How DHA Percentages Work

Dihydroxyacetone, also known as DHA, is the active ingredient in spray tan solution. This active ingredient is what interacts with the skin to produce that tan-like appearance we all love so much! As a spray tan artist, it’s crucial that you understand the way DHA percentages will impact your clients results! Typically, classic 8-hour spray tan solutions range between 6% - 12% DHA. The level of percentage that is formulated in the solution is what will determine the depth of color that develops from the sunless tan. The higher the DHA percent, the deeper the depth of color will be! This information is important to understand when working with your clients because everyone has a unique skin type, tone and desire for their spray tan results. It’s your job as the professional to guide your clients to choosing the best depth of color for their specific skin tone.

Since every client has a differing skin type, your client may not know what tan goals they have or what will work best with their skin tone to produce the most natural looking sunless tan. For example, it’s common for fair skin clients that are Fitzpatrick Scale Level 1 to feel nervous about looking unnatural, going too dark or being “orange.” This is where understanding DHA percentages will help you to ease the minds of clients that are concerned with the outcome of their spray tan and ensure that their tan develops to a depth of color that they will be comfortable with. 

Here’s how you can correlate the DHA percent to the outcome of the tan when consulting with your clients on what their desired tan goals are:

6% DHA:  A light tan

9% DHA: A medium tan

12% DHA:  A dark tan

The thought of having to carry a ton of inventory in order to encompass all the DHA percentages for your clients may be daunting. That’s why I’m going to share a spray tan professional pro tip with you! In order to cut down on inventory and expenses in your sunless biz, you don’t even have to carry all the DHA percent options in order to customize the perfect blend for each client. By mixing your lightest solution with your darkest solution, you’ll be able to create any depth of color that’s desired! For example, doing a 50/50 mix of 6% DHA with 12% DHA will produce a 9% medium tan. You can vary the levels of each of those two percentages in order to fluctuate the depth of color and therefore, create more of a customized tone for your clients.

Our goal at Spray Tan Class is that you always feel confident and knowledgeable in the service you provide to your clients so that you can continue to scale your beauty biz to new heights! In our Certification Courses we provide you with education on products, technique and business so that you have all the tools needed to create the business of your dreams and grow a clientele of raving fans. For more information on which Certification Course would be best to accelerate your journey, head to the Spray Tan Class website!

Xoxo,

Kelly