Fresh Foods, Farmers Market, and Hair Hair Everywhere

My friend, Dustin had a status update that reads, "The other day I explained how one stereotype about French women is anything BUT true; in fact, it's the exact opposite. Today, I'll be glad to tell you ladies why they have such healthy looking hair after an article I read online. It's because they only shampoo and condition it maybe once or twice a week. It never said anything about them not rinsing it or not bathing. It just says they don't shampoo it as often as American women do. That makes sense as to why their hair looks healthier because all those chemicals can actually damage your hair.

It's true! Whenever you dye, highlight, color, shampoo, condition, blow dry your hair or get perms, you're ruining it because of all the stress you're causing it. Believe me when I say nature knows best. We actually bathe and use soap way too much in our culture, and it weakens our immune systems sometimes. That's why they say now one of the worst places to go if you're sick is the hospital. All you have to do really is take a salt bath maybe every other night and use soap, shampoo, and conditioner maybe once or twice a week, and you should be good to go."

Anyway, this reminded me, that I had gotten turned onto this natural and organic stuff, called Godrej Nupur, a natural blend of 9 organic material, from my friend Ping.  Because this stuff uses 9 ingredients, it's more like a stain, rather than chemically coloring your hair, and it's good for your hair and scalp, from root to tip.  Here are the ingredients list, and what it does for your head -
Brahmi - a perennial plant that grows in India, and is high in antioxidants.  It promotes hair growth.
Shikakai - it means fruit for hair, and is made from acacia concinna bark contains sapoins, a natural soap/cleanser, helps gently cleans the hair as well as  makes the hair shine.
Aloe Vera - we all know what that is, and yes, it moisturizes hair, just as well as it does skin, and makes your hair silky.
Methi - a vegetable sprout, it conditions, nourishes, and revitalizes hair.
Bhringaraj - the oil from a false daisy plant, makes hair luxuriant.
Amla - is the Indian gooseberry plant, (it is a natural hair conditioner that can help fight dandruff as well) that darkens hair and adds shine and luster.
Neem - comes from a type of mahogany tree, is good for a lot of things:  antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.  It fights scalp infection and prevents dandruff.
Hibiscus - a bushy flowering plant, rejuvenates hair, making it shiny and silky.
Jatamansi - an Indian spikenard or muskroot, that has been used in medicine for centuries.  It prevents the graying of hair.
This is all combined with henna, to help your hair darken and also keep the depths of natural hair, for low and high lights that your hair comes with.

At some point in my young adulthood, I decided that no matter how flat or tired my hair looks, I wasn't going to use chemicals any more in my hair.  No perms nor coloring.  I've never been the type to use a blow dryer, just because I didn't see the point.  My hair is thick, and it's going to dry in it's own time, and as busy as I like to keep myself, I have better things to do.  Sure, I like to look good, but, I opt for the wash, comb, and go styles, that are easy to maintain.  I also hate using hair spray, because of the smell, and the fact that I couldn't get my hair to hold for more than two hours...  Consequently, my hair is still healthy.

But I really do need to thank my friend, Ping, because she is the one who gave me my first package of this organic color for my hair, and it also promotes having a "me" day, to just relax.  My son, Chad likes to use this stuff too, and his hair comes off slightly burgundy with his brown hair, and mine gets darker in some spots, and then copper colored highlights in other spots.

Now, speaking of organic stuff, I absolutely love farmers markets.  I can't 100% guaranty that they don't use chemicals, but...  because it's about as local as you can get, unless you have a back yard garden, the chemicals are bare minimum, because it's not in need of preservation.  They pick it, load the truck, and come out to the market, for all us city folk, to enjoy.  It is as fresh as fresh can be, and it's awesome!

I'd updated my status recently, stating that I'd bought a bag of spinach, eggs from range chickens, strawberries, popcorn on the cob, and my son got honey sticks.  Anyway, the strawberries were absolutely delicious!  I love strawberries, and I'm usually picky.  These berries were on the small side, but my son talked me into it, and I'm glad I got them.  My poor husband, Mike, did not get any, because I gave my son 1/3, I ate 1/3, and then when Mike left his, I proceeded to eat his, too...  I know, I'm bad.  Last night and tonight, we had home made sushi for supper.  Last night's was the sushi rolls, and tonight was a scattered sushi bowl, where the rice is on the bottom, and you top it with different things.  I used dried shiitake mushrooms that I reconstituted and seasoned, the spinach (blanched in seasoning), the eggs, Japanese pickled radish, and chopped seaweed.  The spinach was super good, as well as the eggs this way.  Tomorrow morning, I will do scrambled eggs for breakfast, probably.  What was neat, is the popcorn on the cob.  You stick the whole cob, shucked, into a brownbag lunch sack, close the end, and cook it for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your microwave.  You get practically perfect pop corn, and you can season it yourself.  I used olive oil and low sodium salt.  Because olive oil has the creamy, buttery flavor, you won't miss the flavor much in your popcorn.  And it's a healthier fat.  Chad actually likes this better than the microwave popcorn many of us have come to like, and this is straight off the cob, so it's super fresh, too!  :)

I just wish I could buy ALL of my produce this way...  There are more things I want to try, and now that fresh food is in season, farmer direct, will be a good way to try new things, or at least the fresh things.  Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings are the West Racine dates for the farmers market, across the street from the DeRango's on Washington Ave.  My favorite place for corn on the cob, when it's ready, is at Matt's Produce out on Braun Rd.