It's a hard life, isn't it? We've all been there: getting ready to spray tan the night before an important event, only to devastatingly discover that we haven't exfoliated, shaved or showered for a few days.
Sometimes we think it'll be okay, until our tired skin turns into tiger bread and our leg hairs are stained bright orange.
Sadly for us, it seems we won't be able to get away with it for much longer. A number of tan technicians have taken to TikTok in order to call us out. Taylah Elliott, a beauty salon owner from Australia, was one of them.
Set to Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake, the video showed Taylah priming herself for a spray tan. She dons a mischievous look on her face as she promises she "didn't wear deodorant today".
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Her caption came with a warning, reading "do not wear deodorant or body lotion [before a spray tan]. You'll go green".
The creator then clarified in the comments that applying moisturiser before a tan is "totally fine."
In order to get a definitive answer, we asked Dermatology Specialist Mehmet Göker of The Vera Clinic why it's always important to thoroughly clean your body before applying your fave fake tan.
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"If you turn up for your spray tan appointment without following the correct prep, you could end up with green armpits," he says.
But what exactly does deep-cleaning involve? According to Mehmet: "You should cleanse your body of all other cosmetics. These include makeup, body lotions, creams, perfumes and deodorants".
He continued: "The chemicals in deodorant could interact with the tanning agents and cause it to discolour as it develops".
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Experts stress that this advice is really important for perfecting that sun-kissed spray tan.
So, next time you feel like applying your third layer of un-exfoliated tan, think green!
Featured Image Credit: Credit: Pexels/Karolina Grabowska