Make It Yourself Monday - Winter Hair Conditioner

I hope that you had a relaxing weekend, and are prepared for the week!  Since it is Monday, it's time to make something! The dogs benefited last week, so this week we are going to move back to treating ourselves.
We all know that the winter wind and cold, or for that matter, the summer sun, wind and heat, wreaks havoc on our skin. What we often times forget about though, is the impact that the weather has on our hair. Over-exposure to the elements, aka that ski trip you took after Christmas, or that tropical vacation you took to get away from the cold, can make your hair dry and brittle. Even when you don't think that your hair is in bad shape, the following treatment is great for maintenance. The best part about it? You can make it yourself!


A hair conditioner that you can quickly whip up at home combines eggs, avocado and oils, and you don't even need to have eggs on hand! Simply peel and pit one ripe avocado and mix it together with one cup of mayonnaise (mayo is simply eggs and oil). The mayo, however, should be the all natural kind. You will be able to purchase this kind of additive free mayo in your local health food store, unless you are into making your own.
Mash the avocado and the mayo in a small bowl until it is well blended, then rub it onto your head and over all your hair. Take advantage of this time by massaging the scalp as you apply. Once you have it all mixed in and slathered on, cover your head with a shower cap (or plastic wrap if you don't have a shower cap) and relax for twenty minutes as the ingredients cook into your hair. Once your time is up, rinse and shampoo as normal.


If you want to be adventuresome, while at the same time saving yourself some money, as well as a trip to the health food store, you can easily whip up some mayo yourself....although you will have to have eggs! To make a simple mayonnaise all you need to do is to slowly add olive oil to an egg yolk (some people use the whole egg), while vigorously whisking. You must whisk hard enough to disperse the oil and continue whisking so that the water from the yolk and the oil will form the base of an emulsion. The lecithin, which is in the yolk, is also an emulsifier, and it will stabilize the mixture.
For the hair this is all that is necessary, but, when making a mayo for eating, you may want to add some salt, cider vinegar, and a bit of lemon juice for taste, as well as a tad of mustard, which will sharpen the taste and  further stabilize the emulsion. Today, many people add various other herbs, such as paprika, tarragon, or red pepper, to create a designer type of mayo.  It's all up to you, your taste buds and your imagination!

*Just a mixing note; when mixing the mayo, if the liquid starts to separate and it begins to look like a curd, just start over whisking another egg yolk, then slowly, very slowly, add in the curd. Keep on whisking and  it will turn into (emulsify into)  mayonnaise. A little patience goes a long way,
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Ingredients for Making Mayonnaise