Before you take to the spray tan gun, there are a few things you should consider if your client is a new mum, writes Nadia Stennett.
When new mum Gemma Colley reached for her baby to breastfeed, her earlier visit to the salon for a spray tan was far from her mind. But as the salon client’s Facebook post later revealed, babies and fresh spray tans aren’t an ideal match.
“From one mum to another, I’d like to let you know about my epic fail of fails,” Colley told her Facebook mother’s group.
“Yesterday I had a spray tan, a few hours later I breastfed my little boy. Cue 5 o’clock shadow and a very guilty mummy.”
While the results of this beauty fail are humorous to no end, there’s also a more serious side to spray tanning clients who are breastfeeding.
Although there’s currently no research to indicate spray tanning while breastfeeding is going to do any harm to the baby, the immune system of newborns is significantly more susceptible to allergens than the average adult, so it’s optimal to choose an allergen-free, organic spray tan solution.
Additionally, spray tanners should recommend clients hold off breastfeeding until the colour guide has been washed off. Besides avoiding the embarrassment of toting an orange-faced bub, waiting to breastfeed until after showering will avoid having the baby ingest the product. If the client still needs to feed regularly, advise expressing some milk beforehand so the client can tie themselves over, or simply cover off the nipple area before applying the tan.
“I recommend therapists offer their clients the option of covering the nipple area while having a spray tan when breastfeeding, you can use nipple pads or a barrier cream,” says Naked Tan’s founder, Lea Taylor.
It’s also worth noting that up to 70 percent of anything that’s applied externally is aborbed into the blood stream and ultimately ends up in our bodies’ fat stores, so when it comes to breastfeeding clients, it’s best to use paraben free formulas and ideally tanning solutions that can be washed off quickly.
“While nursing it’s best to avoid anything laden with chemicals. Certified organic products are becoming increasingly popular with pregnant and breastfeeding clients so I typically recommend our Certified Organic Tan, which is a great option that can be showered off in just two hours.”
Breastfeeding while spray tanning essentials
This article was originally posted by Professional Beauty in 2015.
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