If you live in the US, you probably remember the catchy jingle to advertise eating eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3Qm7kOGgGw There is another thing that the incredible, edible egg can do. Eggs can also be used as an inexpensive beauty treatment. Our grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and even our great-great-grandmothers used the egg for tighter skin and clean hair. In the book My Way of Life by Joan Crawford, she claimed that she never used shampoo on her daughters’ hair – only eggs. Diane Irons, in her book World’s Best Kept Beauty Secrets, touts the egg for a hair shampoo and skin tightener. Once a week, I use an egg for a skin tightening facial and a hair cleanser, and I must say, I am sold on it. For $0.35/week (I use organic eggs, and in my part of town, it costs about $4.25/dozen), I get a deep cleanser and condition for my hair, AND I get a skin tightener and refresher for my face.
For Clean Hair
Beauty writers and YouTubers differ on this. Some tout using only the egg yolk, while others tout using the whole egg. Personally, I use just the egg yolk, and I save the egg white for my face.
- I slightly beat the egg yolk with a splash of wine vinegar. In the summer, I’ll use a champagne or white wine vinegar, while in the winter, I’ll use red wine vinegar. (I’ve seen vloggers from India talk about using wine, but I haven’t tried that.)
- In the shower, I wet my hair with lukewarm (almost cool) water until it is sopping wet.
- I put the egg mixture in my hair and work it in my scalp and hair like a regular shampoo. I work it in for about 5 minutes.
- I rinse my hair thoroughly in lukewarm (almost cool) water.
I make sure that the water is lukewarm to cool, because the hot water will start cooking the egg in my hair, and that’s not an effect that I’m looking for.
For Tighter, Smoother Skin
From what I’ve read and seen in books, blogs, and video, I’ve seen two approaches:
- Using just the egg white on the face and neck
- Use the egg white on the face and neck, and then covering the face and neck with tissue paper
Personally, I use the egg white on the face and neck. I put the egg white on my face until it dries. Then, I splash a little water on my face and use a cotton washcloth to remove the egg white.