Hair Tips
Grab your hair spray and arsenal of brushes because it’s that time of year again. Use these tricks to get perfect dance performance hair every time.
For unruly hair
Dancers with curly, thick or coarse hair may have trouble coercing their hair into desired performance styles. To say it’s challenging to get some hair types into a smooth updo is an understatement.
For extremely curly hair, on the day of the performance, spray a heat protector onto your hair, then carefully blow dry it, working with a small section at a time and elongating the locks as much as possible while you’re working. Once your hair is dry, use a flat iron to further flatten your locks. With the help of a strong hair wax or balm and a fine-tooth comb, you should now be able to pull your tresses back into a smooth updo.
For thick or coarse hair, we suggest starting with damp hair. You can also use a strong hair wax or balm with a fine-tooth comb to make sure the fly-aways stay down.
For buns
To get the best bun, brush hair all the way out and start with a good, tight pony tail. Make sure you follow your teacher's instructions about what kind of part he or she wants, how high or low the bun should be, and whether or not he or she prefers a sock bun.
Once you have a secure pony tail, make sure you have your hair pins ready and within reach. (We prefer hair pins to bobby pins, as they stay put in the bun better - bobby pins tend to shimmy their way out). Grab all of the hair and twist it in either direction into a rope. As the twist starts to tighten, begin to wrap it around the pony tail holder, pinning the twisted hair to the holder as you go. The hair pin should go into the twisted hair (against the head, not through the top) and through the pony tail holder. The more you twist, the more you wrap and pin. The bun should grow bigger outward away from the pony tail holder and not taller. You want it to be as flat as you can get.
After all the hair is wrapped and pinned, get a hair net that matches your dancer's hair color and wrap it around the bun; most hair nets can be wrapped at least 2 times around an average sized bun. With 4 or 5 more hair pins, pin the hair net to the head, grabbing an outer edge of the hair net with one end of the hair pin to pull it down and putting the pin through the bun as you did before.
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Hair pin - better for holding buns!
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Bobby pin - better for holding head pieces in place!
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For headpieces & holding hair
Some cute costumes call for complementary hair accessories, but these are especially prone to falling out while the performers are twirling and leaping. If you’re wearing a headpiece, decorative flower, bow, extensions or fake ponytail, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure the piece stays in place. The most well-known trick is to simply put bobby pins. Bobby pins are wonderful for holding hair accessories and hair in place. While you can use smaller bobby pins you will need a lot to hold the headpiece in better to go with the larger bobby pins, especially if your child’s hair is long or thick. Try to place the pins so they’re crossing each other, as this will create a better hold.
If your child has thick or long hair I would highly recommend using longer hair pins in buns. Regular sized hair pins can be used to secure hair net onto the bun.
Be Gentle
If you’ve ever been a dancer yourself, you probably know how much it can hurt when a parent or teacher is yanking your hair, trying to get it just right. Keep this in mind as you help your students prepare for their performances! A comfortable dancer is a happy dancer, so being as gentle as possible during prep can go a long way. Here are a few tips to ensure that students don’t leave the hairdressing station with tender scalps.
Next day hair is when you don’t wash your child’s hair the day or even two before a performance. Don’t worry they can still bathe they just need to wash everything but their hair. Doing this will allow the natural oil in their hair build up and protect the hair when heat is applied. Not only will next day hair protect their hair it will also allow heated or non-heated curls to last much longer!
Curling Hair Tips
Some cute costumes call for complementary hair accessories, but these are especially prone to falling out while the performers are twirling and leaping. If you’re wearing a headpiece, decorative flower, bow, extensions or fake ponytail, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure the piece stays in place. The most well-known trick is to simply put bobby pins. Bobby pins are wonderful for holding hair accessories and hair in place. While you can use smaller bobby pins you will need a lot to hold the headpiece in better to go with the larger bobby pins, especially if your child’s hair is long or thick. Try to place the pins so they’re crossing each other, as this will create a better hold.
If your child has thick or long hair I would highly recommend using longer hair pins in buns. Regular sized hair pins can be used to secure hair net onto the bun.
Be Gentle
If you’ve ever been a dancer yourself, you probably know how much it can hurt when a parent or teacher is yanking your hair, trying to get it just right. Keep this in mind as you help your students prepare for their performances! A comfortable dancer is a happy dancer, so being as gentle as possible during prep can go a long way. Here are a few tips to ensure that students don’t leave the hairdressing station with tender scalps.
- Avoid hair ties with metal clasps, which can easily get tangled or poke into the skull.
- Let students brush their own hair to get rid of any initial knots and tangles.
- Pay attention to the body language of the dancer – they might not tell you when you’re pulling too hard!
- Ask the performer if her ponytail feels comfortable or is too tight.
- Let dancers wipe any excess hair spray or gel off their skin with a baby wipe, which can otherwise become itchy and dry as the day goes on.
Next day hair is when you don’t wash your child’s hair the day or even two before a performance. Don’t worry they can still bathe they just need to wash everything but their hair. Doing this will allow the natural oil in their hair build up and protect the hair when heat is applied. Not only will next day hair protect their hair it will also allow heated or non-heated curls to last much longer!
Curling Hair Tips
- If you are using heat, make sure the curl cools completely before working with it.
- If your child has medium to long hair, you can “cheat” with a sock bun. Test this option to see if it’s right for your dancer before deciding.
- Pin Curls or Curlers - while being a bit more time consuming, these can be worn right up till they go backstage, which is a great option if your child’s hair doesn’t hold curl well.