Cranberries Part 2: "Where'd They Get That Red Hair?"

This question is addressed to me when I'm with my children. I hear it at least once a week...and after 4 1/2 years it throws me into a homicidal rage! The first time it happened, my son Jake, was hangin' out in the Baby Bjorn. We were head to head at the ticket counter in the airport getting ready to rendezvous with Daddy in Maryland. The question was posed by a gate agent -- a self-proclaimed "former redhead". At first I thought he was joking. He had to be.

OK...before I get too far ahead of myself. Let me introduce you to the family:

This is me

These are my kids, Jake & Delila (aka: Buddy Boy and Ladybug)
(Yes, I have better pictures of my kids, but I just can't resist sharing this crazy photo with the world as often as I can. Admit it -- made you laugh!)

This is me with my kids
(and yes, I hate this picture of me in the "will call hat", but it's the only one I have of our three heads together.)

Now seriously...would you ask this woman where her children got their red hair?!? Am I not a redhead? My friends don't understand why this question sends me around the bend. That's because they're not redheads.

You see, I was stereotyped the moment I was born, and I've been defined by my hair ever since. I was "the ginger one" (according to Uncle Maurice). I was called "Red" and "Carrot Top" (UGH!!). I was "fiery" and "hot tempered" (Ok, so maybe that part's a little true. In 1st grade Kevin called me Carrot Top so I whopped him in the head with my lunchbox - the old metal kind with the heavy glass thermos inside. Hey, he had it comin'!) And then as I got older I had to put up with all the "Hey...are you a natural redhead?" crap. "Why, yes I am. And no, I'm not going to drop my pants and prove it to you." Grrrrrr!

After a lifetime of BS like that, I'm entitled to be recognized for handing down the gene to my kids. I have earned the right to be a redhead forever! Granted, my hair doesn't blaze like it used to. The color's mellowed a little with age -- and so have I. (I haven't clocked anyone for asking me where my kids get their red hair...yet.) But I'm still a redhead, g'dammit!!!

That's where the cranberries come in. I have decided that, after 4 decades of going au naturel in the hair department, I'm going to give my hair a little boost. Apparently, rinsing my hair in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cranberry juice will liven up my red a bit. On the advice of my hairdresser, I'm using the regular stuff: Ocean Spray Lite Cranberry Cocktail. 'Lite' because I don't want my hair to get fat. (Huh? Wait. I'd love some fat hair...and some phat hair. Scrap that. I'm going fully sweetened!) And nothing organic or preservative free, because according to the haircresser, the purer the juice the more permanent the color. Since this is my maiden voyage, I'm going to stick with the stuff that will wash out after a few shampoos...you know... just in case I end up looking...well...like a cranberry.

I'm going to try it for a week. I'll post the before & after pictures for you. Now, if anyone would like to join me on this voyage, feel free. Here are a couple of options -- just in case you don't have what it takes to be a redhead:

Dark hair: rinse with 1/2 c vinegar mixed with 1/4 c soy sauce. Leave in for 15 to 20 minutes. (BTW, soy is very nourishing for hair -- loaded w/proteins that make hair nice and strong.)

Fair hair: brew a strong cup of chamomile tea. Spray/comb into dry hair. Leave in for 20 minutes before shampooing (sitting in the sun during the 'leave-in' period will further enhance the effects). This will lift the color and add subtle highlights to light brown and blond hair. The effects of this probably wont wash out since it's not really an 'added' color. If you have an itchy scalp, this should be great for it since chamomile is very soothing to the skin.

Let me know if you try it. And stay tuned for the results!

A Cranberry For My Thoughts

What am I thinking? I'm thinking about coloring my hair.

Why, you ask? And just what's that got to do with cranberries? Well, you'll have to check back later this week to find out.

Seriously. This is all I have time for today, but I didn't want to break my Sunday blogging streak. I know...it's a little lame, but then so am I. And seven weeks in a row of anything is a big deal for me.

See ya later!

Fun in the Sun!

That's what summer's all about, isn't it? Well...it is, unless you're "paper white" like 3/4 of my family. Actually, Daddy's skin is pretty blinding too but he doesn't have the redhead's skin that the rest of us do. "Fun in the sun" translates into "pain in the back" pretty quickly around here. And that's exactly what happened yesterday. After t-ball, we had a few buddies over for some serious splashing. And in spite of the "waterproof" spf 50 the whole family was wearing, that boy of mine ended the day looking like a steamed lobster.

It's times like these that I'm so glad I dabble in the area that I do. In my office, there's a cabinet. The second you open it, you know you've gotten into something special. Just opening the door fills the room with the most wonderful smell. That cabinet contains a little blue box. Inside the box are a bunch of little brown bottles, and inside those bottles...Mother Nature's answers to most of what ails us. It only took a few minutes to whip up an afterburn massage for my crispy boy. Here's the recipe:

1/2 ounce jojoba oil

1/2 ounce aloe vera juice

10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops German chamomile essential oil

Stir everything together until the ingredients are blended. The oils and aloe will separate without the use of an emulsifying agent, so you'll have to stir it occasionally. Spoon a little into your palms and massage into those red shoulders, backs, noses, cheeks, etc.

Jojoba oil is a great "carrier" oil. It's absorbed easily by the skin -- which means it's very effective at transporting therapeutic ingredients, and it doesn't sit on top of your skin making you feel greasy and icky. Pure aloe juice can go bad quickly if it's not handled carefully. It's a good idea to make small recipes like this one. That way you don't have to worry about it.

This recipe is very effective -- it cools the skin, takes a lot of the red out, and prevents peeling. Even if you don't burn as badly as we redheads do, sun really does take a toll on your skin. This easy formula is very restorative. You can find all of these ingredients at your local health food store, Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmer's Market, etc. Of course, if you don't feel like investing in an arsenal of botanical ingredients (it can get a little pricey), I know someone who'd be happy to prepare a little Summer Survival Kit for you. Bet you can't guess who! ;)