Does an egg, olive oil and honey mask work wonders on damaged hair?

[pamela_07]

So this girl which is Slavic told me she uses a hair mask once a week, which consist off: 1 egg,olive oil & honey.
I am wondering if this mask is really good or she is just lucky and has beautiful hair?:o:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[vampyyri]

That sounds rather "meh" to me... egg proteins won't do anything for your hair, as they're too big to penetrate the hair shaft, olive oil is usually too heavy for some and again is too large molecularly to penetrate (unless you have rather high porosity hair), and honey is a good humectant. It might leave a nice coating on the hair, but past that I'm not so sure.

[littlestarface]

It is a good treatment olive oil and honey really will do your hair really good n make it soft. If you do add an egg then only add the yellow part not the white.

[Hay_jules]

Be careful with the egg because depending on your hairs porosity and your own sensitivity to protein it's possible to get protein overload. I got it from one single egg and banana treatment. What the recipes usually say is for normal hair use the whole egg, if your hair is dry just the yolk and if it's oily just use the white.

[Anje]

I happen to like olive oil, as one of the few oils that really seems to make my hair feel soft. It's heavier than most and tends to make hair look oily more readily than most, but if I want some softening, olive is what I reach for. I prefer to use a couple drops as a leave-in, though.

Honey is another ingredient that works well in the right context. One of my favorite hair recipes, the SMT, uses honey, aloe gel, and conditioner. It's fantastic for hair that needs more moisture.

Egg is the one I'd hesitate on. People who need protein sometimes like it, but it seems to not be effective for long compared to more broken-down proteins like gelatin. Egg also has a reputation for being hard to rinse out of hair, and the people who use it regularly tend to advise using cold water. My hair rarely wants protein, so I mostly avoid it because I get rough and crispy hair if I use too much.

Bottom line: you might like it. None of it's likely to hurt, but it might throw things off a bit or be hard to get out. I'm not sure I'd personally use those three together in one treatment rather than picking and choosing them separately based on what my hair felt like it needed at the moment, but it's doable.

[animetor7]

Honestly for damaged hair I'd first try to figure out what you're doing to damage it and stop that before trying anything else. This mask might help some, but not in the long term if you don't also stop whatever led to the damage in the first place. After figuring that out, I'd probably go for an SMT before this mask, just because you have less of a risk of protein overload and the olive oil being too heavy for your hair. In the long run, it's what you do with your hair every day that's going to help with damage, not a once in a while deep treatment. Good luck! :) :flower:

[mermaid lullaby]

I want to add an emphasis on Anje's post. Do use olive oil as a leavin, otherwise it is super hard to wash out. Use 1-2 drops, should look like a light sheen on your hand (like the effect hand lotion has).
I would advise against egg, it makes your hair hard and stiff. Hard to do conditioning treatments until it washes out.
I never tried honey though.

[meteor]

I love honey+olive oil mask as a pre-wash treatment for extremely dry hair. I just need to be careful not to use too much olive oil and/or not too frequently. But I think humectant+occlusive action can be pretty good specifically for dryness. Damaged, porous hair often has difficulty holding onto moisture in dry environments, so I think this mask might help in that particular aspect...

I've never tried eggs, because, honestly, I'd rather eat them instead :p, and I don't see how molecular size of egg protein could penetrate under the cuticle. I do use gelatin quite a bit as a DIY protein treatment though, and I think it helps temporarily strengthen fragile strands by coating them and making them a tiny bit stiffer. Gelatin is partly hydrolyzed collagen, which is pretty medium-large-ish in molecular size, so I think it can both penetrate (especially very porous hair) and has some film-forming properties. (A couple quick articles on hydrolyzed proteins & size: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/06/size-matters-protein-conditioning-part.html, http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2013/09/more-about-protein.html)

[sumidha]

Yes to honey and olive oil, no to egg.

Washing egg out of my hair was a nightmare. shudder:

[Anya15]

Egg works only for some people, so be cautious. I have a friend who colors regularly and egg masks do wonders for her hair, though.

Olive oil might be a bit heavy to wash out.

[Mrstran]

I'm with Animetor7 - In my opinion, I could have done all the oil treatments in the world and they wouldn't have made much difference. I had to stop using heat, dying my hair, and start taking extra special care of it. I'm now doing hot oil treatments regularly, plus applying a little oil each day to my length, and my ends to keep them from getting "crispy"
( I just say crispy when my ends feel dry)

Stopping the damaging habits is a must.

[Elizabeth E]

I don't think the egg is such a good idea - it makes the hair very stiff and absolutely reeks when you wet your hair in the shower. The smell takes at least two washes to get out.

[Joules]

Eggs are also a nightmare in terms of smell :no: I tried washing my hair with egg yolk once, and even though I kinda liked how it made my then dry and damaged hair feel, the smell was just vial. Especially when my hair was wet. I did it for a month and then just noped out of it. I'd rather use a commercial not-so-natural protein mask that smells nice and eat eggs instead, they do wonders for hair when they are inside your body.

Olive oil and honey sound nice though.

[Wendyp]

Honestly for damaged hair I'd first try to figure out what you're doing to damage it and stop that before trying anything else. This mask might help some, but not in the long term if you don't also stop whatever led to the damage in the first place. After figuring that out, I'd probably go for an SMT before this mask, just because you have less of a risk of protein overload and the olive oil being too heavy for your hair. In the long run, it's what you do with your hair every day that's going to help with damage, not a once in a while deep treatment. Good luck! :) :flower:

I second this. I have spent thousands of dollars on products but found that something as water quality was destroying my hair.

[Virankannos]

O, the sea of DIY haircare...

I wonder if this has been linked here before?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d-crm7bSjE

[windyballoons]

Eggs are good not only for protein, but for sulfur (which is why they leave a smell). Sulfur is good for the scalp/ hair but unfortunately it is smelly. If you use egg be sure to rinse with cool water unless you want cooked egg stuck in your hair.

Olive oil is one of the oils that penetrates the hair shaft, actually. This is well documented. Here is a link that explains the science.

http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2013/06/oils-which-ones-soak-in-vs-coat-hair.html?m=1

Honey is a slightly acidic humectant so it has both of those benefits. I wouldn't use it too often because of the acidity but used on occasion, it should soften and moisturise hair.

This is a pretty classic hair treatment and it should have some good benefits used on occasion. It probably wouldn't hurt to try it once and see how your hair reacts. It won't "repair" or heal your hair, though; nothing can do that.

[shaluwm_agape]

maybe try mayo honey and olive oil?

[lapushka]

maybe try mayo honey and olive oil?

Bonus if you can make the mayo from scratch (an egg, some mustard, etc. ...) - it will be far less smelly.

[Reyesuela]

No. The proteins in egg are too large. You’ll wash off the oil. It barely is able to have any effect,unlike coconut oil. And the honey contains hydrogen peroxide, which is damaging.

You want hydrolyzed proteins (which are very short chains) to do anything. Amino acids are even smaller, but I can’t say if they’ll work. They might. I don’t know if they’ve been studied, though.

[lapushka]

No. The proteins in egg are too large. You’ll wash off the oil. It barely is able to have any effect,unlike coconut oil. And the honey contains hydrogen peroxide, which is damaging.

You want hydrolyzed proteins (which are very short chains) to do anything. Amino acids are even smaller, but I can’t say if they’ll work. They might. I don’t know if they’ve been studied, though.

That is if you want it for the proteins, not for the softness of "just" doing a hairmask. I don't think this was a thread necessarily dealing with protein treatment.

Yes, gelatin for instance does have molecules that will penetrate, in the case of wanting a protein treatment.

[Larki]

I have done herbal treatments that include eggs and they work great, no smell left behind and no trouble at all rinsing out the egg. I used warm water with no issues.

[Reyesuela]

That is if you want it for the proteins, not for the softness of "just" doing a hairmask. I don't think this was a thread necessarily dealing with protein treatment.

Yes, gelatin for instance does have molecules that will penetrate, in the case of wanting a protein treatment.

If nothing stays/sticks, then there’s no actual lasting treatment of any sort. The main benefit might be coming from the thorough washing to get all the junk out. I really see no point in putting egg or olive oil in my hair when there are much better options. And honey will damage it, so that’s a big fat “no”.

Gelatin is partially hydrolyzed, so it’ll do more for hair, yes. :)

[Ophidian]

If nothing stays/sticks, then there’s no actual lasting treatment of any sort. The main benefit might be coming from the thorough washing to get all the junk out. I really see no point in putting egg or olive oil in my hair when there are much better options. And honey will damage it, so that’s a big fat “no”.

Gelatin is partially hydrolyzed, so it’ll do more for hair, yes. :)

I'm curious what you mean by honey being damaging? I know that some do use it for lightening and if left on for a while it may have that unintended effect but beyond that I've never heard anything about it being damaging, just that not everyone likes using it.

[lapushka]

I'm curious what you mean by honey being damaging? I know that some do use it for lightening and if left on for a while it may have that unintended effect but beyond that I've never heard anything about it being damaging, just that not everyone likes using it.

Phal here on the LHC had damage from honey lightening. I believe she created a thread on it too. And it was the case for a few other people as well, but in general no I don't see it as damaging per sé.

[Ophidian]

Phal here on the LHC had damage from honey lightening. I believe she created a thread on it too. And it was the case for a few other people as well, but in general no I don't see it as damaging per sé.

That was my thought, that if it's left on by itself for a long time (as with honey lightening) the peroxide release could maybe cause problems for some. I see it more often being used in small amounts in rinses and mixed with conditioner a la SMT, though, which I hadn't thought of as being damaging at all, just that some people's hair doesn't react well to it.

[Ophidian]

On another note, I just realized this thread is from fall 2016 ;)

[cjk]

For the last few weeks I've been doing a weekly treatment for my beard, which has quite a few split ends. Obviously it doesn't repair the splits, but the damage appears to have ceased.

I'm using the MommyPotamus gelatin lamination recipe which uses a packet of gelatin, honey, ACV and water.

The strands seem stronger and, supposedly, the gelatin molecules are small enough to penetrate/attach to the hair shaft. Unlike egg.

It's working for me.

[lapushka]

On another note, I just realized this thread is from fall 2016 ;)

Yes I noticed that earlier on, but thought, well, it could be current again... ;)

[Ophidian]

Yes I noticed that earlier on, but thought, well, it could be current again... ;)

That's true :).

To answer the OP's original question, I've only tried eggs a few times and the lingering smell was too much for me. I do like to use honey mixed with olive oil as a deep treatment on my ends if they are feeling dry, but I find this mixture to be too heavy used on my whole head.

[shaluwm_agape]

Bonus if you can make the mayo from scratch (an egg, some mustard, etc. ...) - it will be far less smelly.

i actually never thought to make mayo myself!! next time i do this treatment i definitely will be going this route

[lapushka]

i actually never thought to make mayo myself!! next time i do this treatment i definitely will be going this route

Take it easy when you add oil, it can "shift" easily if you're not careful. Making mayo takes some skill!

[divinedobbie]

I'm curious what you mean by honey being damaging? I know that some do use it for lightening and if left on for a while it may have that unintended effect but beyond that I've never heard anything about it being damaging, just that not everyone likes using it.

Yes, me too..., I do atleast weekly SMT's which include honey.. Is it really damaging?

Also I thought that heat deactivated the peroxidase in honey and thus rendered it useless?

[lapushka]

Yes, me too..., I do atleast weekly SMT's which include honey.. Is it really damaging?

Also I thought that heat deactivated the peroxidase in honey and thus rendered it useless?

That was my impression too.

I also don't think it's very fair to just up and generalize and just say that honey is damaging without some research backing you up, or at least an article somewhere. It's well-known that honey is liked around here, so that could cause up quite a stir.

[Ophidian]

Yes, me too..., I do atleast weekly SMT's which include honey.. Is it really damaging?

Also I thought that heat deactivated the peroxidase in honey and thus rendered it useless?

Good point about the heat too--I use honey 1-2x a week in my herb wash mix but it is mixed with boiling water and then allowed to cool, which I figured was enough to nix any peroxide release. I either use it like that or in a tea rinse that is only left on for a few minutes. Sometimes I mix it with oil and/or conditioner as a deep treatment but this is rare. I've used honey in various forms for years with no obvious ill effect; my hair does well with the extra moisture and it seems to give more softness and shine.

[divinedobbie]

That was my impression too.

I also don't think it's very fair to just up and generalize and just say that honey is damaging without some research backing you up, or at least an article somewhere. It's well-known that honey is liked around here, so that could cause up quite a stir.


Good point about the heat too--I use honey 1-2x a week in my herb wash mix but it is mixed with boiling water and then allowed to cool, which I figured was enough to nix any peroxide release. I either use it like that or in a tea rinse that is only left on for a few minutes. Sometimes I mix it with oil and/or conditioner as a deep treatment but this is rare. I've used honey in various forms for years with no obvious ill effect; my hair does well with the extra moisture and it seems to give more softness and shine.

Okay thanks guys! Until further notice then I will continue to merrily SMT :)

[Ophidian]

Okay thanks guys! Until further notice then I will continue to merrily SMT :)

Same :). If there is some research I don't know about though I'd love to see it Reyesuela, I'm always willing to stand corrected! Just hadn't heard that before.

[lapushka]

Same :). If there is some research I don't know about though I'd love to see it Reyesuela, I'm always willing to stand corrected! Just hadn't heard that before.

^^ Agree. Same goes for me.

[shaluwm_agape]

Take it easy when you add oil, it can "shift" easily if you're not careful. Making mayo takes some skill!

Thanks�� i will remember that!

[Reyesuela]

I'm curious what you mean by honey being damaging? I know that some do use it for lightening and if left on for a while it may have that unintended effect but beyond that I've never heard anything about it being damaging, just that not everyone likes using it.

It lightens only because it has peroxide in it. It damages no more or less than the same dose of peroxide from any other source. It being natural doesn’t make it magically good for your hair. It has a fairly low dose of peroxide, so it allows you finer control, but the problem is that peroxide-induced damage will always be progressive because it’ll allow more protein to be washed out every single time you wash your hair. So the peroxide application ends whenever, but the additional damage keeps happening until you cut it off.

Different people’s hair is more severely affected by this. The coarser and straighter your hair, the less it’s probably going to affect it. My hair is incredibly silky naturally, to the point that it amazes hairstylists, and I am always petting it, so the slightest roughening isn’t acceptable to me. Other people hardly notice damage until their hair is breaking off. So there’s that influence, too.

[Reyesuela]

Yes, me too..., I do atleast weekly SMT's which include honey.. Is it really damaging?

Also I thought that heat deactivated the peroxidase in honey and thus rendered it useless?

Processed honey produces hydrogen peroxide, too, when the pH is raised by dilution. You’re not doing the equivalent of pouring a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on your head, but there is no reason to believe that there is a single benefit to putting honey on your hair. Anything that promises lasting “moisture” in hair is going to be inaccurate at best, anyway.

People do all kinds of useless things. Just look at all the people who swear by inversion, scalp massage, phases of the moon, and fingernail-rubbing. SMT is adored here and likely mostly harmless at the rate most people use it, but there is zero reason I’d do that to my hair.

[Ophidian]

Hmm... I certainly don’t think it’s magically better because it’s natural Reyesua, but I have read about its benefits in more than one reliable source so I was curious if you could cite any information that I wasn’t aware of. It seems to be fairly common knowledge that humectant ingredients like honey can be beneficial for many people’s hair, so it doesn’t seem at all unreasonable to me that many people would find benefit in using it. I do understand that peroxide release is an issue, but it seems like there are ways to minimize that (heating, not leaving it on, small quantities, etc). Obviously it’s not for everyone! But like you said, different people will have different reactions to it depending on hairtype etc.

I’m always game for learning new things, but I don’t tend to toss out what I think I know unless I find good (citable) information that challenges it. I don’t buy into the idea of miracle solutions either, but I really do enjoy my “useless” scalp massages.

[Reyesuela]

Hmm... I certainly don’t think it’s magically better because it’s natural Reyesua, but I have read about its benefits in more than one reliable source so I was curious if you could cite any information that I wasn’t aware of. It seems to be fairly common knowledge that humectant ingredients like honey can be beneficial for many people’s hair, so it doesn’t seem at all unreasonable to me that many people would find benefit in using it. I do understand that peroxide release is an issue, but it seems like there are ways to minimize that (heating, not leaving it on, small quantities, etc). Obviously it’s not for everyone! But like you said, different people will have different reactions to it depending on hairtype etc.

I’m always game for learning new things, but I don’t tend to toss out what I think I know unless I find good (citable) information that challenges it.

Benefits according to what reliable source? This is an odd conversation to me. I can’t even fathom what benefit that sugar can have for hair. Honey is very readily water soluble. Leave your conditioner in your hair was long as you want. When you rinse it, it will be gone.

Moisture isn’t actually good for hair. High moisture inside the hair shaft causes permanent damage from hygral fatigue. Humectants are only effective at drawing water from the environment at very high humidity levels, levels at which you don’t particularly need or want more moisture. In very dry conditions, where you want more moisture than the environment will provide, they’ll pull any lingering moisture out of your hair faster.

Hair isn’t skin. It doesn’t have a moisture reserve underneath to draw from.

The “moisturizing” effect of most treatments isn’t moisturizing at all. It’s just emollients, doing their emollient thing and smoothing hair. I can’t imagine a scenario in which a humectant would be helpful except to dry your hair faster (which is what they’d most often do—your hair would have to be below 70% rh and the air above it to get any actual moisturizing effects...).

Hydrogen peroxide in honey: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12804080/

In heat processed honey: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3406342/

[Beckstar]

I think you'd have to rinse it out with cold or cool water because hot water and cause the egg to partially cook and that's difficult to get out.
I think the honey and olive oil would be enough to let condition and moisturize hair.

[Ophidian]

Benefits according to what reliable source? This is an odd conversation to me. I can’t even fathom what benefit that sugar can have for hair. Honey is very readily water soluble. Leave your conditioner in your hair was long as you want. When you rinse it, it will be gone.

Moisture isn’t actually good for hair. High moisture inside the hair shaft causes permanent damage from hygral fatigue. Humectants are only effective at drawing water from the environment at very high humidity levels, levels at which you don’t particularly need or want more moisture. In very dry conditions, where you want more moisture than the environment will provide, they’ll pull any lingering moisture out of your hair faster.

Hair isn’t skin. It doesn’t have a moisture reserve underneath to draw from.

The “moisturizing” effect of most treatments isn’t moisturizing at all. It’s just emollients, doing their emollient thing and smoothing hair. I can’t imagine a scenario in which a humectant would be helpful except to dry your hair faster (which is what they’d most often do—your hair would have to be below 70% rh and the air above it to get any actual moisturizing effects...).

Hydrogen peroxide in honey: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12804080/

It’s not actually the hydrogen peroxide that makes honey such a nice antiseptic, but whatever—any search of pubmed will find a dozen analyses if honey’s peroxide content before they figured out that it’s osmotic desiccation that does most of the work. At full strength, it’s a great topical antibiotic for that reason.

Here’s one source, I read her blog a lot and have found it very useful.
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/moisturizing-low-porosity-hair.html?m=1

My understanding of the relationship between moisture and hair is a bit more complicated than what you describe (or maybe simpler?). Roughly, honey, containing sugars, acts as a humectant, which in the right environment can help add moisture to hair, which can be sealed in to some extent with occlusives like oils. That said, I’m not an expert. You might be, but I don’t have anything to base that on. I’m not really interested in having a debate, I just felt the need to question your statement that using honey in haircare has absolutely no merit.

ETA: here’s another one I was looking for, written by a cosmetics chemist
https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-the-buzz-about-honey

[Stray_mind]

My hair doesn't like any of those ingredients. Maybe it works well for your friend's hair.

I doubt it is a magical treatment that will work wonders on your damaged hair, but it Can improve their condition if your hair likes and accepts the stuff :)

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

My hair loves proteins.
I use an egg mask/wash once a month adding a few drops of eo omitting the honey as my hair does not do well with honey. It leaves my hair super soft. Water temperature is warm not cold and the egg does not cook. I remove all the thick white bits from the egg before beating the egg. I use this treatment just before washing my shower. The egg mask has an awesome surfactant effect and deep treatment effect on my hair especially making my ends soft.

[lapushka]

Here’s one source, I read her blog a lot and have found it very useful.
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/moisturizing-low-porosity-hair.html?m=1

My understanding of the relationship between moisture and hair is a bit more complicated than what you describe (or maybe simpler?). Roughly, honey, containing sugars, acts as a humectant, which in the right environment can help add moisture to hair, which can be sealed in to some extent with occlusives like oils. That said, I’m not an expert. You might be, but I don’t have anything to base that on. I’m not really interested in having a debate, I just felt the need to question your statement that using honey in haircare has absolutely no merit.

ETA: here’s another one I was looking for, written by a cosmetics chemist
https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-the-buzz-about-honey

Yes, that is a source I trust without a doubt! Well, you know, you do have to question anything, but I place more trust in sources than just a saying on a forum. It's not as if it's widely, across the board, accepted here that honey is damaging in any way.

And that it contained peroxide, I think we all knew that a long time ago. ;) :)