Competition Hair Styling Q & A with Snow Urbin

Styling your hair for a competition or performance is important. No one wants to have their hair flying around their face while they’re dancing. Judges don’t like it either and they will take away points for it.

They can deduct points for any of the following reasons: if it distracts from your routine, if you are touching or fixing it during your performance, if it falls out, or if it hits other people on the dance floor. Needless to say your hairstyle can directly impact your score.

 

 

Stylist, Snow Urbin, offers her advice for competition hair styling in this week’s Q & A. Watch her style Wendy from Arthur Murray Valencia and answer a few questions in the video below.

Question: What do I need when getting my hair styled?

Answer: Before you start, make sure you have the essentials: elastic hair ties, hairpins, hairspray and hair jewelry (optional).  

Question: How should I wear my hair?

Answer: If you are dancing rhythm, I would suggest you do it low. If you are dancing slow, I would suggest you do it high.

Question: What’s the best advice you can give competitors about their hair?

Answer: I would always ask a professional to do your hair, even for the simple things, just because It takes the stress away. I think [when] doing your own hair, you cannot see the back, so you cannot make it as neat. Also, I think it’s always important to take that extra edge off and go to a professional and make sure they take care of you.

Question: What should I do before I meet with my stylist?

Answer: I think it’s very important to come with your hair dry, this way it stays better. It’s also important to style your hair before you come in, so we can see how it holds; it creates your own personality.

Question: How much time should I give myself to style my hair?

Answer: I think you should always have two hours before you have to warm-up.  It gives you time to have a coffee, not stress in the chair, wake-up a little and let your body readjust to your surroundings. It also gives you time to say hello to friends and other dancers and look beautiful.

Question: What is the biggest problem you come across as a stylist?

Answer: I think the biggest problem is expectation. If you have an expectation, you’re more likely to be disappointed. Bringing pictures often does not help. Instead it breeds confusion as to what you really want. Sometimes the pictures have different styles and it can be complicated to satisfy a client if there is not enough hair. I think you should just enjoy the ride and let the stylist help you to be beautiful.

I always think it’s important to invest a little bit into some bling-bling for your hair. It adds a little spark. Just make sure to have the applications ready for your stylist and that they match your dress.

Question: How do I care for my hair after the competition?

Answer: Don’t brush after competition. Just go straight to the shower to wash and condition it because the hairspray can be rough on your hair and cause it to break.

 

With a special thank you to Wendy from Arthur Murray Valencia for being our model in this video! We hope you enjoyed this week’s feature on Competition Hair Styling with Snow Urbin. Tune in next week to learn how to dye your dance shoes.

 

 

Snejana "Snow" Urbin is a dancer, Choreographer and stylist from Russia. She has appeared in music videos for Madonna's "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret", and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie." She has also appeared on season one of Fox's So You think You can Dance and ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Movie credits include Enchanted (2007). She is married ti Nurtitionist , John Urbin. They have a daughter named, Jetaime together.

For any business inquiries for Snow Hair and Makeups call (914) 325-0088

Dress Maintenance with Lena Kosovich

When it comes time to wash your LeNique dress, there are a few tips and tricks you should know beforehand.

Firstly, LeNique dresses are handmade with Swarovski crystals and elegant fabrics, so using a gentle touch is key when cleaning your gown.

Secondly, remember not all dresses can be hand washed. Make sure to check the inside care label of your dress before washing it. “If it says dry clean only, then the dress is dry clean only,” says LeNique founder, Lena Kosovich.

Dance crepe, polyester charmeuse, and silk charmeuse are examples of fabrics that cannot be washed. Dresses with those fabrics should be dry cleaned.

Stretch mesh, lycra, fringes and polyester chiffon, are all fabrics that can be washed by hand.

Watch Lena’s tutorial on how to clean your dress below!

What you will need:

  • Plenty of fresh, clean towels

  • Bowl of warm water

  • Dish soap (like Dawn dish soap)

Step 1: Before washing your dress be sure to read the inside care label. If it says dry clean only, please take it to a dry cleaner. Remember, not every fabric can be washed.

Step 2: Take a dry towel, place inside dress under the section you will be cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Mix dish soap in bowl of warm water. The dish soap works well to loosen the dirt and oils from the fabric without ruining it.

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Keep one hand inside the dress underneath the first towel where you will be washing. Wet a second towel in the bowl of detergent.

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Lightly, without scrubbing too hard, begin to wash the dress. Remove towel from inside of the dress when finished.

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Rinse dress out in the sink with warm water. Lightly press and squeeze excess water from dress.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7: Towel dry. Place one clean, dry towel inside the dress and use the other half of the towel on the outside of the dress. Press excess water away. Do not scrub. Use the towel to absorb the water.

 

 

 

Step 8: Once it feels merely damp, lay the dress flat onto another towel to finish air drying. If washing the whole dress, simply hang the dress on a hanger after towel drying it.

 

 

 

 


We hope you have enjoyed this segment of Life with LeNique! Tune in next week for our segment on competition hairstyling with Snow Urbin.

House of Lenique <3

Announcing: A Life with LeNique

LeNique was founded by world champion dancers who created their own costumes. Since then our passion has grown and so has our team; as a family, we continue to make costumes. We look forward to the joy on your faces when we create your dream garment.Through the years of working with you we have learned many lessons in the house of LeNique.  As we launch "Life with LeNique" we welcome you as you become a part of the LeNique family, we  would like to share some of our techniques!

Please enjoy this video,

The House of LeNique