It also led me to the discovery that if I wear a bandaid for more than a day or so, my skin reacts horribly to it - breaking out in a horrible rash and then terribly bumpy itchy skin for weeks afterward. Not pretty.
The little bit of egg membrane I laid on my wound did beautifully. It provided a barrier from the rest of the world, and acted as a second skin.
This also was a great learning experience - I've used egg membrane before, but not on this size of an open wound.
On the plus side - it allows some air flow, while keeping water and other things out of the wound. It dries hard, so if you put several layers there, you have quite a defense and I could almost use my finger normally. On the down-side - any moisture on it loosens it. It shrinks quite a bit when it dries, making it tricky to apply. And it chips off on areas that the skin is normal. a little lotion coating helped a lot.
To use a membrane on a wound - gently peel it off from the inside of a leftover egg shell. There are actually two membranes inside - you want the one that is clear when wet. Just rinse the egg shell thoroughly first, and then gently remove. The easiest spot is where there is that air bubble in the shell.
Then lay the membrane on your wound loosely. Some people use a hair drier, but I just blew on it a little, gently adjusting as needed. You will reach a point where it is nearly dry, but hasn't shrunk hugely yet - I found applying a little lotion at that critical moment made it more comfortable (it didn't shrink and pull the skin) and added protection.
So it was a rough night, and I certainly don't recommend chopping off the tip of one's finger... but if you need a non-toxic bandaid that's free, here's what to do!
