In a low humidity setting, the lack of moisture in the air creates a gradient where water molecules move from an area of higher concentration (your skin) to an area of lower concentration (the air). This imbalance causes your skin to lose moisture at a faster rate, leading to dehydration.
Effects of Low Humidity on the Skin
Dehydration: The skin becomes dehydrated, leading to a tight, dry, and sometimes flaky feeling. This dehydration weakens the skin’s barrier function, making it less effective at protecting against external aggressors.
Reduced Skin Elasticity: Dehydrated skin loses its elasticity and can become more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. This lack of elasticity also means the skin doesn’t recover as quickly from stretching or pressure, contributing to an uneven surface.
Compromised Skin Barrier: The outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, acts as a barrier to protect against environmental damage and prevent water loss. In low humidity, this barrier can become compromised, leading to increased transepidermal water loss and a higher susceptibility to irritants and allergens.
Patchy and Uneven Tan: For those with a spray tan, these effects mean the tan can wear off unevenly. The dry patches of skin will shed more quickly, causing the tan to appear patchy and uneven. Additionally, the weakened skin barrier may not hold the tanning solution as effectively, leading to a shorter lifespan of the tan.
The Myth of Climate-Specific Spray Tan Solutions
In many spray tan groups, there’s a prevalent belief that alcohol-based solutions are better suited for hot climates, while aloe-based solutions are more suitable for cooler climates. However, this misconception overlooks a crucial factor: humidity.
Spray tan solutions should not simply be categorised as alcohol-based versus aloe-based. There can be solutions that contain both ingredients. Instead, they should be categorised as containing alcohol or being alcohol-free, rather than alcohol-based versus aloe-based.
Using alcohol in spray tan solutions is an old-school formulation method. Alcohol was originally used to help the solution dry quickly on the skin, back when thicker layers needed to be applied to achieve good results so the alcohol helped the thicker solution dry on the skin quicker. However, modern formulations have more refined DHA, allowing for lighter application layers. As a result, spray tan solutions no longer need high amounts of alcohol to aid in drying. Alcohol-free solutions can now dry just as quickly on the skin and won’t feel sticky. Therefore, if a solution contains a significant amount of alcohol, it is likely an older formulation.
This is important because high alcohol content in a formulation, combined with low humidity, is detrimental to a spray tan. Let’s explore why this happens.
Why Humidity Matters More Than Temperature
Humidity levels, rather than temperature, play a more significant role in the longevity of a spray tan. In low humidity environments, the air draws moisture from the skin more quickly, causing the tan to fade faster. This effect can happen in both hot and cold climates, depending on the humidity level.
Hot, Dry Climates: In areas with high temperatures and low humidity (e.g., deserts), alcohol-based solutions can exacerbate skin dryness, leading to faster fading and uneven wear-off.
Cool, Dry Climates: Similarly, in cooler climates with low humidity (e.g., winter months in certain regions), the drying effect of alcohol-based solutions can also result in a shorter-lasting tan.
In both scenarios, it’s not the temperature but the lack of humidity that accelerates skin drying and affects the longevity of the tan.
Sweating and Humidity
There is also a common misconception that the hotter a place is, the more you sweat. While temperature does play a role in sweating, humidity is a more significant factor. In high humidity environments, the air is already saturated with moisture, making it harder for sweat to evaporate. This reduces the cooling effect of evaporating sweat, making our bodies feel hotter and causing us to continue sweating.
Conversely, in low humidity environments, sweat evaporates more quickly, which can lead to faster dehydration of the skin and a quicker fading of the spray tan. Therefore, it’s not just the heat that causes sweating, but the combination of heat and humidity.
The Drying Effect of Low Humidity
Using a solution with high alcohol content in a low humidity environment can significantly reduce the longevity of a spray tan. Alcohol accelerates the evaporation of moisture from the skin, exacerbating the drying effect caused by the already low humidity. This combination can lead to faster fading of the tan, drier skin overall, and more uneven and patchy wear-off.
Tips for Maintaining Spray Tans in Low Humidity
Hydrate the Skin: Use a good moisturiser regularly to keep the skin hydrated. Look for products with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin that support the skin’s moisture barrier without promoting rapid cell turnoverAvoid Products Containing Alcohol/Ethanol: Opt for spray tan aftercare products that do not contain alcohol to prevent additional drying of the skin.Use Humidifiers: If you’re in a particularly dry environment, using a humidifier can help maintain moisture levels in the air and the skin.
Conclusion: The Versatility of Alcohol-Free Spray Tan Solutions
In conclusion, opting for alcohol-free spray tan solutions is a better choice for both spray tanners and their clients. These solutions are more versatile and adaptable, providing excellent results in all environments—whether hot, cool, high humidity, or low humidity. Additionally, alcohol-free solutions or those that contain aloe vera don’t always mean they will be sticky, feel heavy on the skin, or take longer to dry. There are great solution brands out there, like the Colour Me Bronze Professional solutions, that are true alcohol/ethanol-free products, dry quickly on the skin, but don’t dry out the skin and are full of moisturising and hydrating ingredients. These types of solutions are better choices than those containing a high level of alcohol as they can be used in any climate and at any temperature. By understanding how humidity affects spray tans and taking steps to combat its drying effects, you can ensure longer-lasting, beautiful results for your clients no matter where they are.
Stay tuned for more myth-busting insights and tips to keep your clients’ tans looking flawless!
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