Hair and Makeup Guidelines

Make-up
Make-up is not recommended for dancers under the age of 12 for shows, and is not permitted under the age of 12 in a feis.

If the dancer is over 12, or close to it (for shows), here are some tips:

Irish dancing is rarely ever held on brightly lit stages (With the exception of our year end show). Therefore, make-up used does not have to be overly dramatic or very much darker then regular street make up.

Eyes
If the dancer will be on a large, brightly lit stage (as is the case at some major competitions) fake eyelashes are
helpful to make the eyes really stand out from a distance. Drawing a small "fake eyelash" at the outer corner of
each eye will also help the eyes from disappearing onstage. A bit of white eyeliner on the inside corner of the
eyes will help make the eyes look larger.

At a feis: If your solo dress is sparkly, a bit of glitter on or around the eyes is nice. Try not to go overboard as a sparkle in
your eye at the wrong moment can be detrimental to your performance onstage.

Cheeks
If your cheeks are not naturally rosy, rouge will help stop the "washed out" look from bright stage lights. Pick a colour that is only a shade or two darker than your natural skin colour. When applying, use long sweeping strokes starting at the cheek bones and sweeping up to the hairline. Afterwards, use your fingers to blend the edges to avoid getting a clown look.

Lips
When choosing a lipstick, pick one that is not too much darker than the natural lip colour. A nice way to make the lips stand out but not look too overdone is to apply a dab of very light pink in the center of the lips and blend in, finishing off with a coat of shimmery or sparkly lip gloss.

On younger dancers in particular, often a shiny lip gloss with a bit of tint is nicer than a deep colour.

Irish Dancer Hair
There are two options to achieve curls for competition and shows:

Option 1- Curling Your Hair

Tips

The most commonly used curlers are spike curlers, plastic rollers or sponge curlers. Most curlers can be found at drug stores and the spike rollers can be purchased at competitions, online, or can be purchased locally (Calgary, AB) at Steele Celtic dancewear.

If you are curling your hair, its best to put it in a hair net overnight instead of re-curling if you are dancing for two or three days in a row.

Step by Step How To Curl

1.) Wash hair and leave to air dry until damp. Or, use unwashed hair and dampen with a spray bottle. It's good to have a spray bottle near-by in case hair gets too dry while curling.
Optional: For better hold: Apply a small amount of hair gel or mouse to each section before wrapping. Be careful not to apply too much as it can cause hair not to dry in time.

2.) If you want to have the front hair pulled back in a small ponytail, put in the ponytail first. Then curl from there. Putting hair into a ponytail after will ruin the curls. How to Curl Step 3

3.)Section off a small section of hair across the bottom of the scalp and pin or tie remaining hair up out of the way.

How to Curl Step 4

4.)Beginning at one side of the section, separate a very small section of hair. If flattened,
the width of this hair should be about a centimeter.

5.)Beginning at the end of the hair, wrap the section tightly around curler and secure in place. How to Curl Step 5

6.) Finish rolling the first section across. If you're lucky, you might be able to get someone to help. : ) How To Curl Step 7

When wrapping AND securing, position each curler vertical and NOT horizontal. This way, when the curls come out, they won't start with a strange twist near the scalp.

7.) To finish, repeat steps 3-6, working your way up the head.

8.) Leave curlers in to dry for at least 24 hours. For longer or thicker hair, you may want to leave the curlers in for two nights.

9.) Before removing the curlers, spray very well with hair spray. Take out curlers very carefully. Unwrap the curlers in a downward, circular motion to allow hair to get out. Do not pull on the curler. Keep the curler facing vertical so that the curl comes out nicely. If the curl is frizzy or messy, simply wrap the curl gently around your finger, starting at the top of the curl, then slide finger out.

10.) If you desire a "fluffier" or fuller look, gently "split" the curls by starting near the scalp and gently pull one section away. Right after separating, rewrap the curl around your finger and slide it out to bring the curl back into shape and remove any "fuzz"

11.) Spray once more with Hairspray just to be sure.

12.) If hair is taken out a few hours before the dancer competes, the curls may drop. To prevent this, cover hair gently and loosely in a hair net.

Option 2- Wigs

Tips

When buying a wig, be sure it is not much longer than shoulder length unless the dancer is very tall. Be sure to practice securing the wig before the day of the feis. Many wigs come with instructions on how to attach them and how to care for them. Follow these directions closely.

**Never use human hair products on your wig.

If your wig did not come with instructions for attaching, the following should help for full head style wigs:

How to attach a full head wig

Ponytails under wig
1.) Create two "anchor" ponytails to secure the wig to. Make one small pony at the top, font of the head and one at the bottom, back of the head. Be sure to position the top ponytail carefully as this determines where the wig will sit (see pictures below).

2.) French braid, or pin remaining hair flat to scalp to avoid extra "bulk" under the wig

3.) Secure the bottom/back of the wig into place first, ensuring that the combs have dug into the ponytail anchors.

4.) Pull the top of the wig up and over the front/top anchors and puch the combs in the the top ponytail anchors.

5.) Secure the wig with plenty of extra bobby pins and have the dancer shake their head very hard to
be sure nothing comes lose.

4.) After securing the wig, use bobby pins to style the wig's hair so that it sits nicely

Positioning your wig

Too Far Forward . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .Too Far Back . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . Just Right

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Too Far Forward . . . Too Far Back . . . Just Right

Where to buy a wig

There are many sites online that sell Irish dance wigs and other products. The following sites have
beautiful Irish dancing wigs:
Melaine Murphey.
4 Irish Dancers
(My personal favorite on the 4 Dancers site is the Nicole wig)
Camilia Rose

*Bun wigs are not recomemended. A full head wig captures the correct look.