For a spray tan or salon sunless tan, the universal advice is to wait at least eight to ten hours before you shower. I know, I know—that feels like an eternity. But imagine this: you spent all day at the beach, only to wash off half your tan in the evening because you couldn’t resist a quick rinse. That’s like baking a cake and then dropping it on the floor right before the party.
For a natural sun tan (the old-school kind), you don’t need to wait nearly as long. Your skin stops producing melanin pretty quickly once you’re out of the sun. Here, the real risk is irritating your sun-kissed skin with hot water, which can make redness worse or dry you out.
