I can't stick to the pole :(

XhavokX started this discussion · 12/12/2012

So normally I have no trouble having my legs stick to the pole when I'm working out and doing choreography and stuff, but the past week or so it seems like no matter what I do, I just slide off :( I have a 45mm XPole XPert, and so far I've tried cleaning it with rubbing alcohol, using dry hands all over my body, and literally like warming up my body. I just don't get how normally I can get a layout done with no issue, but now when I even try I just plop right to the ground. Can anyone help?

21 replies

chemgoddess1 · 12/13/2012
Instead of dry hands try adding some moisture. Weather is changing and being too fry is just as bed as being to sweaty, if not worse! I use Vaseline intensive care lotion with aloe which is a glycerine based lotion in the mornings and I would suggest either or corn huskers lotion while you pole.
Veena · 12/13/2012
Yeah try using a grip aid that is for Increasing grip not impeding sweat. I like Lubriderm lotion (the night before I pole) and Cramers works too if you want super grip. If it's sweat that is the problem then try having a fan in the room. Also try steam cleaning the pole. I do this every once in a while, you don't need to do it all the time, but it removes build up. I find grip aids leave junk behind and the fabric steamer takes it all away. 😉
Black Orchid · 12/13/2012
Yeah I have no central air/heat in my olde house ( so its nothing but rolling space heaters)...my pole room gets two heaters and its still a little drafty. I slid and fell out of my shoulder mount this week :0 so I deifnitely need to try and add a little more warmth & stick to my pole!
Lina Spiralyne · 12/13/2012
Sounds like a typical winter-problem...I don't like it either. About five minutes of resting is enough for not sticking to the pole anymore. I've got itac at home (the sticky grip aid) but I don't like using it unless I absolutely HAVE to. It stays on the pole and can hurt quite a bit when the sensitive skin areas like thighs get into contact with it. What I usually do, just before jumping onto the pole, is to spray the parts of the skin that I need to grip with with the liquid I use for pole cleaning (I'm however sure water will work as well, but my pole cleaner is always in reach so I take that). Then I wipe it off with a towel. The point is just to leave some moist on the skin ("simulating" sweat), not to be wet. Then I stick better for at least a little while. It won't last for a whole song or so of course, but if there is a certain combo you want to try and need climbing grip or thigh grip for example, this can be useful:)
Cherished · 12/13/2012
I also had some slipping this week from the weather changing causing dry skin and had to moisturize more which worked. My lotion combo is Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizer and then I put Palmers Cocoa butter Stretch Mark formula that comes in the tin over. It gives my legs super moisture. I do this a few hours before poling and I stick better.
ShonaLancs · 12/14/2012
Cheap baby lotion helps my dry legs stick to the pole. Use it in the morning
Veena · 12/15/2012
Here is a video I made about steam cleaning the pole! https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/50ccac91-674c-4915-8e13-3b120ac37250
Ajrt2118 · 12/17/2012
It seems people you lotion to stick? I've been told not to but I have über dry skin. :(
chemgoddess1 · 12/17/2012
Glycerine based lotions are okay, oil/shea butter are not. Not all lotions are created equal! https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/4f5ba1f9-cea4-418c-bc49-6bb10ac37250
Ajrt2118 · 12/17/2012
Do glycerin based lotions moisturize in the winter? I know glycerin doesn't when used in curly/drier hair products. I need something cause I have DRY skin. lol
chemgoddess1 · 12/17/2012
Skin is not hair. I use glycerine based moisturizers year round.
Ajrt2118 · 12/17/2012
What are some brand examples that you use?
chemgoddess1 · 12/17/2012
There is a link a few posts above that discusses a bunch of different lotions.
CD Hussey fka Jivete · 12/17/2012
From my understanding, glycerine is a humectant, so it attracts water. If applied "dry", as is no added water, it probably wouldn't be very good for your skin/hair. If the amount of glycerine to water is out of balance in a product, it can pull water from porous hair (like curly hair), or so the theory goes. Wheras oils and silicones are more barriers, trapping moisture in the hair/skin. Dew point is basically just water and glycerine and so is Cornhuskers (from what I can tell). I've been using Cornhuskers and love it. Keeps me moisturized. Doesn't make me slick. Adds a little "tack" if I apply it right before pole. I love it. This is only my understanding of how these chemicals work. I'm not a chemist, though.
NonFlexy · 12/17/2012
Glycerine is a humectant - One of the great things about humectants is that they will pull water out of the air and deposit it onto your skin. If you live in a veryyy low humidity area, though, glycerine can pull moisture from the epidermis to use on the dermis (so, it's a net zero).
Ajrt2118 · 12/17/2012
Yeah. That's why I don't use it in my hair. Probably wont do my skin any good in a dry climate either. :/ not very sexy. Lol
chemgoddess1 · 12/17/2012
Again, hair and skin are TOTALLY different. Pore size first off is different, cell structure, living vs dead. You cannot say just because something does not work on your hair that it will not work on your skin.
BeccaBuck · 12/17/2012
I get very dry skin in the winter, one reason why I love ! I just use regular, Curel, unscented, lotion each night, after my pole session. By the time I pole the next day, it's been long enough it won't make me slick, but it keeps my skin moisturized. Doing this regularly keeps my sticky all winter!
moonflower · 12/17/2012
Chemmy, does that mean that glycerin will not make the skin dryer in the long run when used in very dry climates? I find in the dead of winter, with the heat blasting, doesnt; work as well and can even give me drying skin when used too often. Is it cuased by something else?
dustbunny · 12/17/2012
You could try running a humidifier too. :-)
chemgoddess1 · 12/18/2012
I have not experienced glycerine drying out my skin, but then again, I do not live in a very dry climate. I have had more issues with body washes drying my skin than I ever did with any lotion. Since I switched to hand made soaps I have not had the horrible dry patches I used to get. This is one of my things I "collect" now. Whenever we travel if tehre is someone who is selling soap I typically pick up some. This past weekend I got a milk based peppermint soap from the tree farm where we stalked and killed our christmas tree. The biggest thing anyone can do is to stay properly hydrated. During the summer I have no problem drinking enough water but during the winter grabbing a glass of ice water just is not my #1 beverage of choice.