Edwardian Egg Wash for Hair

"Occasionally an egg shampoo is more beneficial than the usual one of soap. This is especially true when one has just recovered from a fever or when one's scalp is in an unhealthy condition or afflicted with dandruff. The rosemary formula is very effective.

Blond hair should always be washed with the yolk of an egg, as that will make it keep its golden tints. Mixing the egg with a pinch of borax and a pint of warm water is a good plan."

So says Madame Qui-Vive, continuing her lessons on the care of one's "halo." Another book of the period, The Woman Beautiful (coincidentally, having the same title as one of Qui-Vive's own books) elaborates:

"There is no better shampoo for the hair than an egg, well-beaten with about an ounce of water, and rubbed thoroughly into the scalp. It is not merely a detergent, cleansing the scalp and hair of the dirt, but is tonic in its effect and strengthens the scalp. The yolk contains natural food for the hair, iron and sulphur; while the white, being a mild alkali, finds its congenial mate in the oil from the sebaceous glands, and they mingle in a saponaceous lather. It should be thoroughly massaged into the scalp with a rotary motion, beginning in front over the forehead and going back to the crown, then forward to the temples, and back and forth, till the fingers of the two hands meet at the nape of the neck."

Qui-Vive also gives this alternate recipe for an egg shampoo:

"Shake the yolk of an egg in a pint of alcohol, strain and bottle. To a bowl of warm water add two tablespoonfuls of the liquid."

I've tried the simple egg and water version of the egg shampoo, and found it to produce an effect similar to the "macaroni hair" of Alphonse Mucha.