Smart Shopping Saturday's #3

Today is the second Saturday of July and that means it's time for another Smart Shopping Saturday's! Below is a review of some products you should know about and some you should avoid. Enjoy!

Apparel

Just like most skaters prefer one skate manufacturer over another or one brand of dress over another, many prefer one brand of tights. Mondor is my go to brand. I find that Mondor tights have a medium to thick waistband on the top that smooths everything out. I tend to pull my tights up high, just slightly over my belly button to give the "spanx" effect. This way you can ensure that nothing is getting smushed out over the top. Mondors fit very comfortably, don't slide down, and are very durable. I wear the footless version because I skate barefoot with Bunga pads but they carry over the boot, and footed tights as well. I don't usually purchase the knit type mainly because I find that they would be too bulky to be worn under skating pants. However, for younger skaters wearing dresses for practice or competition, knit tights are a must have. From a distance they don't appear to be bulky or knit but they keep the skater much warmer than regular tights.

http://www.mondor.com/en/see-our-products.php?search=tights&x=0&y=0

Hair
Hair nets, and not the kind that your elementary school lunch ladies wore, are the essential finishing touch to any bun. Hairnets come in various shades to match any color hair and are superb at holding down the fly aways and securing a bun. I wear Bunheads brand hairnets that I purchase through Discount Dance Supply but if you're lucky you might be able to buy them at a local cosmetics or pharmacy store. For just a few dollars, a hair net will give the polished look you're searching for and you might be able to get away with using half as much hairspray! Also, if you are not a bun making master and have yet to perfect the perfect bun, a hair net is a good way to correct any mistakes. It smooths out any bumps and gives a bun shape to any  mess of hair. When I first started taking ballet I used to just pile up all my hair, plop a hair net over the top, pin it down and it looked just as good as anybody else.

http://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/style_BH420.htmlpid=864&Shop=Style&SID=501373783

Accessories 

The accessory for today is something I have loved for a very long time. I refer to it as "The Roll". The Roll is a long foam roller used for getting into deep muscle tightness. It's technical name is something like Self-myofascial release, or SMR and it is painful and glorious all at the same time.There are various positions you can contort yourself into on the roller to get a deep stretch everywhere from your calves to your upper back. With a roller you can get into areas that you wouldn't be able to loosen up with a traditional stretch. For me, I found that my IT band, the muscle along the outside of the leg from hip to knee, was very tight. It was beginning to cause me some mild knee pain but once I started rolling it out the pain subsided. You can buy one of these foam rollers anywhere from Target to professional gym stores in various levels of densities. The denser the roller is the deeper of a stretch you will get.
HERE are some SMR foam roller stretches and HERE is a link to Target's website where you can purchase various foam rollers.

Best of Luck!!