The Interesting Adventures of Healing a Head Tattoo

Last Saturday, I snuck in a pretty substantial ink session with Mike DeVries down at his MD Tattoo Studio in Northridge, California. He worked on portions of my head tattoo, a project that we began, along with Mike DeMasi, almost five years ago. The three of us are ready to revive what we started up atop my head and I'm so excited about it (especially after seeing what beautiful creativity Mike unleashed last weekend).

Let me tell you though, I had forgotten just how tricky it is to heal a head tattoo.

The first few days are fine, as the close Bic-shave that's necessary for tattoo work to be done on the dome is still quite fresh, and the ink is easy to clean and take care of.

But man, when those prickly hairs start growing back (which is super quick), it not only forces the ink up and out, but it sort of collides with the aftercare products (btw, I'm currently using Ink Butter and I love it) as well. Because let's face it, lotion + fuzzy hair = sort of hilarious trying to make the two cooperate and become friends!

Now that my ink is starting to flake off, it's extra itchy, as if there is colorful dandruff exfoliating from my head. Maybe Head Tattoo Shampoo could be a new market for Head & Shoulders! Not to mention if I used a cleaning service at my home, like Busy Bee Cleaning Services, I can only imagine what they would think as they ran a vacuum over the carpets.

I'm not complaining though, don't get me wrong. I am SUPER excited to get this head tattoo rolling again. It's just quite an adventure...this head-healing scenario, and so very different than healing most tattoos.

Not to mention that I dare not shave my now-fuzzy noggin for at least another week or so...and believe me, the clippers will be begging me to bring them out and switch them on once you can't see traces of ink any longer. Doh! ;) Plus my dry cleaning service doesn't mind the extra business (LOL).

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Soiree Cookie Recipe

If you have bananas that are getting mushy and showing signs of brown spotting, don't let them go to waste! There are many uses for them; even if you just peel, smush, and freeze the bananas, you can use them at a later date in baking.

Bananas are a great vegan substitute for eggs in many recipes and I use them often, so having a few tucked away in your freezer is a smart idea.

If you see your bananas closing in on their last day, one fun usage for them is this cookie recipe. I call them Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Soiree Cookies because they are like a little party of ingredients that collide and delight!

They are really easy to make, so let's get started.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Soiree Cookies

Ingredients

• 2-3 very ripe bananas (depends on the size of the bananas as to whether you use two or three)

• 2/3 cup canola oil

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 3 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups flour (add extra tablespoons if necessary to get it to good creamy consistency, when blending the flour mixture - see below)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 4 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal

• 1/2 cup of raw, unsalted sunflower seeds (can use a different kind of nut if you prefer)

• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli's semi-sweet)

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray baking sheets with oil (or use parchment paper, which is what I prefer).

2) In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas well.

3) Add oil, sugar, and vanilla; then mix with bananas.

4) Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just moistened.

5) Add oatmeal, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips.

6) Make sure that oats are well moistened (if dough is too slippery, add a few tablespoons of flour until the consistency is nice and creamy).

7) Use a cookie dough scoop or spoon to add little round dough balls onto cookie sheet.

8) Bake 10-13 minutes depending on oven - watch them carefully after about 10 minutes.

9) Remove from pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

10) Enjoy!

*Makes about 4 dozen

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies