Hair egg hack: Truth or Myth?
In the alternative world, the use of eggs as a hair mask has been championed, maybe for likes and views on social media, but is there any truth to the matter?
In this study, egg yolks containing a water-soluble peptide showed similar mechanistic effects as DHT inhibitor medication. They also improved VEGF, influencing blood flow to hair follicles to stimulate hair growth.
Nutrients are not only digested and absorbed in our gut. The study examining a unique peptide found in egg yolk might be able to stimulate hair follicles growth, stimulating blood flow. You might have heard - your skin is the largest organ so what we wear as clothes, put on as deoderant or aftershave, or what we use as shampoo might have a beneficial or detrimental one. Our skin and scalp are sensitive areas that have shown to absorb anything that we put on it.
"We hypothesized that the chicken egg contains a key hair growth factor. This study demonstrated that water-soluble peptides derived from the egg yolk stimulate VEGF production and human hair follicle dermal papilla cell growth. We also found that these peptides enhance murine hair growth and improve hair growth in FPHL. Finally, we characterized that water-soluble egg yolk peptides induce VEGF expression through insulin growth factor-1 receptor activation-induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α transcription pathway. We named "hair growth peptide (HGP)" to this water-soluble egg yolk peptide." 1
It might not just be a secret peptide; modern shampoos now contain vitamins and minerals for hair and scalp health. As most people know, eggs are abundant in nutrients that could, in theory, be directly absorbed. Eggs are enriched with the goodness of fats and vitamins A, biotin, vitamin E, and folate—all of which help to make hair thick and healthy from the outside in.
This study shares that combining egg whites and coconut milk benefits humans' scalp and hair quality.
"coconut milk with egg white pack has effectively enhanced the hair health by promoting the vascularization of scalp and hair root and it transitive to make the hair follicle stronger" (2)
Alternative Hair health hacks
There are various recipes online with additional fats like avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, honey or yogurt, and herbs/spices that can and have been used with some efficacy.
Additionally, if you don't fancy using a hair mask loaded with egg, then egg shells hydrolyzed could be an exciting option to consume orally with 88 participants in this random mixed control trial. (3) The image above illustrates the beneficial effects.
The randomized control trial concluded that hydrolyzed eggshell membrane had a "significant impact on hair thickness, reduction in hair breakage and improvement in hair growth at 4, 8, and 12 weeks."
Shampoos before Head and Shoulders?
Many hair-promoting egg shampoo products were on the market in the 1940s. Here is an example.
Some people use egg whites, and others use egg yolk. I would use the whole egg, and the study shows that egg yolk is the major peptide that stimulates this in an animal model.
If you have an egg allergy, it is best to avoid it.
Of course, you want to use it as a mask, not walk around with an egg on your head all day. Start with less time, 10 minutes or so, and then slowly start ticking up. That said, if you're not working on your whole system, such as the gut, the thyroid, and circadian biology, and just focusing on an egg mask to improve your hair, you're peeing in the wind.
The Verdict on Egg Masks
Is there any harm in trying this? No. But I wouldn't expect to see results within 1-2 weeks. You would likely need to do the hair mask 2-3 times per week and have a couple of weeks under the belt. Still, even then, it would be hard to decipher if the eggs have a positive effect on your hair growth if you're doing other science-backed therapies to help hair growth, such as using a red light therapy device on your hair, which is likely more potent than the egg mask.
"The effect of 650-nm red light on ex vivo hair follicles and the transcriptome set which implicates the role of red light in promoting hair growth and reversing of miniaturization process of AGA were identified." (4)
Red light therapy (LLLT) was effective in males with alopecia:
"LLLT of the scalp at 655 nm significantly improved hair counts in males with androgenetic alopecia." (5)
With the same hair-enhancing effects of red light therapy in females:
"LLLT of the scalp at 655 nm significantly improved hair counts in women with androgenetic alopecia at a rate similar to that observed in males using the same parameters" (6)
In closing:
I am all for exploring with trial and error N=1. Using eggs is a decent strategy that could be effective. Do you need to do it if you have existing healthy hair? Maybe not? But it's a good idea to manage your hair better if you're in the sun more, and using an egg or combined egg coconut oil mask is one method.
In the grand scheme of things, regarding the power/strength of the evidence and the real-world application. I would. Instead, my clients invest in a red light with more systemic health-promoting effects than an egg mask. Not all red light therapy devices are created equal, and that is why I am a big fan of EMR Tek with their models Firestorm and Inferno.
You can get a 20% discount on EMR Tek Red light therapy devices with this link HERE, and you can use my discount code LIVEVITAE20.
References:
1. Nakamura T, Yamamura H, Park K, Pereira C, Uchida Y, Horie N, et al. Naturally Occurring Hair Growth Peptide: Water-Soluble Chicken Egg Yolk Peptides Stimulate Hair Growth Through Induction of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Production. Journal of medicinal food [Internet]. 2018 21(7):701–8.=
2. Dhivya C, Anusha R, Devi P, Aswathy M, Ambili R. The Experimental Study Effects of Coconut Milk and Egg White as A Pack to Enhance the Hair Health Among Adult Male and Female Volunteers. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology [Internet]. 2022;7(10).
3. Kalman DS, Hewlings S. The effect of oral hydrolyzed eggshell membrane on the appearance of hair, skin, and nails in healthy middle‐aged adults: A randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2020 Jan 6;19(6):1463–72.
4. Yang K, Tang Y, Ma Y, Liu Q, Huang Y, Zhang Y, et al. Hair Growth Promoting Effects of 650 nm Red Light Stimulation on Human Hair Follicles and Study of Its Mechanisms via RNA Sequencing Transcriptome Analysis. Annals of Dermatology. 2021 Dec 1;33(6):553–61.
5. Lanzafame RJ, Blanche RR, Bodian AB, Chiacchierini RP, Fernandez-Obregon A, Kazmirek ER. The growth of human scalp hair mediated by visible red light laser and LED sources in males. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2013 Sep 19;45(8):487–95.
6. Lanzafame RJ, Blanche RR, Chiacchierini RP, Kazmirek ER, Sklar JA. The growth of human scalp hair in females using visible red light laser and LED sources. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine [Internet]. 2014 Oct;46(8):601–7.