Personal Hygiene

Before going out dancing, you should bathe, put on some deodorant and perfume or cologne (sparingly), floss and brush your teeth (and tongue) and rinse with a mouth wash. If it’s really hot, or if you sweat a lot, you might also want to take a towel and/or some spare shirts with you. Oh, and guys - keep your fingernails trimmed, too.

I think that one paragraph covers 90% of this topic. Simple, huh?

In fact, there are many fine points to explore. In addition, my comments on oral hygiene may not be entirely accurate. If you don’t want to bother reading this entire article, you can skip to my more accurate Condensed Dancers’ Hygiene Rules.

Surprisingly, many, if not most, dance instructors and clubs have nothing to say about what may be the most important social dance issue. The word hygiene can’t even be found on their websites.

There are probably two main reasons for this. First, this is all common sense for most people - especially for those who already have some social dance experience. Second, it’s not the most pleasant topic. Why insult your fans or potential customers by suggesting they have body odor or bad breath?

To be perfectly honesty, I felt a little stupid writing this article. But I’ve discovered countless aspects of social dance that are uncomfortable.

In fact, there are a few people out there who need a little friendly advice. There are other people who, though generally clean, may have some problem they don’t know about.

At any rate, one foul-smelling individual can ruin a social event. But no one will be hurt more than the offending individual, who could quickly be transformed into an outcast.

So let’s take a closer look at bathing, oral hygiene, “sweat management” and fingernails. If you want to know how to tell someone they have a hygiene problem, please refer to the Hygiene section of the Etiquette page.

Bathing

There really isn’t much to discuss here. I mean, EVERYBODY knows how to jump into a hot bath or shower, put some soap on a wash cloth and get clean, right? And when you’re finished, you dab some deodorant in your armpits and put a little perfume or cologne in the right places - right? (Note: Though not as bad as body odor, dancers often complain about partners who use too much perfume or cologne.)

In fact, I’d wager the majority of people can find at least one kernel of information that’s news to them in a really cool online guide to bathing I discovered. And I’d also wager that most people who read MY article will also read the article I linked to, because social dancers tend to be a little more self-conscious about their personal hygiene than people whose social life consists of playing frisbee with dogs. In fact, many dancers are downright paranoid about cleanliness.

Though the article I linked to doesn’t focus on Latin dancers, the author uses a popular Latin food - tacos - as a training aid.

Warning: Some may find the article I linked to a little crude. But if you can’t handle it, then you can’t handle salsa.

So here’s the article: How To Bathe Or Shower: A Guide For Men (Misanthropy Today). OK, the article focuses on men, but we need this advice more than women, right? In fact, most of the information here applies to both genders.

Breath Management

Everyone knows how to brush their teeth, right?

In fact, cleaning your tongue may be a more important part of oral hygiene than brushing your teeth. And maintaining pleasant or neutral breath neither begins nor ends with oral hygiene.

Bad breath (or halitosis) can be related to various parts of the body, including the nose and stomach. It can be caused by poor dental hygiene - from cavities to gum disease - and by various medical conditions (from diabetes to liver failure) or by the medicines used to treat them. Bad breath can even be caused by odors absorbed in the bloodstream.

If common treatments don’t help, you may need to consult your dentist or some other specialist to determine the cause of your problem. But don’t be too paranoid; many people who do not have halitosis imagine they do. There’s even a condition called Halitophobia (delusion halitosis).

Of course, our first concern is routine breath maintenance and first aid - and it begins long before the next dance begins. It’s essentially an ongoing process.

Social dancers might divide oral hygiene into three categories...

1. Eating the right foods
2. Cleaning the mouth
3. Dance floor maintenance

Eating the Right Foods

Unfortunately, cleaning one’s tongue and teeth may not be enough, because pungent oils from digested food are carried to your lungs and exhaled with your breath. The solution is to simply watch your diet.

I don’t have a list of all the offending foods, which include a variety of vegetables and spices. Onions and garlic are by far the best known offenders. Beverages to watch include alcohol and coffee. Tobacco is a no-no.

Some authorities say eating fibrous foods can help.

Cleaning the Mouth

This isn’t just about brushing one’s teeth. It includes flossing (which removes material from between the teeth) and rinsing with a mouth wash. (Note: Some mouthwashes reportedly contain active ingredients that are inactivated by most toothpastes. Therefore, some people recommend that you wait a while after brushing before rising with a mouthwash.)

However, the biggest source of bad breath is apparently the tongue, which has been described as an organic shag carpet that traps odor-producing bacteria by the millions. Thus, people are often advised to brush the tongue. Yet this may be bad advice.

Some authorities claim that brushing the tongue merely spreads the bacteria around. Instead, they recommend using a tongue cleaner. It’s also important to note that the most critical portion to clean is the posterior portion of the tongue.

Note, also, that mouth washes merely mask halitosis. (OK, some mouth washes reportedly help fight odor causing bacteria.) Cleaning the tongue and brushing and flossing are more effective, removing the items that cause bad breath.

Dance Floor Maintenance

Once you’ve finished with your oral hygiene routine, you’re safe until morning, right?

Not necessarily. What if you snack on something during your night out? And what about “dry mouth” (xerostomia), a condition that contributes to the halitosis many people wake up with?

There are four strategies that can be used to fight these problems:

1. Repeat your oral hygiene routine.
2. Use breath fresheners.
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Chew gum.

Repeat Oral Hygiene Routine

It isn’t hard to carry a miniature toothbrush and tube of toothpaste with you. But it is an extra pain in the butt and can be a little awkward.

Breath Fresheners

Breath fresheners are a very common social dance icon. They include mints, breath strips and gum (more about gum shortly). I don’t know which ones are most effective. Just remember that breath fresheners don’t ordinarily zap halitosis; they merely mask it.

Drink Water

Drinking water helps flush bacteria out of your mouth and is the obvious antidote to “dry mouth.” Even more effective is saliva, which reportedly contains bacteria-killing antiseptic and enzymes.

So how do you stimulate salivation? Your doctor can offer solutions, but the most common solution by far is a three-letter word: gum.

Chew Gum?

Unfortunately, chewing gum is a controversial topic in the social dance arena, as evidenced by a forum discussion, Chewing Gum While Dancing (SalsaForums). There appear to be two dominant schools of thought. Some people prefer partners who chew gum to those who have bad breath, while others think chewing gum while dancing is simply obnoxious.

Yet it would appear that gum is superior to breath fresheners, since it can itself act as a breath freshener, and it stimulates saliva at the same time. One solution might be to chew gum in between dances. A better solution might be sucking on candy (preferably sugarless), which can also stimulate salivation.

If you insist on chewing gum, try a gum that is sweetened with xylitol, a sugar substitute that reportedly increases salivation and fights bacteria at the same time. It has also been claimed that cinnamon-flavored gums may be a good choice, as an ingredient in cinnamon appears to decrease mouth bacteria. Since sugar is bad for your teeth, choose a sugarless cinnamon-flavored gum.

However, people who practice proper oral hygiene can probably get by without chewing gum, which many people regard as offensive. Keep in mind that some people may not realize you’re chewing gum in order to freshen your breath. Fair or not, some people regard gum chewers as rude, arrogant or generally obnoxious.

Sweat Management

I would guess that sweat is dancers’ third most common hygiene complaint, after body odor and bad breath. Fortunately, the solutions are pretty obvious and generally simple.

For starters, dress appropriately (don’t wear a thick sweater on a hot day). Guys, in particular, often take extra shirts and/or a towel with them. Some men carry small towels in their back pocket.

The type of fabric your clothing is made from can make a difference. For example, cotton tends to absorb moisture. While researching this article I discovered a good tip on SalsaForums: Wear a vest, which can act as a sort of barrier between your sweaty body and your partner.

Another solution is to simply allow yourself to cool off between dances. Some dance clubs have big fans that overheated dancers can stand in front of.

Fingernails

No, I’m not talking about cleaning your fingernails. Most women do that as a matter of habit, and men with really dirty fingernails...well, I suppose that might be useful evidence that a potential dance partner has more serious problems.

What I’m talking about here is long fingernails on guys. Given the fact that one of the most common complaints from salseras is guys who tightly grip their hands or arms, it makes sense to keep your fingernails reasonably short.

References