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FAQ's Tanning

A self tan product will last on your skin for approximately 7+ days once you’ve applied. You apply it to the skin, let it develop for a few hours and then rinse it off – it will then last for 7+ days.

Gradual tanning products combine a smaller amount of tanning actives than a regular self tan product with a daily moisturizing formula so that it builds gradually with each use. You can use a gradual tan product to gradually build up a tan from scratch, or you can use it top up your self tan application through the week for a longer-lasting tan.

All products across our brands are PETA-certified vegan friendly and cruelty free.

Each of our products are free of parabens, palm oil, mineral oil & sulfates. Our tanning actives (DHA) are 100% naturally derived from sugar cane. We use some of nature’s most lavish oils, antioxidant-rich botanicals and naturally derived multivitamins to give your skin a deep therapy experience while you tan

If you visit our site, you can check out all our ingredients that go in our products. Click on the product you are looking for and then ingredients. Each individual product has different ingredients so make sure to check out each one you’re interested in. Ingredients are also displayed on the labels of our products.

Please note that we recommend that anyone who has allergies/particular sensitivities to certain products should always carry out a small patch test before using all over the body to check out the skin reacts.

Although there are no known dangers of using tanning products, they can sometimes cause an allergic reaction, particularly during pregnancy when hormone levels are high and skin becomes more sensitive.

As with all tanning treatments, it is recommended that a patch test is undertaken at least 24 hours before a tanning treatment and that this is of paramount importance for pregnant women. 

For anyone with a pre-existing condition or existing health concern, we do advise our pregnant clients to consult their Doctor prior to starting a tanning regime.

You’ll get approximately 30-35 applications per dropper bottle depending on how much you use each time.

You’ll get approximately 10-15 applications from a bottle of self tan depending on how much you use per application.

Our products make you look fabulous in the sunshine, but that’s all. There is no sun protection when using our products meaning you can still gain natural colour from the sun and you can also still burn in the sun. So it’s very important that you still use a sun protection product with sufficient levels of SPF when exposing your skin to the sun.

We recommend using a moisturizer beforehand or straight after rinsing to help ease the effect on your skin.

We don’t disclose the actual DHA % for each formula as we find that there are a number of factors which contribute to the colour result more than just the DHA %. Two products with the same DHA will not necessarily have the same colour result. We use a range of different ingredients and colour bases which will change the end-results on different skin types. 

1 hour for a natural, lighter tan; 2 hours for a medium tan; 3+ for darker results the longer it is left on the result.

The main active tanning ingredient used in our formulations is Dihydroxyacetone (also known as DHA), which is derived from plant sources. All our products use a 100% natural DHA delivered from sugar cane, this is combined with a unique blend of skin loving ingredients (including Vitamin A,C and E) that protect and hydrate the skin whilst providing a natural looking tan.

The DHA reacts chemically with the amino acids found in the upper epidermis (top layer) of the skin producing different tones of coloration from yellow to brown. Each person has a different level of amino acids which is why we all naturally tan slightly differently in the sun. In the same way, every self tan result is individual to you and tailors to your individual skin tone. Our 100% natural DHA self tan products should be left to develop on the skin between 1-8 hours for optimum results.

Gradual tanning products combine a smaller amount DHA than a regular self tan product with a daily moisturizing formula so that it builds gradually with each use. You can use a gradual tan product to gradually build up a tan from scratch, or you can use it to top up your self tan application through the week for a longer-lasting tan.

If the mousse comes out of the pump bright green, you should not apply it to your skin as it means it has oxidized either because it’s old or was not stored correctly.

If it wasn’t bright green and just an ashy/grey colour, it may be just due to the colour base/mixed base we use in our products to counteract orange tones. If you’d like to send a photo of the solution/foam so we can check – please pump the mousse onto a white tissue (or spray/pour a small amount of solution) so we can see the colour and email to contact@bondibodz.com with your order number.

If it’s a new product and purchased from a store, we recommend taking it back for an exchange or refund or if you purchased from our website, please email your order number and complaint to contact@bondibodz.com so the customer service team may assist you.

If it is not a new product and has gone green after you have had it for a while, it is likely that it was stored incorrectly or got old. In an effort to keep our products as clean as possible, our products last approximately 6-12 months after first use and we recommend you store in a cool, dry place (i.e. not your bathroom)!

If it wasn’t green when pumped out and turned green after tan development, it’s likely that it has reacted to something on your skin at the time – whether it be sweat, deodorant etc. please ensure your skin is totally clear of any products at the time of tanning and ensure you only rinse your tan off with water and no soaps/washes etc.

You can use a gradual tan product to gradually build up a tan from scratch, or you can use it top up your self tan application through the week for a longer-lasting tan.

If a tan is fresh or you only just applied, it will be harder to get instant removal results as the tanning actives have worked with the deeper skin cells to create the colour. So each step below may take a few tries to really lessen the colour depending on how fresh your tan is.

A product like our Tan Eraser removes traces of nasty self tan build-up so you can start afresh with a new self tan! All you have to do is:

  • Apply the erasing foam to clean, dry skin in circular motions
  • Wait 5 minutes
  • Wash off in warm water, using a wash cloth to remove the self tan build up

Bathe or shower in warm water and use a product for exfoliating instead of using a regular soap. Exfoliation tends to scrub off the dead skin cells, which have been dyed by the spray tan solution – so it’s great if you have tacky build-up in particular places.

Exfoliate with the help of scrubs, sponges, and exfoliation mitts, which are all easily found in beauty stores if you don’t already have these on hand. Make sure you don’t use a scrub which makes your skin oily and do not over-scrub so that your skin does not become irritated because that will make your next tan just as bad.

Please note that the Tan Eraser is best used on a tan that is a few days old – not as soon as you’ve applied.

For the best results, we recommend applying a good amount all over your body and leaving it on a minimum of 5 minutes (but you can definitely leave longer especially if your tan is still quite prevalent). Then you pop in the shower and clean your body with a wash cloth or exfoliating mitt to help rub the eraser and tan off as much as you can.

You may notice sometimes you get black dots or build up in your pores when you tan. This is caused by the cosmetic guide colours in the tanning product sitting in your pores.

Here are a couple of recommendations we can make to stop the product from getting stuck in your pores:

  • Make sure to shave and exfoliate beforehand
  • Before you hop out of the shower, rinse in cool water to help close the pores before applying your self tan
  • Wait an hour after showering to apply self tan to allow pores to close full
  • You may want to try a tan that doesn’t have any bronzers in it

Once your skin is prepared & ready to tan, you apply the tan all over with the mitt in circular motions. You then leave it on your skin for 1-8 hours depending on how dark you’d like to go (the longer you leave it on, the darker it will go) and rinse it off in a lukewarm 45 second shower. The tan will then continue to deepen over the next 12-24 hours.

We recommend following out before and after tanning tips for the best results.

Sounds like your skin may not be absorbing the product deep enough or maybe your skin cells regenerate at a faster rate causing you to lose your tan faster. Some tips:

  • You’re either not exfoliating enough beforehand – meaning your skin cells are shedding too soon after tan application. On the other side though, you may actually be exfoliating too much and making it hard for the product to attach to any healthy skin cells and get in deep enough.
  • You may have something on your skin at the time of tanning creating a barrier which means the tan can’t absorb properly. Please ensure your skin has absolutely no products on at the time of tanning.
  • Make sure you only shower quickly for 45 secs, with lukewarm water. The brown bronzers will wash away, while the fast tan actives continue to work and deepen. DO NOT USE USE HOT WATER. It stops the development of tan actives during the development time, meaning the tanning actives won’t last longer.
  • Please also note that some tanners experience over-development if they double coat and sleep in it which may mean your skin stops absorbing the tanning actives due to a lot being on your skin at a time.

You can leave it on longer than 3 hours or sleep in it if you choose. We don’t recommend any longer than 8 hours as overdevelopment may occur (causing discoloration). As long as you make sure the tan is dry and you don’t wear tight clothes or sweat too much while it’s on, it will be fine and just continue to get darker the longer you leave it on.

Each application will last approximately 7+ days as long as you follow all prep, application & rinse tips. We then recommend moisturizing daily afterwards to keep your skin hydrated for a longer lasting, even fading tan.

We’d recommend reapplying around every 7 days with a self tan foam or mousse but daily with a gradual tan foam if that’s how you keep the colour up!

To prevent a streaky tan, you need to ensure the following:

  • Your skin is well exfoliated before tanning
  • Your skin has no other products on your skin at the time of tanning, unless you put a light layer of lotion over any particular dry spots that catch too much tan (if you have particularly dry skin that sheds skin cells quite a lot, you may be better to use one of our hydrating tans!)
  • Make sure you’ve applied in circular motions all over your body ensuring it is well blended with a tan applicator mitt
  • During development, before you have rinsed, ensure you’re only wearing super light clothing that won’t rub against the tan or cause you to sweat through the tan
  • When you rinse off, make sure you only rinse in a lukewarm 45 shower with NO soaps and washes. You should take care to ensure that ALL of the cosmetic bronzers and guide color comes off though – the water should run clear off your whole body

Our biggest tip is that tan loves hydrated, smooth skin, so ensure your skin is well exfoliated, hydrated and keep up your daily water intake and moisturizing.

To prevent a streaky tan, you need to ensure the following:

  • Your skin is well exfoliated before tanning
  • Your skin has no other products on your skin at the time of tanning, unless you put a light layer of lotion over any particular dry spots that catch too much tan (if you have particularly dry skin that sheds skin cells quite a lot, you may be better to use one of our hydrating tans!)
  • Make sure you’ve applied in circular motions all over your body ensuring it is well blended with a tan applicator mitt
  • During development, before you have rinsed, ensure you’re only wearing super light clothing that won’t rub against the tan or cause you to sweat through the tan
  • When you rinse off, make sure you only rinse in a lukewarm 45 shower with NO soaps and washes. You should take care to ensure that ALL of the cosmetic bronzers and guide color comes off though – the water should run clear off your whole body

Our biggest tip is that tan loves hydrated, smooth skin, so ensure your skin is well exfoliated, hydrated and keep up your daily water intake and moisturizing.

Our gradual tanning products do not need to be washed off. For all other products, 1 hour for a natural, lighter result; 2 hours for a medium result and 3+ hours for darker results the longer it is left on.

It is advisable to allow 4 hours development of your tan before swimming and ensure you have rinsed in a lukewarm 45 second shower. Once your tan has developed you can swim, however swimming will strip your skin of essential oils and cause your tan to fade faster than usual. Using a gradual tan moisturizer after swimming will help to top up the colour of your tan while restoring some of those essential oils in your skin for a longer-lasting tan.

There are multiple ways to achieve the ultimate in dark tanning results. Read the below techniques and decide which one will best suit you, or your environment. When wanting the darkest tan possible for your skin, one basic rule exists with all three options, leave your tan on for 4 hours or longer before showering.

Products: Try Bondi Bodz Choc Coconut or Decadently Dark Tanning Mousse

To achieve an ultra dark look, 2 light/medium applications is best rather than applying one heavy application. Especially on lighter skin types, this process will be much more effective than applying heavy coats of tan, as the first coat you apply is creating an initial base tan, and then the second application will allow for any extra product absorption in the skin to occur. One heavy application can cause a product to run or move from the desired area prior to drying and can result in an inconsistent finish. Double coats applied in this fashion also allow you to layer multiple products, for example creating a base tan with your first product choice and a top coat with your second product choice allows you to cross categories and get multiple product benefits in one double coat tanning application, such as using  our dark tanning Mousse (Decadently Dark) and then a hydrating tan (Choc Coconut) on top.

For darkest results, leave the tan on your skin to develop for 4+ hours but no longer than 8. Rinse in a lukewarm 45 second shower with no soaps. From here your tan will continue to deepen over the next 12-24 hours.

A tan can help to reduce the appearance of all the above. While it will not provide full coverage it will help reduce prominent areas of concern by evening out your overall skin tone.

All our products use varying colour bases. Ultimately, the bases in our tans should work with your skin to provide its ultimate colour. In rare circumstances the bases may leave a colour guide on your skin which is more than likely what you are currently experiencing.

The Fix: Return back to a warm water shower and using a soft sponge or facial washer, massage the affected areas. In most cases you will find that the colour guide is simply stuck to your skin and the tan has still developed underneath.

As we already know according to the directions, no rubbing of the skin or use of soap is recommended for the first shower. However, by gently smoothing over the skin with your hands, this can help even out/assist with the runoff of the excess tanning solution and bronzers.

We also recommend that after your first shower you can lightly apply a moisturizer all over to help lift any remaining bronzers on the skin.

This can occur for a number of reasons; however the most common is that when you have your first shower, it needs to be no warmer than lukewarm.  

DHA is heat sensitive, and if your shower is too hot, it will essentially stop the DHA from activating.  Although the majority of tans are 1 hour, they are not fully developed at that 1 hour point.  The DHA will still continue to activate and get darker over the next few hours after your first shower.  If the DHA stops activating at an early point, you will end up with very little to no colour. 

You should also ensure that your skin has nothing on it at the time of tanning that may act as a barrier to your skin absorbing the tan (e.g. thick lotions or moisturizers).

Apply a light layer of moisturizer to your hands and feet prior to applying your tan to avoid too much product clinging to these extra dry areas. When applying your tanning product only blend the excess product onto your hands and feet for a more natural finish.

Our tans will not go orange as each of our products contain a formula that specifically counteracts orange undertones.

In this unusual circumstance the product could have turned orange either because you’ve used too much on your skin (overdevelopment of DHA can cause an orange hue) or you should opt for a colour base suited more to your skin tone that will counteract yellow/orange undertones such our violet based tanning.

Additionally, you may find that some particular areas look more orange than others, such as your hands, elbows, knees or feet. This is because the skin on these areas is quite different to the rest of the body and will absorb a lot more than other parts as they tend to be drier/thicker skin when tanning products tend to build up causing the over development/orange hue. To avoid this, while preparing to tan, use a moisture-rich lotion on these areas to create a slight barrier so less product builds up and blends in with the moisturiser. You should also only use a minimal amount on these areas, taking care to blend in well.

If you’ve tanned and you’re looking orange, you can lessen this colour by using a Tan Eraser to ease the strength in the colour either over your whole body or on the particular areas as above. You can also exfoliate these areas which will lessen the colour each time.

What you are seeing rinse off are the guide colours. They are only cosmetic bronzers so you can see where you’re applying and have no impact on your end result once you rinse off the colours for development – tanning actives are actually clear & working underneath those guide colours!

Some of our products may look slightly grey in their bronzer colours due to the mixed colour base we use in some products that works to counteract unwanted orange, yellow undertones. You will find that it will subside once it settles with your skin.

Please note: We always recommend carrying out a patch test 24 hours prior to use. If you experience an allergic reaction to your patch test please discontinue use and email our Customer Service Team.

You can also find detailed ingredients listings for each product on our online store.

While we strive to enrich our products with skin loving and naturally derived ingredients, different skin types and conditions may react differently to our products.

If you experienced an allergic reaction, please send a detailed description of what occurred along with the pictures to contact@bondibodz.com to help us find an appropriate solution.

Issues must be reported within 7 days of receipt of item. In certain instances, a medical certificate may be requested to identify if it is the product that caused the allergic reactions.

Each application will last approximately 7+ days as long as you follow all prep, application & rinse tips. We then recommend moisturizing daily afterwards to keep your skin hydrated for a longer lasting, even fading tan.

To ensure the longest lasting tan, we recommend following these before & after tan tips:

  • Exfoliate and moisturize 24 hours before you apply your Bondi Bodz tan, paying particular attention to elbows, knees, ankles and problem dry areas.
  • Wax or shave at least 48 hours prior to treatment. This allows the pores time to close. Dotting in pores may appear if not adhered to.
  • For the entire 24 hours before you apply your Bondi Bodz tan avoid using bar soaps, high pH shower products, oil based products or in-shower moisturizers. These products may act as a barrier against your skin and can prevent the fast acting tanning agents to develop.
  • Before applying your Bondi Bodz tan, make sure your skin is clean and dry. Keep in mind that too much moisture causes tanning product to slide right off the skin. Don’t apply moisturizing lotion except in light amounts on your knees and elbows — the areas where tanner generally absorbs too much. This helps stop these areas from getting too dark.
  • Don’t apply moisturizer, perfume, deodorant or makeup on the day of application.
  • After an hour (or longer – if you choose), shower quickly for 45 secs, with lukewarm water. The brown bronzers will wash away, while the fast tan actives continue to work and deepen. DO NOT USE USE HOT WATER. It stops the development of tan actives during the development time. Use plain water, don’t use shower gels, scrubs, shampoos or loofah during the first 24 hours after your treatment.
  • Pat your skin dry. Do not rub or scrub your skin.
  • Moisturize every day after applying your Bondi Bodz tan. Use a gradual tan product so the tan is continually being topped up and your tan lasts longer.
  • After day 5, exfoliate with a soft body polish on a daily basis, to help your skin absorb even more moisturizer and keep it looking and feeling gorgeous. This also helps the tan fade naturally, rather than in patches

Each application will last approximately 7+ days as long as you follow all prep, application & rinse tips. We then recommend moisturizing daily afterwards to keep your skin hydrated for a longer lasting, even fading tan.

We’d recommend reapplying around every 7 days with a Bondi Bodz tanning foam or mousse but daily with a gradual tan foam if that’s how you keep the colour up!

Our products make you look fabulous in the sunshine, but that’s all. There is no sun protection when using our products meaning you can still gain natural colour from the sun and you can also still burn in the sun. So it’s very important that you still use a sun protection product with sufficient levels of SPF when exposing your skin to the sun.

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