Egg White Facial Soaps
Eggs? In soap? Why, yes!
It may sound strange at first, but egg whites have a long standing tradition as a popular ingredient in the beauty and skin care world.
Egg white facial masks date back centuries with all sorts of variations on home recipes touted to tighten pores, brighten skin, and have anti-aging benefits. In 1900, a Swedish company took inspiration from these beauty masks, and began mass producing Egg White Soaps. These soaps are still available today, as are their popular Belgian counterpart. Both are made with egg whites as a main ingredient, and boast giving users a glowing complexion. Egg whites are mainly made of water and protein. The types of proteins in egg whites are unique, including ovalbumin, the main type that makes up more than half of their total protein content. Ovalbumin acts as a humectant, helping to improve the hydration and moisture retention of skin. Another component in egg whites is the enzyme lysozyme that may boost cleansing effects by breaking down dead skin, bacteria, and excess sebum which may help to unclog pores. The trace minerals and riboflavin in egg whites may even help improve elasticity. All of that sounds pretty good and worth giving a try! Hundreds of years of soap and DIY beauty masks that are still popular in the modern era seem to indicate so.
Of course the quality and source of any ingredient is always important, and this is no eggception (sorry! I had to). The eggs used here are from our own free range hens. They are wonderful birds, bold and inquisitive, often following us around and inspecting any outdoor projects we may be working on. If you want to read more about our hens and their housing, click on the farm tag. The hen in the center of this photo is affectionately referred to as "certain chicken" because she's that certain bird who does things like hang out on the steps in front of our door hoping to get a treat, and would walk right in the house if allowed. She's always out in front, very sure of herself, and usually the first to come up and peck sunflower seeds from my hand. Thanks for the eggs ladies!
This is a soap I've been wanting to give a try for a long time, and in the spirit of experimentation, I made 3 versions with different natural colorants, different fluids for the lye solution, different natural and skin benefiting scent blends, and a different luxury oil for each of them.
Rose: made with a rose hydrosol, rose clay, rosehip oil, and an essential oil blend of Damascus rose, frankincense, and a little Egyptian geranium.
Green: made with rosemary tea, French green clay, tamanu oil, and an essential oil blend of tea tree, rosemary, and lavender.
Golden: made with a helichrysum hydrosol, turmeric, oat oil, honey, calendula petals, and an essential oil blend of chamomile, helichrysum, and pink grapefruit. The orange color of this was very intense when first poured, and I anticipate will continue to fade into a more golden yellow over the curing time.
These each also contain silk proteins, shea butter, jojoba and avocado oils for an extra rich lather. They smell so good! Zero eggy-ness detected. I'm very excited to try them out. It's going to be hard to wait six weeks. What about you? Would you be excited to try egg white facial soap?
