One Good Egg
A simple recipe for “instantly smoother skin” from Care2.com recommends separating an egg white into two portions, washing your face with one half, and then patting the second half on your skin and letting it dry for about 10 minutes. As the water content of the egg white evaporates, the albumin pulls your skin taut, hardening almost like a clay-based facial mask. (Tho’ you canth thalk.) At first I thought those Care2 people were CUCKOO FOR COCOA PUFFS, but washing off the egg white with warm water for the second time really does have a remarkably softening effect on your skin, likely due to the moisturizing and protein-rich content of the egg white. Cracking the top of a cage-free, free-range organic chicken egg1 and following these no fuss, no muss directions is now something I incorporate into my skin-care regimen twice a week. I don’t have the wherewithal to painstakingly bubble and decant the 90 kinds of essential oils some natural skin-care recipes (insanely) require, but this one’s a cinch.
Slathering on the egg white on your face gets kind of goopy, but at least it’s sheer enough that you wouldn’t scare your brother into hightailing it in your opposite direction while shrieking something about the Phantom of the Opera. Not that I would know personally, of course.
So now you’re left with egg yolkâsave it for the next time you wash your hair and massage it into your scalp like a conditioner. (You can also try pairing it with castor oil or one of these other suggestions.)
And don’t throw away the eggshell. Crushing the shell and sprinkling the shards around your more-precious foliage will deter hungry slugs and snails. Alternatively, you can grind up the eggshell, stir it with some cornmeal and scatter the mix around some bird feeders. The calcium from the eggshell will help nesting feathered types lay better eggs. If you crack the top of the egg just right and wash the shell out, you can even use it as a starting pot1 for wee seedlings. How’s that for zero-waste pampering?
1Mine are from a farm in New Jersey where the chickens are “free-roaming” and “fed an all-natural diet.” I want to rear two chickens when we move to a place with a yard, however. I’ve already decided to name them Miss Lucinda and Miss Henrietta. They will have bonnets. Okay maybe just on Easter.
2No need for the Fakey MacFakeysons. Display them in an open egg carton for ze tres-country-chic look.
juanita said,
June 17, 2006 at 3:44 pm
“…Display them in an open egg carton for ze tres-country-chic look.”
Ha! Yah — I have a carton of broken eggshells on my shelf.
They’re meant to be used for drawing practise… that’s IF I stop procrastinating. I crush the rinsed eggshells for compost too.
I heart eggs.
And cosmically strange enough, I just told The Husb this morning about having my own chickens too, ” ‘Coz I want to know where my eggs are coming from, dammit!!!” (And not some tortured, brutally caged-up, hormone-injected hen.)
The Worsted Witch » Test Kitchen Witch said,
June 23, 2006 at 12:03 pm
[...] 4. DIY Hair Conditioner I also improvised this from different sources: 1 egg yolk (left over from your egg-white facial), 2 tablespoons of castor oil, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I found this actually worked a little too well, resulting in hair that was almost greasy, so the next time I do this, I’m going to reduce the amount of castor oil by 1 tablespoon. Still, if you have dry hair and are seeking one of those “deep-conditioning treatments,” this would do the trick. My hair became incredibly soft and shiny, and now I’m thinking of adding a few drops of lavender essential oil (and experimenting further) so this can replace my store-bought conditioner. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Sugary Skin Secret said,
August 15, 2006 at 2:58 pm
[...] Related articles: 1. Pinch of Salt 2. One Good Egg [...]