There are a million things to marvel about when watching National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden perform. But for a beauty editor, her hair has to be tops (or at least a close second to her jetés).

Case in point: I recently saw her dance at a gala fundraiser. By the end of the song, when the rest of us mortals would be sweaty, frizzy disasters, her updo was still red-carpet-worthy. Then, 10 minutes after her performance, she appeared in the crowd with her hair in soft loose curls.

Naturally, we got Ogden, who has partnered with Nexxus Salon Hair Care, to spill all her secrets.

How do you prep your hair before a performance? I do try to make sure my hair isn’t too clean. I usually wash it the day before with Nexxus Emergencée Rebalancing Shampoo and Restorative Conditioner. In the morning I will set my hair in a similar hairstyle to what I will be doing for the show at night just to “train” my hair.

OK, Heather, tell us your secrets to preventing flyaways? Over the years I have learned a few tricks! While I’m putting my hair up I will often use mousse to shape the hairstyle and keep it workable and then I’ll use hairspray to set it afterwards. When I’m using bobby pins I always put a few in sideways around my ponytail to give the other pins something to grab onto when I do my bun. This makes all the difference.

What’s your favourite part about getting ready for a performance? I love the ritual of doing my hair and makeup. It helps my get into character and it’s a time to reflect and relax before the show. For special roles our company hair and wigmaster will come and do my hair. I always find it peaceful letting someone else do my hair and getting to chit chat while getting ready.

When you’re not on stage, what’s your favourite way to wear your hair? Down. My hair is usually up all day and its nice to just feel relaxed and natural when I’m not in the spotlight.

Any hacks to transition from a bun to your curls? This is always a tricky transition. My hair is usually quite sweaty after the show so I often won’t put it all the way down unless I have time to wash it. Sometimes just brushing it through with some dry shampoo does the trick.

What are your must-have makeup products for when you’re on stage? M.A.C. lipstick in Hot Tahiti is my favourite for on- and off-stage. Arbonne Makeup Primer and mineral face powder, fake eyelashes and Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Black Eyeliner.

What’s your makeup MO when you’re just hanging out? I am big on eyebrows. My eyebrows are very light and I like them much better when they are filled in. I use a Benefit eyebrow pencil. It’s a little bit waxy so it helps tame them too.

How do you remove stage makeup? I usually start out wiping my face with a cleaning wipe. I like Simple makeup remover wipes. After that I wash my face with my usual face wash and then use makeup remover if I have any excess eyeliner left over. I always put on a heavy moisturizer afterwards to help my skin recover from all that makeup!