“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. I started using the egg yolks a year ago, as I was experimenting with different no-shampoo methods. While I loved the simplicity of baking soda to wash my hair, it wasn’t quite as thorough as I wanted during the detox period. So I tried eggs–and I’ve never looked back!
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 long 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 a quarter 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. Sometimes I follow it with my usual lemon juice rinse, but it really isn’t necessary. I feel my hair getting cleaner and smoother even before I rinse it. It’s THAT good.
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.
If you’re interested in learning more about ditching shampoo, you can read my posts about going no ‘poo here. (No shampoo, that is.) I’ve been doing this for over a year now, and I can’t see a time when I will ever go back to washing with shampoo again. My hair is cleaner, it is healthier, it is shinier. I only have to wash it once every week or two, because I’m not putting yucky stuff into it. And I’m not having to use any products either to style it, which is a huge change from before. Sometimes I just can’t believe it is this simple!
Thank you.
I have been wondering what I could do this summer to not have my hair be so dry. I was ready to chop it off. I’ll try the yokes first.
Hope the rest of your detox is going well. I’m slowly trying. It’s hard, but I plug away.
Kat
You might try using the egg whites as a face mask. I’ve been doing this for years and it tightens the skin and leaves it soft and supple. Just apply to the skin and leave on for 10 minutes.
I’ve been using egg yolks to wash my hair for a couple weeks now and I love it! It even gets coconut oil out of my hair, which I never thought possible without shampoo. It’s even pH balanced. (I’ve read it’s around 6 for yolk only) it has been leaving my hair a little dry and frizzy but I’m pretty sure that’s due to the damage I got from using the baking soda method 2 months ago. What a disaster!
Awesome! I love using egg yolks on my hair, and I was looking into egg yolk shampoos when I found your article. I never thought it could be used simply like that. I usually use baby shampoo that is free of all parfumes and SLS and everything unhealthy (as I have a very sensitive skin that can break out when using normal cosmetics) and I do a weekly egg yolk- youghurt-coconut oil-honey mask. This makes my hair absolutely amazing, but now I think I will try out using the eggs as a shampoo too! Thanks for sharing this!
So I actually tried it out today. Not becuase I want to go no-poo, but because I really belive that eggs are good for the hair and skind. My hair is amazing, the egg yolk really cleaned it, and I love the smell too (I rinsed it well so it’s not really egg-smelling). Thanks for the tip I think I’ll keep washing my hair like this once or two times each week.
D you shampoo again after the egg wash?
No. Egg yolk is an excellent cleanser. It IS my shampoo.
Hi, I’m new to no poo but already loving it 🙂 I washed my hair first with BS and then ACV and my hair felt fine but then I read ur blog and decided to give an egg yolk a chance 🙂 I add few drops of rosemary oil to my egg shampoo and I’m very happy with the result 🙂 I was just wondering… I want to try some oil mask for my hair (castor oil for scalp and jojoba oil for the hair) but worrying that if i do it I won’t be able to remove the oils from my hair with just the egg yolk…. Any thoughts? Thank you 🙂
Good article. I use raw egg and it makes my naturally dry and curly hair look moisturized and clean at the same time. I used to rinse with vinegar or lemon juice but stopped the rinse because it was drying to my hair. Now, I just use raw egg. I don’t know that its less expensive then shampoo, however, we always have eggs in the fridge so I never have to make a special trip to the store for shampoo, saving on gas. I also don’t have harmful ingredients seeping into my brain, saving on future medical bills! Its surprising the blessings that God has available for us within his creation that can be used for our benefit with none of the harmful side effects of man-manipulated ingredients.