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| Pure mayonnaise |
Now, everyone knows hair is made from protein. It has been said that using raw natural ingredients is not effective for our hair as the particles are too big to get absorbed by our hair. This is not false, but not entirely true either - it always depends on your own hair.
If you have thick strands that are rough, and difficult to penetrate, its always more effective to use chemical treatments where the protein has been broken down to small particles which makes it easier to be absorbed into your hair. These are treatments with hydrolyzed proteins - which work for everyone, like the Joico K-Pak reconstructor, Aphogee 2-step protein treatment, etc. Even if your hair was fine or sensitised or porous, this will work as well in filling up the strand with the missing proteins.
However, if you have been what I've been thru you will relish the thought at a chemical-free, natural alternative protein treatment that can prove just as effective. Now, I know I'm not the first person to preach about mayonnaise hair masks - but they really do work. These natural protein treatment have protein in its rawest state, which tends to be in bigger particles. This would mean that it would be harder to work on hair that is tough and difficult to get absorbed into - does not mean it can't work! It will just take longer, that's all. The thing about natural alternative to chemical treatments is that it is slightly more inconvenient than the chemical alternatives. But, sometimes your hair is worth the extra trouble. To me, its no trouble at all!
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| Ingredients used to make mayo |
Mayonnaise is basically an emulsion of oil, egg and vinegar/lemon juice. I'm not gonna ask you to make your own mayonnaise, but if you want to I won't stop you. I use regular mayonnaise that we get at grocery stores. It is rich with fatty lipids that is amazing in taming fried, dried, flyaway, fine hair. It also makes your hair softer and shinier. More importantly, the egg in the mayo is the main source of its awesomeness as a hair treatment - its one of the richest sources of protein in the world, which is why body builders always take it raw. And vinegar is a good conditioner and reparative ingredient for hair.
Okay... how is this going to help my hair?
Well, the very basic forms of the ingredients we find in our hair treatments and conditioners - just more chemically enhanced. Mayonnaise on its own is a very rich protein treat for our hair. It will help tame wild, frizzy and curly hair. It will help control all flyaways by nourishing it. Fine hair can become denser. And dry hair will go bye-bye. And most importantly, damaged hair will be revived!!
Great, how do I use it?
Now, this is a tricky question because there is no single way to use it - which is why I love natural hair treatments. There is always this freedom to pick and choose what you want to put together to feed your hair's needs. Mayonnaise on its own is great already, but if you have read my post on the distress my hair has been through it would never have worked so well on me if I were to just use it on its own. Here's a list of things I have mixed into my hair mask and how it has helped my hair(please note that you can mix more than one or two things in your mask, but dun mix more than 5-6 ingredients because then the effect of the ingredients are watered down):
Honey:
This is a natural humectant. By mixing it in, you are adding moisture to your hair while the protein works. Although mayonnaise is an oil based emulsion, the protein is also very strong, so it can be quite drying at times. This helps add a more moisturizing component to the hair treatment.
Coconut oil:
Coconut oil is one of the best oils for your hair -its moisturizing, strengthening and reparative. I will write another post just on this later because it is that good!
Egg:
I usually add an another egg into my mixture because I need the extra protein. However, if your hair is not chemically damaged, extremely dried/fried, or porous, please refrain from using another egg because there is something known as 'over-killing with protein'. When you have too much protein in your hair, you might end up worst off. It can result in brittle and dryer hair. Which is also why we must always deep condition after any protein treatment, even if we use moisturizing one. One extra egg is more than enough!
Apple Cider Vinegar:
This stinks as hell, but my dad always says "what is best for you rarely appeals to you". This is honestly one of the best conditioners for hair. Its non greasy and really makes your hair shine. Some people even just mix a tablespoon of it with one cup of distilled/boiled water (cooled of course) and use it as a spray-on moisturizer on a daily basis. It works really well.
Aloe vera oil:
This is also really good for dry hair and it has strengthening qualities.
Your best strong-smelling conditioner:
This helps with the smell. I hate the smell of mayo. I use this really cheap conditioner I got from www.hairdressing.com.my called 'Rene protein hair treatment'. Its not a good protein treatment, but its an amazing conditioner and it has a very strong perfume smell that can sorta beat the horrible smell of mayo and apple cider vinegar. I got the huge tub u see for like RM40.00.
Essentially, you can mix almost anything (please check whether the ingredient you want to mix in is good for your hair before using it) into your treatment. Always mix in ingredients according to your hair's needs. Don't blindly follow recipes online as it might not work on your hair type.
Now that I've made my treatment, how long do I keep it on?
This depends entirely on you. My advice however is as follows, if you want to see some sort of instant change:
Virgin hair or hardly damaged at all -about 2 hours
Dry/Frizzy hair, but not badly damaged - at least 2 to 3 hours
Damaged hair (mild to normal) - about 3 to 4 hours
Very damaged hair - about 5 to 6 hours
If you leave it on for too short a time, you might not get the results you want as fast. And, like I said before, these results vary according to hair type and structure.
Natural ingredients are slower in giving results than highly concentrated chemical ones, but they are effective nonetheless. They are kinda like your cheaper, customised and harmless alternatives to chemical treatments. They don't have the dangerous sulfates, parabens and other chemicals that can damage your hair. And, these are treatments that you can do till you're old and grey. They are kind to your wallet and very kind to your hair.
Why don't you'll give it a try and share your experiences in the comment box below so that everyone can read it and see if they want to try it. Its kinda why I started this blog - to share and provide a forum to discuss all the ways to help your hair. :)
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