Posted on 24th Aug 2011 @ 10:17 AM

Mayonnaise is the ultimate skin and hair food. Egg yolk is a source of strengthening lecithin that in its turn feeds the hair with growth-promoting choline. Mustard is antiseptic and rich in antioxidant selenium, nourishing essential fatty acids and skin soothing magnesium. Wine or champagne vinegar – the latter used in authentic French recipes – exfoliates the scalp and the hair shaft, imparts a gorgeous shine, plus, vinegar improves the penetration of other ingredients. Sea salt is purifying and astringent, and olive oil is a well-known skin and hair conditioner. What’s great about mayonnaise is that you can use it if your hair is oily, thin, weak, curly, straight, or dry. It works well on absolutely all hair conditions because it has nourishing, astringent, clarifying, and glossing ingredients in a perfect balance.

How to apply mayonnaise masks

I would suggest heating the mayo lightly in a pan on a very low heat, whisking slowly, or in a microwave. The mayo must be slightly warmer that your body. Warmth helps spread the treatment between all hair strands. Since mayo helps condition the scalp, too, the warm oils open the pores and help decongest the scalp even better.

Mayonnaise and sunburns

Sunburn soothing secret in mayo is the amazing antioxidant compound in mustard called isothiocyanate. It has shown tremendous cancer-preventing promise. As an antioxidant, it helps protect skin cells from DNA damage. Selenium and magnesium in mustard also help soothe the skin, vinegar is soothing, and olive or sunflower oil (or whichever oil is used in the recipe) helps cocoon the skin with protective barrier so that it doesn’t peel or become dehydrated later. Most of us won’t tolerate pure mustard on sore skin but with soothing eggs and olive oil, mustard is more “palatable” for our skin.

Mayonnaise for home manicure and pedicure

I love the mayo “paraffin treatment” for hands or feet: scrub your hands and/or feet with sea salt, and then coat them with warm mayo, pop on plastic gloves or plastic bags and rest for 10-15 minutes. For a true spa-like effect, you can place your wrapped hands or feet in basins filled with warm water.

Adding essential oils to mayonnaise

Depending on the condition of your hair, I would add 5-6 drops of tea tree or lavender essential oil for oily hair, 5-6 drops of chamomile for dry hair, or an extra tablespoon of olive oil if your hair is very dry. This is often the case after summer holidays when hair suffers from too much sun exposure, chlorinated water in swimming pools, and sea water that draws out moisture from hair.

This article is available for reprint on your website, newsletter or a blog. Please link back to Petite Marie Organics: Organic Solutions for Problem Skin.