Hair care from the pantry

So this is my Miranda's surprise for me. UGH!
She created this tangled masterpiece by using one of these,

(SIGH) Thank you toy manufacturers, really. . .

So, I sit down with a comb and some detangling solution and begin to work on the mass of knots in her hair. Thirty minutes later, the knot is unphased and I am beginning to think I am going to have to cut this monster out (sniff). Then I remember hearing about mayonnaise being used as a detangler for tough knots.Willing to sacrifice my daughter smelling like salad dressing over cutting her hair, I visit the refrigerator.

 I try about a tablespoon on the knotted mess. I massaged the mass for five minutes and the knots began to relax. I combed the knots out and washed my daughter's hair. The tangle crisis over! Huzzah!! Now I want to know why mayonnaise (a food product) worked better than a detangler solution (a hair product). So I go researching and this is what I discovered.

When hair is dry (as in, without moisture), the cuticle layers (the outside part of the hair) lift up and can get stuck to other hair cuticles, making tangles. When hair is twisted and knotted together (by certain "toys"), the cuticles cling to each other making a very nasty knot. Mayonnaise has oil and eggs in it, which are lipids (or fat) and protein. When these are applied to dry hair, the protein in the mayonnaise nourishes the dry cuticle and the lipids smooth the cuticle making them less likely to stick to each other. Each hair becomes slippery from the lipids and they loosen from each other. The detangling solution was water based, and therefore not as good to smooth the cuticle and nourish the dry hair.

Mayonnaise is also rumored to be a great intensive moisturizing conditioner, although there are mixed reviews.  Do you remember Julia Roberts in the movie Dying Young? Her whole of head was slathered in mayonnaise. It may work in extreme cases of dry hair, however I would only use mayonnaise as a spot detangler, rather than whole head application. It is very heavy with oil and is difficult to remove the residue completely. Plus, if you don't get it completely washed out, it may sour. After all, it is a food product.

Mayonnaise has also been used as a home remedy for lice, rather than using the harsh chemicals. The mayonnaise suffocates the nymphs and lice themselves, although it does not kill or remove the nits (eggs). The recommendation for this application is to thoroughly saturate the head and hair with mayonnaise, the full fat kind, (or olive oil) and wrap tightly with a plastic shower cap or plastic wrap and leave in place for 2-3 hours. Comb hair well, then wash thoroughly with shampoo and comb wet hair with a lice comb. To remove the nits, a vinegar rinse will dissolve the sticky substance that adheres the nits to the hair shaft. Then another good combing with a lice comb. This vinegar rinse should be repeated for 2-3 days to insure complete removal. I have not tried this remedy and do not know if it is effective, but it does provide an alternative to the harsher insecticides you would be putting on you or your child's hair.

While I was being studious, I researched why peanut butter removes chewing/bubble gum so well from hair. It is because the oils in the the peanut butter are attracted to the oils in the gum substance used to making chewing/bubble gum. This is why water does not work to remove gum from hair, because as we all know, oil and water repel each other. The gum will seek to stick to the dry hair shaft to repel itself from water. The oils in peanut butter, however, will bind to the gum and help loosen it from the hair shaft. Thus, making peanut butter a wonderful home remedy for removing gum from hair.

Well, I hope this little bit of information is helpful to you in some application. Do you have any tested and true hair remedies using pantry items? We would love to hear about them. Happy Tuesday to you,
Shannon