Tan too dark... distraught client!

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jb78

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
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Location
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Hi,

One of my staff did a spray tan yesterday for a client who siad she had had many tans before (with other salons). She was very pale skinned, although a brunette and said she never has any problems. I advised that she only have an 8% (LA Tan) as she really was very pale.

She argued that wanted a dark tan and was wanting a 12%, we kept saying it would be far too dark, but she kept going on and so in the end, my staff member compromised and did her a 10%.

Well, next thing I know, I was being called into the tan room, the client was in tears as she was black - I mean seriously dark, infact i have never ever seen a tan in 18 months go so dark!! My girl is very compitent and this has never happened before and she insists she only did one coat despite the fact the girl kept asking for two coats - she was obsessed with being very dark (I believe my staff member as why would she not do just one coat, she's a good tanner).

I actually for once was lost for words. I obviously didn't charge the client as she was so upset and also paid for a taxi home for her as she was refusing to walk down the street as it looked so bad.

The advice I gave was to get home and get straight in the shower to get it off - was that the right advice to give? I have never had this situation before and was actually not sure what to do - I've been doing tans for about 18 months. Can anyone advise what else i could have suggested or should have done there and then - I seriosuly hope this never happens again, but realise now, I didn't actually know what to do (even though I remained very calm and assured her it would wash off - that was more of a hope and prayer on my part!!) Thanks, x
 
Oh dear, Im sure if she washed it straight off then it would b fine...

Are you sure the therapist put the correct tan in the machine?

A 10% shouldnt look black even if she had done 2 coats xx
 
That is weird. I used 10% LA Tan the other day and it was just the normal brown. Maybe she had some kind of reaction. Was the tan in date and did she shake the bottle first? I'm no expert by far but i'm just trying to think of anything that could cause this. :-(
 
Aww big hugs! I dont use la tan, but if you ever come across this, in consultations to give removal advice as you're going through your precare to aftercare advice.

I personally havent had this happen to me.....yet! but i would of recommended the client have a shower, then apply oil over body for at least an hour and use a exfoilater + glove (microfibre cloths are good). The longer oil is present it will strip a tan, so leaving it on it sweaps downwards on the top layer of skin, allowing the tan to slide out. So even if they accidently touch thier palms this is a great quick fix.

Some people apply acidic remedies with fresh pinapple juices, which is also good. But oil is my favorite and easy one to recommend when you're fed up and want to remove! hths xoxo
 
Yep, she def put the 10% in - I know, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I can't explain how dark she looked - it looked like she had fancy dress paint on her body!!! Horrifed is an understatement! :sad:

It made me realise, I had no idea what to suggest there and then - if anything - other than get home and get in the shower... I've never had this happen before! x
 
I am still in the stage of practice tans and sprayed my mum about 2 weeks ago with LA tan 10% gold and she was really dark. Alot darker than I would expect from a 10 even after washing of colour guide. Luckily it was just my mum and she actually suited it. So I think it could possibly just be the solution I've not tried any of the other %'s that I have so can't be sure.
 
That is weird. I used 10% LA Tan the other day and it was just the normal brown. Maybe she had some kind of reaction. Was the tan in date and did she shake the bottle first? I'm no expert by far but i'm just trying to think of anything that could cause this. :-(

I know, it's so strange, we have used the 10% on lots of people and never ever had this. It's in date as a newish batch - I can't say for sure if my therapist shook the container first, but would that have caused this level of disaster if she hadn't?? Like I say, she's a good tanner and so I have every faith in her.

I just felt awful as I am the salon owner and suddenly realised I really didn't know what to do as never ever had this happen before - i had a client crying and my assistant almost in tears and all looking at me for the solution!!!! x
 
Aww big hugs! I dont use la tan, but if you ever come across this, in consultations to give removal advice as you're going through your precare to aftercare advice.

I personally havent had this happen to me.....yet! but i would of recommended the client have a shower, then apply oil over body for at least an hour and use a exfoilater + glove (microfibre cloths are good). The longer oil is present it will strip a tan, so leaving it on it sweaps downwards on the top layer of skin, allowing the tan to slide out. So even if they accidently touch thier palms this is a great quick fix.

Some people apply acidic remedies with fresh pinapple juices, which is also good. But oil is my favorite and easy one to recommend when you're fed up and want to remove! hths xoxo

Thank you for the oil tip - this will sound stupid now, but any oil in particular?? Given in this situation, the girl had to be ushered into a taxi straight to her house, so there would be no way I could have advised her to stop at a shop on the way home!! xx
 
First of all I would of explained that what she can see straight after aplication is only the guide make up and this bears no resemblance to what colour she will go when the tan develops, LA Tan has a very dark guide as it's double dipped and this can be misleading to clients if it's not explained and would be very dark if the therapist is using a lot of solution.

Secondly when she started arguing about what percent to have, I would have told her I was using a nice dark percent and then still chosen whatever shade I believe to be the best for her skin tone, even if that is an 8% (you can always go darker by respraying but it's very hard to lighten a fully developed tan if they decide it's too dark).

Personally I would not have advised her to wash it off when she got home but would have explained that the colour she chose will develop under the guide make up and will get darker as time goes on and the tan develops under the guide.
By full development time (usually 8 hours) it would be EXTREEMLY dark but the tan when the guide was washed off would be a lovely colour.
IF you were worried and regreted the fact she talked your therapist into using a higher a percent solution you could have advised her to wash off a few hours earlier than you normally advise for full development (say 5/6 hours) as this would result in the tan being lighter as the DHA wouldn't have the full development time on the skin.

If she was so distraught that she was tooo dark and really didn't like the way she looked and you too deemed her look to be unusually dark, then the only answer is to wash it off as quickly as possible and then there would be very little if any tan achieved as DHA needs to be on the skin for about an hour before there is any real change in skintone and then it is a very light subtle difference and not something she should be upset at if she was wanting a tan - I would also be wanting to quiz the client about what she had been using on her skin prior to the appiontment to see if there is something she needs to avoid before going for another tan.
 
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Thanks Baggybear, good advice. I think I seriously just paniced (inside, I'm quite good at acting totally confident and fine!!) as I have never seen anything like it. I can't explain how dark she actually went - I am med/olive skinned and she was ten times darker than I have ever gone!!
 
I tanned a client recently & totally panicked as she went sooo dark sooo quickly. It was for her 18th Birthday party & i was convinced I'd spoilt her birthday. She went really dark very quickly. I totally panicked as i'd never seen this before, so much so that i barely slept a wink that night & was watching the clock to find out if her tan was ok after showering. It turns out that her tan ended up paler than her sisters who didn't look half as dark as hers (i'd tanned her too). My clients occupation is a life guard & i can't help wondering if the chlorine had affected the appearance of the guide colour, although not the final outcome . x
 
I know, it's so strange, we have used the 10% on lots of people and never ever had this. It's in date as a newish batch - I can't say for sure if my therapist shook the container first, but would that have caused this level of disaster if she hadn't?? Like I say, she's a good tanner and so I have every faith in her.

I just felt awful as I am the salon owner and suddenly realised I really didn't know what to do as never ever had this happen before - i had a client crying and my assistant almost in tears and all looking at me for the solution!!!! x

I wouldn't imagine not shaking would cause that to happen. From reading what you did I think you did great in that situation especially as you were panicking and getting her a taxi was something you didn't have to do but done out of the goodness of your heart. Since you got her home so quickly and she showered its highly unlikely the DHA had time to develop so stop worrying and relax!! Just put it down as an experience and remember for the next time
 
As you know la 10 is double dipped which I am sure if this is your chosen brand you would have seen lots of people leave the salon. At the end of my spray tan session I always turn the dial right out and spray clean water through to clear the heads. then when I do my next tan I close back upthen turn dial back to 8 o'clock. Could there be the slightest chance that the dial could have been open more than a quarter turn therefore saturating the client? When I first started tanning I sprayed my cousin with la 12 and had accidentally left my nozzle wide open and the solution came out really really dark. I know its an obvious question but sometimes you just can't see for looking. Did she spray anyone before that client? Or spray anyone after?
 
As you know la 10 is double dipped which I am sure if this is your chosen brand you would have seen lots of people leave the salon. At the end of my spray tan session I always turn the dial right out and spray clean water through to clear the heads. then when I do my next tan I close back upthen turn dial back to 8 o'clock. Could there be the slightest chance that the dial could have been open more than a quarter turn therefore saturating the client? When I first started tanning I sprayed my cousin with la 12 and had accidentally left my nozzle wide open and the solution came out really really dark. I know its an obvious question but sometimes you just can't see for looking. Did she spray anyone before that client? Or spray anyone after?

To be honest, I actually didn't check the dial afterwards - this was our last client of the day and after cleaning up and consoling my poor assistant who was mortified, we headed home - but it's a good point. We had done tans earlier in the day, but not afterwards.

Like you say, I know LA does come out a bit darker than other brands, but this was ridiculous... way darker than I have ever seen, like I say above, the only way I can describe it, was like she had fancy dress body paint all over her!! I'll def check the nozzle opening though as it will still be as it was due to it being the last client.

Hopefully, it was all ok and would have washed off her... but don't think I'll be seeing her again at our salon though... eich!! :|
 
Hi

Have you used this bottle of 10% on anyone else before I amjust wondering weather it could have been labelled wrong at your suppliers?

Thanks

Leela
Sunless Solutions
 
I sprayed a client with 12% Nouvatan before, i was so shocked at how dark it was, she had had that tan before and it was nowhere near as dark, turned out she had been on a three week holiday in Thailand and her skin had completely dried out and absorbed the tan really fast...

Luckily she loves to be dark but when she sent me the picture of what she looked like i was so shocked! I actually started to feel sick until i questioned her colour and she told me she still hadn't washed it off haha

we went on a night out that night and when she turned up her colour was beautiful!

Looking at my situation before, i would have told her to keep the tan on and let it develop and if she was still unhappy with the colour after washing off the guide colour you could advise her either how to strip it or offer a refund xx
 
Hi

Have you used this bottle of 10% on anyone else before I amjust wondering weather it could have been labelled wrong at your suppliers?

Thanks

Leela
Sunless Solutions

Hi,

Yes I have used it on myself and it was fine on me, plus used it on other clients and was ok too. It was a total freak tan I think... thankfully I have not heard anything back from her, so I can only assume it washed off fine and there was no problem.

Gave me a shock though and at least I now have some tips on how to remove tan now should this ever happen again (i bloomin hope not though!!)

Thanks guys, xx
 

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