I feel guilty.

Yeah, I know it’s nothing new. After all, my whole website is based on guilt. Working mom guilt. Tired mom guilt. Cranky mom guilt. As mommies, we are world-class guilt feelers. And at the moment I’m steeped in it. Why? No, I didn’t get tied up in traffic and miss my kid’s piano recital. Or forget to slather her in sunscreen for her field day at school resulting in a spray of freckles beneath her right eye in the shape of the Big Dipper. (although I HAVE been guilty of that one).

I cheated on my hairdresser. (Sorry Patrice). Well, I didn’t exactly cheat. I mean, I didn’t pay someone else to touch my hair. I didn’t even let them touch it for free. But I did have a meet and greet with someone who touches hair for living. A celebrity stylist in fact! His name is NICK ARROJO. And I’m now going to write about it on my website.

MAMMAKAZE got invited last week to a VIP event at a hair salon called RITUALS. I know, cool huh?

It’s one of those high-end, fancy places where they use razors instead of scissors to cut your hair. And then your head ends up looking like a work of art… or January Jones during one of her “walks of shame”. How does her hair look so fabulous after her wild nights? Does she have a stylist on call who tracks her via lojack (because you know Jan has no clue where she is in the morning)  who comes rushing over to floof her for the paparrazi who are waiting by her car that’s parked caterwonky on someone’s lawn? Nope, I’m pretty sure it’s the result of a razor cut and fine hair care products.

Speaking of FINE HAIR PRODUCTS. That’s why I was invited to Rituals. The salon has gotten into bed (figuratively, not literally as is January’s M.O.) with celebrity stylist NICK ARROJO – he of WHAT NOT TO WEAR fame (click HERE to read all about him).

Nick was touting his line of haircare products, which will be carried at Rituals and other such fine salons around the country.

A group of us bloggers got to sit and chat with him about his hair care line while noshing on lovely finger foods. He gave us his background – which was quite impressive – and I asked what I felt was the most important question of the evening.

“What would you do with my hair?”

No I’m kidding. Everyone asks him that and I didn’t want to be one of those hair groupies. Besides, I was way overdue for my hair appointment and so I was afraid of the answer. I’m nothing if not fragile when it comes to criticism – real or perceived.

No, the question I asked was this:

In a world of hair care products and recessions and moms on budgets who have to be careful how they spend their money – why should they buy YOUR products?

To which he replied (and I’m paraphrasing because I didn’t have one of those fancy recording devices that true reporters carry and I don’t know how to use the memo function on my phone):

According to him, most  high quality hair care products will do a good job with your hair. The differences are in the ingredients and the price. His products:

1) DO THE JOB

2) have organic ingredients and are sulfate and sodium-chloride free (which Patrice tells me is pretty amazing for quality haircare products)

3) Smell FABU – it’s the Verbena.

4) Are NOT tested on animals and…

wait for it, wait for it…

5) Are priced between $12 and $18 – whereas other high-end products are $25-$35.

I gotta say, 5 very good reasons to use his products.

And as a mom who aspires to “greenness” and “chemical-free”, I was especially impressed with his standards. I mean, the guy refused to jump on the Brazilian Blowout bandwagon because he knew the formaldehyde was unhealthy for his clients and his stylists who would be exposed to it all day. At $200 a pop, he passed up some big $$$$$.

Forget six-pack abs. Being socially and health conscious are the new SEXY! Me likey!

At this moment, my complimentary Arrojo products are being tested by a non-biased MAMMAKAZE. One who didn’t benefit in the form of fancy finger foods and signature vodka drinks.  I’ll keep you posted – although I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be great.

Meanwhile, to purchase his products online (so you can have fabulous “walk of shame” hair without the shame) click HERE…

THANKS MY MAMMAKAZES!

NOTE: Coming soon, a link to a fabulous skin care product created by a fellow mom blogger who uses her ad budget to support an orphanage in Africa and a website where your kids can ask tough childhood questions… to a dog!

Our lives have changed a lot since we discovered Julia has a sensitivity to gluten and refined sugars. Most notably are the multiple weekly trips we take to Whole Foods. It’s one of the only places we can get the food she can eat.

I’d never been there much. I was always a Trader Joe’s gal because it’s cheaper and I found the extra two mile drive to Whole Foods to be pretty daunting. And all those Priuses! Jeez! Yes, I know I drive one. But I don’t buzz around acting like I’m single-handedly saving the planet. I mean, I still haven’t totally figured out the recycling codes on the bottom of those plastic containers. And can’t for the life of me remember if construction paper and milk cartons go into the green trash can.  And anyone who tells you they have it figured out is LYING!

Anyway, I ran across this video. It’s really true. Especially the part about the lady in yoga pants. It’s a required uniform for perusing the gluten-free aisle. Which is why I get dirty looks. I don’t have yoga pants because I don’t have a yoga butt to go in them. But that’s a different post.

Enjoy this music video. Heads up though. If you don’t know what Quinoa is, you might not get it.