Competition tan: how to apply it, step by step and day by day

Stage lights flatten shapes: pale skin looks flat and muscle detail is harder to read. That is why bodybuilding, physique and bikini competitors go on stage with a competition tan. This guide explains how to apply it, day by day, following the directions Pro Tan prints on its products.

What is a competition tan?

It is a self-tanner far darker than everyday ones. The active ingredient is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), listed on the label as Dihydroxyacetone: it binds to the keratin in the outermost layer of the skin and forms brown pigments, through a reaction similar to the one that browns bread in the oven. It does not involve melanin and is not a real tan: the colour leaves with the skin's natural turnover, and according to Pro Tan it fades like a natural tan within 5-7 days.

In the European Union DHA is a cosmetic ingredient with a legal limit: no more than 10% in self-tanning products. A competition tan does not protect against the sun, and Pro Tan labels say so explicitly.

Which products do you need?

The method works in layers, and each layer has its own product:

For a first show, the kits already bundle the main layers: the Body Building Kit, the Female Competition Tanning Kit and the Single Show Mini Kit for a single event.

How do you prepare your skin?

Pro Tan recommends using Get Buffed every day in the week before the show (the label says at least three days in a row before the first coat), with light pressure and no harsh scrubbing. The last exfoliation should be at least 6 hours before the first application. Before every coat, no antiperspirant and no lotion: skin must be clean and dry.

For the application wear dark, loose cotton clothing with no tight elastics, and avoid underwear after tanning: bronzers can mark fabric, though it usually washes out.

How do you apply the base coat?

Shake the bottle, spray the product onto the applicator sponge (or pour it into a bowl and dip the sponge) and spread it over your body, with lighter strokes around the hairline, knees, elbows and ankles. Do not spray it onto your face: put it on the sponge or your hands first, then apply it, away from eyes and lips. Wash your hands straight afterwards.

The colour shows at once and darkens considerably over the next 4-8 hours. Allow 5-10 minutes to dry before getting dressed, and avoid sweat and water until you rinse.

How many coats, and how long before the show?

It depends on your skin tone, how dark you want to be and how well your skin takes the colour. For Overnight Competition Color, Pro Tan advises:

• light or medium skin: two coats, starting up to two days before the show;
• dark skin: one coat, the day before;
• bodybuilders: three coats;
• never more than two coats in one day, 4-8 hours apart, with a warm-water rinse between coats.

Super Dark is designed for people who have only one day: it develops in about 4 hours, and the advice here is one or two coats (two for bodybuilders), never more than one a day.

What do you do on the morning of the show?

1. Rinse: the morning after the last coat, the label says to rinse off the excess colour; if you want to stay darker, you can leave the last coat unrinsed.
2. Top coat: spread Instant Competition Color Top Coat over dry skin with the sponge, one body part at a time, in circular motions, and let it dry before dressing. Over the base coat the result is darker.
3. Sheen, shortly before stage: Muscle Juice and Show Shine are sprays (Show Shine is a lighter dry oil), Muscle Sheen is a gel spread in a thin layer. Pro Tan also recommends them to lock in the top coat colour. Take care not to get them on your suit.

Quick Bronze is a last-minute alternative to the top coat: colour and sheen together, applied with latex gloves just before going on. It does not dry, so you cannot dress over it, and it wipes off with a towel after the show; according to Pro Tan no posing oil is needed on top.

Before buying a last-minute product, check your federation's rules: Pro Tan itself warns that some of its products are not approved by every organisation.

What is Hot Stuff?

Hot Stuff is a Pro Tan oil applied backstage, on the areas you choose, before pumping up. It contains methyl salicylate, methyl nicotinate, cinnamon leaf oil and capsicum extract: on the label Pro Tan warns that it reddens the skin and causes a warm, tingling sensation that fades afterwards. Keep it off your face, wash your hands straight after use, and the manufacturer does not recommend it for anyone under 18.

For bikini competitors, Bikini Bite keeps the suit in place: roll it onto the skin and the inside edge of the suit, let it dry for 30 seconds and press for 2 minutes. It comes off with soap and water.

How do you remove the tan after the show?

The colour goes on its own within a few days. To speed things up, Pro Tan points to Get Buffed and its Sunless Tan Remover, left on dry skin for at least 5 minutes and then wiped away with a wet cloth in a warm shower.

What this guide cannot tell you

The timings and number of coats are Pro Tan's: another brand may give different directions, and the label of the product you use is what counts. Even the same brand gives different figures in different settings: in its FAQ, for applications done by its own technicians at shows, Pro Tan spaces coats 3-4 hours apart, while the bottle says 4-8. The final colour depends on your skin: our advice is to do a trial run weeks ahead, not the night before your first show.

If your skin becomes irritated, stop using the product: every Pro Tan label says so.

In short

• Exfoliate in the days before, the last time at least 6 hours before the first coat.
• Base coat 4-8 hours between coats, never more than two a day; two coats for light skin, one for dark skin, three for bodybuilders.
• On show morning, top coat, then sheen shortly before stage.
• A competition tan does not protect against the sun, and your product's label matters more than any guide.

All the products are in the Competition Tan & Colour category and on the Pro Tan brand page.