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| Winter beauty and health for dancers |
Is that a shimmy or are you just shivering?
Winter has hit in LA, and I’m freezing! I’m also reasonably sure that all you dancers in
colder climates are laughing hysterically
at me, but it really is winter here in Hollywood. We’ve had cold
storms non-stop the past month,
and more rain than in the past six years of drought!
But no matter where you live, there are
some things about our dance practice and presentation that really need to change when the seasons do. And if you
haven’t addressed any of this yet, there’s still plenty of time to! So here’s some
winter beauty tips for you...no matter what climate you're dancing in...
SKIN
During the winter, our skin
gets dry from the cold and wind and also
from indoor heating. The extremes of
temperature make our skin flakey and dull…and trust me, nobody wants to see
that on stage.
About once or twice a week, I
use a scrub to exfoliate my face. There are
tons of products you can buy, but an easy
and totally inexpensive home made
scrub will do the trick, without causing irritation. Here’s all you need to do:
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of dry oatmeal with ¼ teaspoon
of table salt- any kind will do. Add a teaspoon of water , or if your skin is
very dry, use olive oil instead. Rub it
into your skin carefully and gently with your fingers in circular motions,
going upwards. Make sure not to drag or pull your skin. Then let the paste sit on your face for about ten minutes,
and rinse it off with tepid water.
After this scrub, I apply natural coconut oil to my face.
You can purchase a large bottle of coconut oil at any health food store-
it’s great for cooking too. But when used on the skin, it acts as a humectant, drawing moisture to you and sealing it in, without leaving you feeling greasy and
gross…plus it smells nice. I slather it all over my poor beat up feet at night,
then slip on a pair of thick socks and I the morning, my feet look…well… almost
presentable! It’s also terrific as a
natural make up remover.
Moisturizing is necessary,
even more than it is in warmer months.
As for facial moisturizers, I love Boots
Protect And Perfect Intense Serum- I
use it at night, it seeps right in and my skin feels so soft every morning. For
daytime, I use Olay Total Effects 7 In One Daily Moisturizer,
which is really creamy but not oily…it feels light and is great under make up. There are tons of products you can buy, but
an easy ( and cheap!) home made scrub
will do the trick, too.
COSMETICS
As for winter make up, one of
the problems most of us have is that our summer tans are fading. Check the
foundation you’ve been using to be sure
that the shade still matches your skin tone. You might want to mix two colors
together, so you can lighten or darken the current color you are using to match your “new” seasonal skin tone. For pale or fair gals, bronzer might be in order…and
you can find great, inexpensive ones at the drug store! E.L.F Studio Contouring Blush
And Bronze is only about four bucks and comes in a wide variety of
shades. If you want to go a little
higher-end, MAC Bronzing Powder is
the bomb. For bronzers, make sure to use them sparingly, since you are no loner
tan; take a large fluffy brush , and lightly go over the outside contours of
your face: cheek bones, temples, jaw line, then
fluff some across the bridge of your nose. This will give you a healthy
and subtle sun-kissed glow, and extend
the remnants of your summer color.
If your hair is looking dull and dirty, but
it’s too damn cold to wash it as much as you do when it’s warmer, try a dry
shampoo. Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo
works like a charm and is available at places like target, Walmart, CVS, etc.
for under ten bucks. Also, in the winter, static electricity is a problem for
any type of hair, so think about using a
silicone smoother to prevent fly-aways. I really like the John
Frieda Collection Frizz-Ease Hair Serum but be forewarned- a little dab’ll do ya!
BODY
During the cooler months, be
really careful about making sure your body is fully warmed up before you dance. You
should be doing this anyway, but in the winter, it’s absolutely imperative,
because dancing with cold muscles is
basically a way of begging for an injury!
Be sure to dress for class or rehearsals in “classic dancer layers”-
including a substantial sweater or sweatshirt, leg warmers, closed dance shoes with socks, that sort of
thing.
Make sure the your bedroom is warm enough at night. If it's chilly where we sleep, that could lead to curling up int weird positions... which will directly lead to stuff muscles and sore joints!
During the winter, gals have
to be really on top of our vitamin D
intake. Adequate amounts of vitamin D
will help your body to perform to it’s fullest-
it’s great for our bones and it boosts the immune system…and of course,
we need that for dancing! Vitamin D also
keeps our mood up, and increases
morale.
During the spring and
summer, get a lot of vitamin D naturally
from sunlight, but during the winter, because of the longer nights and lesser amount of
daylight hours, it’s a safe bet our D levels are decreased.
If you’re not already taking vitamin D
supplements, make sure to ask your
doctor which dose is best for you
Stay warm and cozy, dancers!
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