Restore Dry Brittle Hair

Chances are, you've noticed the rise in hair conditioners calling themselves "hair mayonnaise" or "mayonnaise treatments." These deep-conditioning products are meant to help restore moisture, strength, and flexibility to dry, damaged, or brittle hair...and they also cost a fortune! You can get all the same benefits with a real mayonnaise treatment, made from only the same natural, safe ingredients found in your everyday sandwich spread!

How It Works

Mayonnaise is a great conditioner for hair because it contains two vital building blocks: fat and protein. True mayonnaise is simply made of eggs and olive or other vegetable oils. The vegetable or olive oil is already in the perfect form to moisturize dry tresses, and the egg protein has been broken down enough to strengthen and help rebuild damaged strands. (Note: This is not necessarily true of Miracle Whip or other sandwich spreads, though. These products usually contain many more ingredients, like pickles and carrot bits, that you may not want in your hair. So it's best to stick with real mayonnaise for your deep conditioning treatments.)

What You Do

Applying mayonnaise conditioner is one of the easiest things in the world. First, make sure you work in the kitchen and are wearing clothes you don't mind getting a little messy. Then apply 1 to 3 tablespoons, depending on length, of real mayonnaise to dry hair. Use only enough to coat your strands once thoroughly worked through; too much will create a mess, as mayonnaise can get drippy.

Use a wide-toothed comb or your fingers to work the mayonnaise through your hair, then cover with a plastic cap or plastic grocery bag. Make sure the bag or cap fits tightly, to seal in heat and moisture and help the mayonnaise really sink in, and also to prevent drips on your clothes.