Stripy, Streaked Spraytans? Here are the most common causes and prevention.
Streaks during Spraytan application:
Missed over laps:
If the steaks appear during or immediately after application when you do a final visual inspection on your client, make sure your are correctly overlapping the spray pattern edges while you are applying the solution. If the streaks are fairly uniform, and appear to follow a pattern similar to your application stroke pattern, this indicates the issue is application related.
You should be doing side to side passes per each spray stroke, slightly overlapping the edges of each stroke to prevent white or missed areas. Doing two coats of 1 ounce each, rather then one coat of 2 ounces, can help prevent missed areas of coverage. This allows you to slightly adjust where your second coat applies to help minimize missed areas.
Make sure you have bright lighting available during application, and during the inspection phase to be able to correctly view any missed areas. It may help to have the client step out of the tent onto a towel covered floor area, where lighting may be better, allowing better inspection.
THE FIX: If you see a missed section, just do a quick light respray over that area, as needed, before powdering the skin.
Regularly inspect your equipment. Make sure all equipment is correctly cleaned and adjusted, before your clients steps into your spray room. Keep equipment clean of clogs and debris, and set your spray gun, so your solution flows and sprays out correctly.
Drips or runs while spraying:
TECHNIQUE: Check your technique. Make sure you are moving quickly, not holding the gun in one place to long, spraying wet solution onto a wet sprayed area. Move your arm faster in longer sweeping motions, with slight overlaps on the sides of your spray pattern edges. Do not spray back and forth repeatedly over the same wet area. Apply product in two thin coats of one ounce each, rather then one thick coat of two ounces. With MaxiMist Equipment, correctly adjusted, It should only take about 5 minutes to apply two coats, if you are taking much longer, you need to practice to increase your speed.
Pulling your gun farther away from the client will also lessen drips and runs, but you will also apply less product. This will cause less coverage, and more bounce off and over spray in the room. You will also need to use more solution for the same amount of skin coverage.
EQUIPMENT ADJUSTMENTS: Make sure to you have your flow control adjusted correctly, not set to wide, or to heavily for the solution your are using. Fine tune your gun settings for a slightly less coverage. If you have an Air flow setting on your machine separate from the spray gun, you may need to dial this setting down as well. Easy Gun adjustment help is HERE
THE FIX: Any drips or runs seen during application can be easily blotted up with a soft cloth, sponge or pad, then light respray the area.
CLIENT SKIN ISSUES: The client may have very oily skin, or may have product reside on the skin preventing penetration of the solution. Use of a prep spray can help clean up excess oil, or product residue, if it is not to thick.
THE FIX: Clean the skin and respray as needed. Coach client on correct technique for skin prep, if needed. Use prep spray pretan on clients with oily skin, or in humid locations, or on all clients as part of your Tanning Application.
Streaks or Stripes AFTER tan development:
Not showering off the Bronzer fully
(See image left.) This client showered and is understandably upset because of the streaky effect on her tan. The technician confirmed, this did not look like this when the client left the spray facility.
This is actually just streaks on the cosmetic bronzer layer.
It happens when the clients rinses the skin, but they did not actually use any cleanser or sponge on the area. So, though they did rinse, the shower was not able to remove all the bronzer on the skin surface. This is common with a very dark bronzer product, or a client with very porous skin.
THE FIX: Advise client to shower again, and use a soft cloth or sponge, or soft net poof ball cleaning tool, and fully clean all area with mild cleaner. This will remove the bronzer on the skin surface, and the streaks will disappear.
Uneven exfoliation:
Depending on how the client exfoliates, they can leave uneven patches or streaks and stripes up and down the body. This may not be apparent until after the tan develops and the client showers. This is common if the client uses a Loofa or soft washcloth for exfoliation, as it can be very soft, and not push against the skin enough to exfoliate well. They may also have lotion or soap residue on the skin, that they are not fully removing during their shower and exfoliation step. See this link of tips for EXFOLIATION.
THE FIX: Depending on the size of the area, and location, you may be able to cleanse skin with prep spray, and reapply solution by hand with a brush or respraying the body section. Or client may need to exfoliate correctly, and come back for a respray.
Stripes up and down the legs, vertically?
This is normally cause by razor drag on the skin surface (which exfoliated a layer of skin in that spot) and/or shave product residue left on the skin.
The streaks look like stripes up and down the legs, following the shave trail. The client should cleanse skin well after shaving to remove all shave product residue.
Client should exfoliate skin well pretan, to eliminate excess dead skin, which will minimize the amount of dead skin the razor peels away.
See this link on SHAVING, and this link on EXFOLIATION
THE FIX: Normally the entire leg will need to be lightly exfoliate and resprayed. I would recommend both legs be exfoliated and sprayed, so the both develop with matching darkness/ tan depth.
Something dripped or splashed on the skin during tan development:
More common on arms or wrists, from water drips from hand washing. But can occur in any body area. Water was splashed or ran down the skin, leaving a white streak or line. Can also occur from sweating or rain.
THE FIX: the area, lightly rub the area with a rough washcloth or exfoliating mitt to buff out the edges a bit so the contrast lines are less distinct. Then reapply solution to that area by patting into place with a solution dampened pad, or large make up brush. blending out the edges.