Have you ever stared at spray tan color options and felt completely confused?

We’re here to help! With a little understanding of color theory and skin tones, you’ll be able to pick the best colors for yourself and your clients. Let’s start with a quick lesson on skin tones and skin undertones.

What’s the difference between skin tone and undertone?

While their names sound very similar, your skin’s tones and undertones are two different things. Skin tone refers to the surface layer of color developed by the melanin present in your skin. Skin undertones are those colors beneath the surface layer of skin.

Skin tone typically refers to one of the following general categories:

-Very light
-Light
-Medium
-Dark
-Very dark

Basically, what you see is what you get with skin tone. If you have a lighter complexion, red hair or light hair, and are prone to sunburn, you probably have a very light to light skin tone. In contrast, if you have a darker complexion, thick, dark hair, and rarely burn, you likely have a dark skin tone.  

It’s important to know what your natural skin tone is when you look at a spray tan shade chart because it will give you a baseline for where you’d like to end up after your spray tan.

Skin undertones fall into three categories:

– Cool: pink, red, or bluish undertone
– Warm: yellow or gold undertone
– Neutral: a combination of warm and cool

Just because you have dark skin does not mean you have warm undertones and vice versa. Undertones are definitely a bit trickier to identify but can play a big role in choosing everything from the best makeup shades to the right spray tan color. Here are a few ways to check your skin undertones: 

1) Vein color: This is probably one of the simplest ways to check undertones. Look at your wrist and see what color your veins are: blue or green? If they’re green, you’re a warm undertone. If they’re bluish-purple, you’re a cool undertone. If they’re blue-green, you’re a neutral undertone. 

2) Put on a white t-shirt: Find a pure white and an off-white piece of fabric or shirt and hold it near your face without makeup on. Which looks better? If it’s the pure white, then you have warmer undertones. If it’s the off-white, you have cooler undertones. And if you can rock both, you’re neutral.

3) Accessorize: Trying on gold and silver jewelry is another quick way to determine undertones. If you love wearing gold, you may be a warm undertone. If you love silver, you may be cool. Of course, if you love both on your skin, you may be neutral. 

Knowing your undertones can help you pick a spray tan shade that works well with the product you use. Spray tan colors are designed to work with skin undertones, containing different additives that enhance your skin. Be sure to check out our product descriptions and ingredients to choose a color that meets your needs!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about choosing a spray tan color. We hope you found this blog post helpful and informative. If you have any further questions about our products or services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our knowledgeable and friendly team is always here to assist you and help you find the perfect solution for your needs. You can connect with us any time! We look forward to hearing from you!