Mayonnaise Isn’t Just For Your Ham Sandwich

According to wikipedia.com, the first ready-made mayonnaise was sold in the US in 1905 at a little deli in New York owned and operated by Richard Hellmann. It is reported that Mr. Hellmann sold his wife’s mayonnaise in open wooden boats. This of course would be used as a spread for a sandwich. But we have found an array of different uses for mayo other than on your ham sandwich. Who knew?

A Hair Conditioner

Use just enough to thinly coat your hair. Work the mayonnaise through your hair with your fingertips. Then use a comb and pull the mayonnaise through to the ends of your hair. Allow the mayonnaise to stay on your hair for at least 30 minutes before washing out with your regular shampoo. If you have extra dry hair and scalp, you can pile the hair up on your head, put on a plastic shower cap, and leave it on all night then shampoo the mayonnaise out in the morning.

Facial Mask

Use about a teaspoon of mayonnaise. You can either leave the mayo out on the counter until it gets to room temperature, or put it in a microwave save container and zap it for a few seconds. If you microwave it, make sure you stir it well to ensure that there are no hot spots. You want it room temperature, not hot. Apply the mayonnaise to your face as you would any other mask. Leave the mask on for at least 15 minutes. After this time, with a wet, warm washcloth, remove the mayonnaise using an upward motion. The dead skin will roll off easily. You will need to rinse the washcloth often while removing the mayonnaise.

Remove Gum From Hair

Put about a half a cup of mayonnaise in a bowl. Using your fingers, apply enough of the mayonnaise directly on the gum, to cover it entirely. I found this method to work best when I applied it to the top and bottom sides of where the gum is located. Gently rub the mayonnaise into the gum with your fingertips. I mentioned getting a bowl with ½ cup of mayo because more than likely you will have to repeat this process several times. After a little rubbing, the gum actually will disappear.

Remove Road Tar

Apply a dab of mayonnaise to each place on the car where tar has splattered from the road. I worked in a small area at a time. Applying a dab to each space will allow it to start working before you actually have to rub. After applying the mayonnaise to the tar and letting it sit for a few minutes, with a clean rag, rub the area where the tar is. Again, this will remove the tar from the car. You may have to reapply and rework some areas where the tar is thicker.

Cuticle Remover

Apply a small amount of mayonnaise around your fingernail and let set for about 2 minutes. Using a cuticle stick, gently push the cuticle around the nail back. Also if you are prone to hangnails, rubbing a little mayo on the nail, and the skin surrounding the nail, will keep the skin soft and less likely to peel. You will need to rub the mayonnaise into the areas you are treating just as you would rub in a lotion.

Remove Glue Residue

If you have a container that you have peeled the label off of, but the glue residue is still there, or after washing, the container still feels sticky, apply a little mayonnaise over the sticky area. Then, with a clean dry cloth, gently rub the area using a circular motion. This should remove the residue from the container. You will have to use different parts of your rag. If you continue using the same area, you will just smear the residue on another part of the container.

Mayonnaise On A Sunburn

Cold mayonnaise directly out of the refrigerator applied to a sunburn will help relieve the heat from the sunburn. Also it is known that vinegar applied to a sunburn is a natural anesthetic and helps reduce the pain from the sunburn. Mayonnaise contains vinegar as an ingredient therefore by applying the mayo you get the benefit of both a cooling agent and pain reliever.

What unique ideas or suggestions do you have for the use mayonnaise? What have you tried? Did it work or not work?