Is Custom Spray Tanning Worth It in Newtown Square?

May 24

By Mikayla McCune, Co-Founder and Spray Tan Specialist at Isla Studio + Hair Co.

Looking orange after a spray tan is not bad luck. It is a chemistry problem. When the DHA in your tanning solution reacts with skin that is too alkaline, the color shifts warm instead of bronze. Knowing that one mechanism is what separates a natural-looking result from the one everyone is trying to avoid.

Hi, I am Mikayla McCune, co-founder and spray tan specialist at Isla Studio. I answer the "how do I not look orange" question almost every single day. The answer is never about the spray gun or the brand of solution alone. It is about the assessment that happens before any solution touches your skin.

Let me walk you through the actual science behind a custom result and show you how we approach each client differently.

The Real Difference Between Custom Airbrush and Booth Tans

An automated booth treats every body the same. It sprays the same solution at the same concentration regardless of your undertone, your skin's pH, your dry zones, or your skin conditions. That uniformity is exactly where the problems start.

A custom application assesses your skin before a single drop of solution is mixed. We look at your undertone, your skin's current hydration and pH balance, your dry zones, and how your skin has responded to DHA in the past. Those findings determine the base color, the DHA concentration, and where barrier cream needs to go before application begins.

The human element matters in a way a machine cannot replicate. A machine cannot see your dry elbows or blend the color softly around your knuckles and feet. I physically contour the application to match your body, ensuring every angle reads naturally rather than painted.

Estelle came to me after two consecutive booth tans that had left her with orange streaking at her elbows and patchy fading at her knees within four days. When I assessed her skin at her consultation, her elbows and knees were significantly drier than the rest of her body, which caused the solution to pool and darken at those zones.

We applied a barrier cream at both areas before the solution went on, used a lower DHA concentration at those specific zones, and blended with a damp brush at the edges. Her tan faded evenly and was still reading naturally at day eight.

The Science of Skin pH and Why It Determines Your Color

DHA, the active ingredient in spray tan solution, reacts with amino acids in the top layer of your skin. For that reaction to produce a bronze result, your skin needs to be at an optimal pH between 4.5 and 5.5. When your skin is too alkaline, the DHA reaction shifts and pulls warm, which is where that orange cast comes from.

Common things that raise your skin's pH include bar soap, heavily fragranced body washes, certain thick lotions, and even mineral-heavy tap water. Our local Delaware County water runs hard, which means many clients are stepping into their spray tan with skin that is already slightly too alkaline from their morning shower without realizing it.

Fiona had been getting custom tans at another studio and consistently pulling orange within 24 hours. When I assessed her skin at her first appointment, her pH was reading alkaline at her torso and shoulders, which are the zones that typically show the orange shift most visibly.

She had been washing with a bar soap every morning and moisturizing with a thick lotion containing a high mineral oil content. Both were raising her skin's pH before her appointment. We switched her pre-tan prep to a pH-balanced gentle wash and a lightweight oil-free moisturizer. Her next tan developed into a clean bronze with no orange shift and held for nine days.

This is why our consultation covers your at-home skincare routine before we discuss solution selection. What you do in the 24 hours before your appointment determines the chemical environment the DHA has to work with.

Using Color Theory to Match Your Undertones

The base color of your tanning solution is just as important as the DHA concentration. We use color theory the same way a hair colorist uses it when formulating a toner. The goal is neutralizing what you do not want so what remains reads as natural bronze.

If you have warm or olive undertones, we use a violet-base solution to counteract any brassiness in the result. If your skin pulls pink or red, a green-base solution neutralizes that redness and leaves you with a clean, olive bronze. For clients who want a deeper, earthier glow, a chocolate-base solution adds richness without pulling warm.

Gemma has naturally pink undertones and had been getting tans that always read slightly red rather than bronze. When I assessed her skin, her undertone was cool-pink and her previous studio had been applying a neutral-base solution without any color correction built in.

We switched to a green-base solution at a concentration matched to her skin tone and she described the result as the first tan she had ever had that looked like she had actually been in the sun. She now comes in every three weeks and we have not adjusted her formula once because the undertone assessment was accurate from the first appointment.

The Bridal Glow Protocol

Brides make up a significant part of our clientele at Isla Studio. If you are getting married at The Ballroom at Ellis Preserve or taking engagement photos at Ridley Creek State Park, your skin is the foundation everything else sits on.

The Bridal Glow Protocol we build for every bride has two mandatory components. A trial tan three to four weeks before the wedding and the final tan two days before the event. The trial serves a specific purpose. It lets us confirm how the color develops on your skin in photography lighting and observe how it fades over a full week before the actual event.

Holly was a summer bride who came to me three months before her outdoor ceremony. At her trial we identified that her skin was developing slightly darker than we had targeted at the three-hour check-in, which told us her skin's DHA sensitivity was higher than her undertone alone had suggested.

We reduced her concentration by two percentage points for the final appointment. Her wedding-day result developed exactly to the depth we wanted and held through her full outdoor ceremony and four-hour reception without patchiness. The trial was the only reason we caught that sensitivity before it mattered.

Without the trial, we are guessing. With it, we have data from your specific skin.

When Pennsylvania Weather Affects Your Tan

Our local climate affects how long your tan holds and how evenly it fades. Knowing the seasonal variables lets you adjust your aftercare appropriately.

During Braintree's humid summer months, your skin stays more hydrated naturally which extends the tan's fade time. Use a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer to maintain hydration without disrupting the solution.

During our dry Delaware County winters, your skin sheds cells faster because of the combination of cold outdoor air and dry indoor heating. That accelerated cell turnover shortens your tan's lifespan noticeably.

Iliana came to me in January frustrated that her tans were lasting only five days when they had consistently held nine days through the summer. When I assessed her winter skincare routine, she had stopped moisturizing daily because she felt like her skin was not dry.

Her skin was shedding faster than she realized because of the indoor heating in her home. We added a daily oil-free moisturizer to her morning routine and her next winter tan held eight days. The solution had not changed. Her skin's behavior had.

When We Defer or Decline a Spray Tan

Not every client is ready for a spray tan on the day they book, and I will always tell you that directly before we proceed.

Active skin conditions including eczema flares, psoriasis plaques, sunburn, or open irritation make spray tanning inappropriate until the skin has healed. Certain medications affect how DHA reacts with the skin and can produce unpredictable results regardless of how careful the application is.

Inadequate skin preparation, specifically if you have not exfoliated, shaved at least 24 hours prior, or removed all lotion and fragrance, means the solution will not adhere evenly. In those situations I will reschedule rather than push forward and risk a result neither of us will be happy with.

Juliette came in for her pre-event tan and mentioned during the consultation that she had shaved that morning. Shaving less than 24 hours before a tan opens the follicles and causes the solution to darken at each follicle point, producing a speckled result.

I rescheduled her appointment for the following day. She was frustrated in the moment but came back 24 hours later and her result was completely even. Proceeding on the wrong day would have produced a result that could not be corrected.

Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Spray Tanning

Will I smell like self tanner?

The synthetic smell typically comes from low-quality DHA and masking fragrances trying to cover it. The professional solutions we use are vitamin-enriched with a very light, fresh scent that fades as the color develops. Most clients notice no synthetic smell at all by the time they rinse.

How long will my results last?

With proper preparation and daily moisturizing, most results last seven to ten days before fading evenly. Winter clients whose skin sheds faster from dry indoor air typically see closer to seven days. Summer clients with consistently hydrated skin tend to hold closer to ten.

Can I get a spray tan if I am very pale?

Yes, and pale skin actually responds beautifully to a buildable, low-concentration formula. We start lighter than you think you want and assess the 24-hour development before deciding whether to add depth at a follow-up. Pale skin that is over-concentrated on the first application is much harder to correct than pale skin that needs one more layer.

How do I prep my skin before my appointment?

Exfoliate gently 24 hours before, shave at least 24 hours before, and arrive with no lotions, deodorant, perfume, or makeup on the areas being tanned. Use a pH-balanced gentle cleanser rather than bar soap on the morning of your appointment. These steps set the chemical environment the DHA needs to develop correctly.

What if my skin has reacted badly to DHA before?

Tell us at your consultation. Some clients have sensitivities to specific solution ingredients rather than to DHA itself, and switching the formula often resolves the issue. If the reaction has been significant or you are unsure of the cause, we recommend a patch test 48 hours before your full appointment so we know exactly how your skin responds before we proceed.

Ready for Your Custom Glow?

Your skin deserves preparation, assessment, and a formula built specifically for your undertone and skin chemistry. Whether you are prepping for a wedding, an event, or simply want a confident mid-winter glow, we are here to get it right.

Call us at (610) 862-2131 or visit us at 3614 Chapel Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073 or 310 E Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380. You may also book an appointment online.

We would love to talk through your skin goals and build a result you can count on.

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