Any redheads here going to WDW?

[I-4Bound]

Hi, fellow redheads!

My 12-year-old is a redhead, too, and burns SUPER quickly. It's a struggle to keep us both from looking like lobsters, especially on water park days. We ALL wear rashguards/swim shirts to the pool now and slather on the sunscreen (I'm concerned about the chemicals, so we're all wearing the pasty-white zinc oxide now, unforunately!) We live down south, so we're pretty used to the heat and humidity, but Florida is pretty intense. I would suggest getting out of the park during the hottest part of the day for a little siesta. It definitely helps during the summer months!

 

[redheadx3]

Another ginger here. My 2 sons are gingers as well. We all burn easily especially myself and oldest son, we have the typical fair skin. Sunscreen always. As far as our tolerance for heat, I think it a personal thing & what you are use to. My youngest likes the heat, My oldest likes the cold. Myself, I have become able to tolerate either. I have a job were I teach outside in Houston, so I'm hot and sweaty at 95 to very cold at 40. I have found a hat is a must to shade my head & neck, & keep my head from burning, a wet bandana for back of neck, & drink cold water. Since I live in Houston where the weather is very much like Orlando's, it doesn't effect me.
.

 

[henry72]

Hmmm...feeling like the only redhead on here that doesn't burn easily. I don't like the heat but then again I am in Texas and am use to it. I just hate the humidity and my hair. Yuck!

 

[katiegirl]

Gingers unite!!! I am also a ginger and like everyone else heat/humidity/sun are not friends of mine. I have two colours to my skin - super pale or burnt red. My saving grace is that I live in SW Ontario so I only have to deal with it for maximum 4 month of the year!! I would never consider visiting WDW between May and Sept, even when I've been in both October and Feb., I've had to buy a large brimmed hat because the sun was too much! SPF 45 or higher is the way to go for our family.

 

[si-am]

My husband is a redhead but an anomaly. He loves heat and sun, and he tends to tan instead of burn. He makes me really angry because he's not as careful with sunblock as I feel he should be, actually!

 

[bumbershoot]

Hmmm...feeling like the only redhead on here that doesn't burn easily.

Not for long!

My husband is a redhead but an anomaly. He loves heat and sun, and he tends to tan instead of burn. He makes me really angry because he's not as careful with sunblock as I feel he should be, actually!

My son is a redhead with extra genetics going on.

He has copper hair and pale-ish skin when at home...and then an hour after he meets the son the boy goes golden (with freckles across his nose). That's with sunscreen and without, doesn't matter.

The ONLY time he has ever gotten a bit of sunburn was in the Caribbean when we went snorkeling on Castaway Cay and we spent far longer with our backs exposed to the sun than intended (b/c he was having lots of problems with his mask) and we had both had a huge reaction to our brand new sunscreen so I might not have reapplied the stuff we bought quickly (for $15 at the island store) properly.

So it pretty much takes being on the equator to burn him.

The extra thing I mentioned that he's got going on is that he's 1/4 Korean. That seems to protect him. He is a sweaty kid, but so am I, and except for the very occasional moment, I'm not a redhead. (my hair has had a strong red cast twice, both times when I was at a beach...it seems to react sometimes with salt air...and sometimes it'll look a tad bit auburn when it wasn't bleached blonde in my youth by living in CA or a mousy brown that happens in WA) My mom had lovely brown hair and was a sweaty person as well. So the sweat runs in the non-redhead family (though it seems we all have those genes hiding out).

And DH, who is half Asian (with black hair...you can understand why DS's ginger curls were a surprise!), changes color in a 15 minute walk in the sun. Total stinker. Only time he has ever been burned in 42 years is when I urged him to spend 10 minutes in a tanning bed to even out his farmer's tan. Whoops.

Not all gingers burn easily!

 

[Aeryn76]

While I am not a natural ginger (my mom said my hair was red when I was a baby but now it's dark brown) I am very fair skin with freckles and the sun is my enemy!. I was born and raised down south till I was 14 then we moved to Colorado. You think that living here would be ok but there is the high altitude and the thinner air that makes sun light strong. So I can burn quick and because of my sun issues I have had ezcema for like 10 years now.

The humid air sucks too, not gonna lie. I hated it when I lived down south and I forgot how bad it was till 2 years ago when I went to WDW for the first time.

I am going back in September and I am hearing about Frogg Toggs and I will get one to go with my SPF 50 sunscreen, my hat and maybe this t-shirt.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/7029/

 

[bocaj1431]

Another natural red head here.

I too hate the humidity and burn easily but I love the beach and all that comes with summer. When I went to DW the first time in Sept., I was not prepared for the heat and humidity. I have learned what to do so that I can manage DW during the hotter months.

- Bull Frog marathon mist continuing spray. I have never burned since using this brand. Love it. Just spray and go. You can find it in some drugstores or order it on line.

- Frogg togg. Definitely helps to cool down.

- My favorite trick is to bring a large ziplock glad bag. When the heat is really bad in the parks, I ask for ice or fill up the bag with ice at the nearest soda station. Place a little water in the bag and use on my neck. It works wonders. When I am through, I just empty the bag and save to reuse again.

- Frozen water bottles placed in the compartment closest to your back is another great tool to staying cool. I place 4 in the back pack and it really helps. The added benefit is; after the water starts to unfreeze, I have some really cold water to drink while at the same time saving money due to not having to buy water in the park.

- Moisture wicking shirts!

- Hats only make me hotter so I use a sunscreen made for the scalp to avoid burning and where shades to keep the sun out of eyes.

- Planning is key!!!! We only stay in the parks 3 1/2hrs max in the Morning then take a break around 12:30. Plan AC attractions intermittently to keep cool.

- What we often do is go to the water parks in the morning. We love them and you don't even feel the heat because you are constantly in the water.

Stay Cool and Burn-free!

 

[goofy4tink]

Both my dd and I are redheads....I'm really a deep auburn, but dd is a real ginger (gets that from her father's side of the family!!). She burns going out to get the mail at the end of the driveway!!! Lots and lots of freckles...she is a living Anna!!!
We have gone to WDW at all times of year, heading back in a month. She always uses sunscreen. And wears a vented hat if at all possible. We have used those cooling neck wraps before and they help a lot. We try not to wear sleeveless tops or tank tops in WDW.....short sleeved shirts are the way to go for us.
We try to hit the parks as early as possible and then head back to the resort to rest, swim and showers for a few hours. Then back to the parks at night. We drink lots of water, make many potty breaks. We tend to wipe ourselves down while on potty breaks and that helps a lot. And keep drinking water...not soda!!!

 

[rhondabee]

Yep, another redhead and I burn very easily.within a few minutes of being in the sun.

 

[ditsypixie]

Redhead here

The only thing that gets me through our summer trips (other than water and sunscreen and all that) is my Frogg Togg cooling pad around my neck.

I cut one in half and I wear it constantly when I am touring, pouring water on it often it keep it wet, wearing it like a scarf and sticking down my tee. It is seriously my best friend on our August trips, I couldn't go at that time without one. And as soon as I take it off, I am unbearably hot.

Love you Frogg Toggs!

I, along, with my 2 kids are redheads and I have been worried about our upcoming trip in June with the sun and heat. Thank you for mentioning Frogg Toggs! We have used them for the past several summers during travel baseball but silly me I hadn't thought of taking them to WDW. Thank you again!!

 

[LMN]

Interesting thread. Another natural redhead here (although now that I'm mid-40's my red hair is "chemically enhanced" to cover the gray. I think the reason most of us burn so easily and are not fans of the sun is that most red heads (myself included) have pale skin that does not tolerate the sun easily. I'm in Texas, so used to the heat/humidity, but you won't find me out in the sun for very long ever. The exception is when I go to WDW. But I do seek out indoor rides and gift shops and restaurants quite frequently.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Interesting thread. Another natural redhead here (although now that I'm mid-40's my red hair is "chemically enhanced" to cover the gray. I think the reason most of us burn so easily and are not fans of the sun is that most red heads (myself included) have pale skin that does not tolerate the sun easily. I'm in Texas, so used to the heat/humidity, but you won't find me out in the sun for very long ever. The exception is when I go to WDW. But I do seek out indoor rides and gift shops and restaurants quite frequently.

I am 37 and my hair is now chemically enhanced too. I am rather ticked tho. I read that reds were usually the last to go gray/white. Anyway, I LOVE the sun and heat. But it doesn't love me back. The thing that helped me the most was not drinking pop and lots more water.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I am 37 and my hair is now chemically enhanced too. I am rather ticked tho. I read that reds were usually the last to go gray/white. Anyway, I LOVE the sun and heat. But it doesn't love me back. The thing that helped me the most was not drinking pop and lots more water.

There seems to be two kinds of red hair in my family...one type goes gray, strand by strand, and earlier in life.

The other type of red fades to a blondish color very slowly. My mom still hasn't felt a need to dye and she is 70.

Still waiting to see which one I am. Any day now I will probably find out lol

 

[ArwenMarie]

I, along, with my 2 kids are redheads and I have been worried about our upcoming trip in June with the sun and heat. Thank you for mentioning Frogg Toggs! We have used them for the past several summers during travel baseball but silly me I hadn't thought of taking them to WDW. Thank you again!!

Perfect! My red-haired kids love the Frogg Toggs too.

 

[Disneylover99]

There seems to be two kinds of red hair in my family...one type goes gray, strand by strand, and earlier in life.

This is me. I started to go gray in my late 20's and my hair has always been thick and course. But I've been going gray slowly. Now I'm mid 40's and I have never coloured my hair. Most people assume that I'm just adding highlights to my hair. One day soon I'll be more gray then red though, and I guess it will be time to dye.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

There seems to be two kinds of red hair in my family...one type goes gray, strand by strand, and earlier in life.

The other type of red fades to a blondish color very slowly. My mom still hasn't felt a need to dye and she is 70.

Still waiting to see which one I am. Any day now I will probably find out lol

I never met my great grandma, but my mom said she didn't have a gray hair on her head when she died at 72. I'm jealous of her and your mom! Good luck Arwen - hope you take after your mom. My hair turned rather brownish before I started getting the grays. I just started coloring this year and when my niece (also a ginger) saw me for the first time she said "Annabelle - you have red hair just like me". I wonder what color she thought it was before.

 

[SpaceRangerEric]

Being a bald redhead, I really can't spend much time in the sun without burning. It has become second nature to use SPF 30. I really have no problems otherwise. There is nothing to the thought that reds can't handle the heat though. Just use prudent protection, sunscreen and hat.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Being a bald redhead, I really can't spend much time in the sun without burning. It has become second nature to use SPF 30. I really have no problems otherwise. There is nothing to the thought that reds can't handle the heat though. Just use prudent protection, sunscreen and hat.

I read an article a few weeks ago that suggested reds have a harder time regulating temps.

 

[SpaceRangerEric]

If you still have a link, I would love to read that. Stuff like that interests me. Thanks in advance.

The only thing I have seen scientifically is a higher sensitivity and threshold for pain (nothing major though) and an increased resistance to anesthetics (I can attest to this one. Makes dental visits a nightmare). NIH has some studies on their site.