Tampa Bay Tan has a very popular tinted Sunless tanning Mousse product. This is an often reordered item, both with home users, and as a Salon retail item. As a long time sunless product user (all formats), I just thought I would provide a few tips to help users get the most from this product type.
Self-tanning Mousse can be used both to create a sunless tan from scratch on pale untanned skin, or to refresh or help maintain a faded sunless spraytan between salon visits or while on vacation.
The light mousse formula drys very quickly allowing very quick dressing, with minimal stickiness. The bronzer is light to medium in color depth, to minimize the “muddy” look from very dark bronzers colorants on the skin surface. This allows a more natural look while tan is developing for public wear, and minimizes visible rub off onto clothing.
The TBT product is lightly moisturizing to minimize the drying effect common with many retail mousse products.
When a mousse is used as your only sunless product, you would apply more product, then the amount needed to refresh or rebuild already applied color. Amount will vary depending on color depth desired and client skin tone. Plan on 2-3 coats or so, back to back application. This would be a heavy coat to build color on untanned skin. Then reapply a thin coat every few days, or as needed, to maintain color. Exfoliating about once a week roughly, and starting over, with a fresh tan. (depending on the timing that works best with your skin needs)
For rebuilding of an already applied spray on tan, use one or two coats. You can reapply a light thin product coat every few days to maintain color as needed. This can help maintain a richer color between your regular spray tanning sessions. This will not normally totally replace your spray tan sessions, but can extend the timing a bit. You will still need to exfoliate regularly, about once a week roughly, depending on your skin, and starting over with a fresh spray on tan.
Apply product lightly to hands and feet. I personally always like to pre-moisturize hands and feet and dry areas (elbows and knees) with a rich lotion product, before applying any sunless product. Mousse can be easily applied to hands and feet with a Large fluffy dense make-up brush (a Kabuki type works well) or a small cosmetic sponge or pad. Pre wet pad, and wring out to make it flexible, and allow smoother application. You may purchase some applicator options here on this product page.
Mousse can be applied to the entire body with gloved hands, or using an applicator pad or mitt. (prewet and wring out) I personally like a pad or mitt, as the final application is smoother and more even, and the bronzer on the skin surface looks more even and flawless. This would matter if you will be wearing the freshly applied tan out in public during development. But applicators are purely a personal preference.
Plan on 1-2 coats, in most cases (or more) to provide even coverage and prevent streaking from missed areas. When using a mousse for the first time, apply 2 coats the first time. Check in the mirror for streaks o missed areas. Shower at prescribed time frame per your product manufacters directions, and check color again the next days, and add additional coats after 24 hours, if needed to darken color.
Mousse should be applied more on the liberal side to minimize streaks, and provide good even coverage. Applying to thin a coat, or to lightly, will create less color, and increase chances of streaking. Applying more then one coat/layer will help minimize this.
When applying sunless mousse product to the back, use a Back brush or back cleansing tool sold for scrubbing the back. Look for one with a brush or pad on a long handle. Affix a thick sock (yes the kind used to cover feet) to the brush area. Wrap with a twist tie or rubber band to hold firmly in place. Place a large liberal puff of mousse to the sock covered pad/brush and smear onto back. Be careful not to drop the mousse off of the brush while using, as it can fall of easily. Use two coats of product , and overlap. Blend around body sides, so finish is seamless on all sides.
Can I use the Mousse Bottle to apply my sunless tanning solution?
The mousse has specialized ingredients to help it foam correctly. The mousse effect is a combination of the bottle style AND these added ingredients. As such, pouring spray tan solution into an empty mousse bottle, will not create a solid dense foam. It will foam, but will be more runny, and hard to apply. However, if you leave about 2 ounces of mousse inside your mousse bottle, and then add about 4 ounces of the spray solution to the bottle, this will leave enough of the foaming additive in the product to produce better foaming action. It will still not be as dense as the 100% mousse product, but it will often be enough to allow convenient application. This works well if you like to alternate with a sunless product, but want the mousse convenience.