by Rhonda Carver

Created on: April 19, 2009

As I was thinking on this article and the benefits of mayo as a hair conditioner, I remembered the time I used mayo when my middle child came home from kindergarten with a case of hair critters . . .lice (my head itches with just the thought). I've heard other's say it worked, so I tried it. I applied it to her dry hair, left it on for three hours, and then washed her hair. Did it kill the lice? Yes. Did it moisturize her hair? Yes, but it was oily afterwards. Did she complain the entire time? You bet.

Since I've never tried it for myself, I decided I would give it a whirl and see what it did for my fine locks. There was nothing to lose. I wash and towel dry my hair. I slather a half cup of the real mayo on my wet hair, resisting the urge to grab a turkey sandwich with a healthy dollop. I'm instantly transformed into a magnet to my curious, and hungry, cat and dog. And I began to melt. I'd rather keep the greasy goo on my head and not my face so I applied layers of plastic wrap. I wanted nice locks not a case of acne. Two hours later, (why two, I don't know, it just sounded like a good time frame) I peel off the layers of plastic wrap that had kept the goo in place. I'm instantly aware of how stringy my locks are. But I remain hopeful.

Well . . .Am I moisturized? Yeah, I'm moisturized alright. I don't think my hair is supposed to look like a wet noodle, but it does. I wash it again. Oil remains and the smell is overbearing. Uh-oh. I wash it again, this time with a stronger shampoo. This time it appears less oily and more vibrant. But nothing any different than my two-bucks-a-bottle conditioner. I'm not impressed. Plus, I feel icky. There's just something unattractive about having mayo on your head. The smell remains. If you've ever had a perm, then you get the idea.

I could see how mayo may work work on very dry, thick, brittle hair. One would need to adjust the amount of time to leave on hair according to the damage to their locks, but for a woman like me who has fine, oily hair it's too greasy. Also, who wishes to smell like a deli sandwich? My cat and dog are still salivating at the mouth. My husband kept me at arm's length. He hates mayo and the smell was repulsive, I can't say I blame him. I think I'll choose mustard on my sandwich next time.

My suggestion . . .stick with a good, salon-quality moisturizer and leave the mayo as an accessory to a sandwich.

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