“Ewww….Really?” That is usually the first response I get when I tell people that I use egg yolks to wash my hair. Then they start studying my hair looking for signs of eggs. I’ve gotten used to it, but I’m here to tell you, egg yolks–they ROCK.
Full of protein and all kinds of good things for your hair, they also contain lecithin, a natural cleanser. Washing with egg yolks conditions your hair as it cleans it. It has been revolutionary in my journey to ditch shampoo. My hair is silky, soft, and even fluffy. I don’t know that “fluffy” is a word normally used for hair, but my hair is fluffy and light!
So here’s how it works: for my shoulder length hair I take one egg yolk and place it in a plastic cup. I poke it with a fork, to break the yolk, and scramble it for about five seconds. In the shower I will add about half a cup of hot water to the cup, so that it spreads evenly over my head. (Added benefit: it warms the egg so it isn’t cold against my scalp.) I pour over my head, concentrating on my scalp and the back of my head. I gently scrub it into my hair, as if I was lathering shampoo. (It doesn’t lather, but it is the same motion.) Rinse as usual. I follow it with my normal lemon juice rinse, to smooth and shine my hair.
One of the most common questions I’m asked is “Doesn’t it feel gross?” Actually, no. I’m not much of one for slimy things, but shampoo and conditioner is pretty darned slimy themselves. The egg yolk feels a lot like thin conditioner in my hands.
Even if you’re still using shampoo, this is a great hair treatment to use once in a while! It will replenish your hair with natural proteins and make your hair really silky. If you’ve got thicker or longer hair, two yolks might be needed–but for my shoulder-length fine hair, one yolk generally is enough. I don’t recommend using the egg white to wash with. While it won’t hurt your hair, it can cook in the hot water–leaving you with rubbery white bits in your hair. Egg yolks don’t do that. I simply save my egg whites in the freezer, for use later in cakes and meringues.
Can this be like a no poo alternative? I mean use only egg for every hair wash? Doesn’t it cause dandruff or other problems?
i tried this once, and i liked it very much. It looked like been washed with shampoo…nobody could tell the difference:)
That’s exactly what I do–I use egg yolks instead of shampoo. The only thing is that you can’t do it four or five times a week–there is such a thing as too much protein in your hair. Once a week is the max. I use castille soap or an all-natural conditioner for any other washes I need. Neither have harsh chemicals and both leave my hair clean but with the natural sebum intact. I really only wash my hair once every five or six days now, so the egg is my most frequent method of hair washing.
how do you separate the whites from the yolk please??
Hi Galina,
Here is a helpful video for you on how to separate the whites from the yolk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaXYjgPoiT0