Oiling for a contest...

[carmel300zx]

My wife is about to compete in her first figure contest. What type of oil preparations she needs to do for her skin ?

[painless2]

You want a sheen, not an oil bath, first of all. You can apply it by hand or use a spray bottle. There's an oil called Hot Stuff, which contains heat inducing agents, much like Icy Hot, which helps with vascularity. Some people simply use a can of Pam, as it is easy to spray on. Just make sure it's not too thick or too thin. Some shows ban it but you can also use Pro Tan, which is a wipe on tan product, best done with bare hands, and has tiny flecks of metal in it, which provide the luster of the oil, so to speak.

[Old_Fart2]

We used to use Pro Tan about 12-13 years ago when we competed. You'd use that for several days up to the night before the show.

For oiling up at the show, I really don't remember what we used. I believe it wasy just plain old baby oil, but, as Painless said, apply very lightly.

[skeet225]

protan is great,dream tan is even better,but is banned from a lot of shows. Hot stuff combined with pam is what I use. It gives you a very nice look.

[Italianangel]

I like to use dream tan over a base tan from beds or sun.
Exfoliate the night before, a few hours before show time, color up and she is good to go andmake sure she wears baggies. It can be messy but most of these are and I find this to be the ONLY product that does not make me green. It also touches up amazingly!! Has an amazing shimmer to it too!!

[drdiet]

Pro Tan is good...so is Dream Tan...use Pam cooking spray for oiling up before going onstage...works much better than th oils that some competitors use. Spray it on lightly & tap with a towel any areas that you get too much on...it evens out very well.

[haphakhung]

So Guys, why do people who compete need to use the tan and oil products? Is it required? Do the products make the competitor stand out more like having their muscles look bigger or better in some way? Is it a way to conteract the lightning? Or is it some kind of tradition? Can a person with a decent shade of tan from sun tanning on the beach be able to not use the tan products? Or is it because most of the competitors don't like sun tanning or like their ordinary skin color but just need the tan during competitions? Just wondering folks!

Hap

[Insex]

Using tanning products and oils is definitely not a requirement. But if you want to look your very best, then you should use them.

Tanning products make your skin darker. Darker skins casts more shadows. So with darker skin, you will look leaner and harder. Plus, the stage lights are very, very bright. No matter how dark you are, you will look not as dark under the stage lights. So a competitor like me wants to be as dark as possible.

Being under the stage lights is quite an experience. For me personally, I can't even see the crowd. I just see the stage, the bright lights above me, and camera flashes. The crowd itself is a sea of blackness.

Oils are complementary to tanning products. They give extra detail to muscles, and can make your veins more visible. Plus, they give an extra shine effect. Like polishing metal for example. However, being too shiny can be bad.

[haphakhung]

Cool! Thanks Insex for the quick answer. Always wondered about the stuff and its uses in the competitions.

Hap