How To Use Baking Soda For Natural Skin Care
Baking soda skin care is an old-fashioned idea that is looking new again. That humble box of white powder that sits in your fridge or among your baking supplies can revitalize your skin just as well as many products that cost you dearly. Baking soda can be used as an exfoliating scrub, an anti-irritant, a natural antiseptic and even as the crystals in microdensitometer.
Baking Soda has many uses. While it can be used for cooking as well as for cleaning and scouring purposes, the use of baking soda to beautify yourself is still largely unknown. It can be used in a number of ways to enhance your beauty and provide you with a means of taking care of your personal hygiene as well.
Benefits of Baking Soda
- Baking soda teeth whitening is widely searched on the net, as more and more people are looking to whiten their teeth cheaply, and yes, it does work, but you do need to be careful. Don’t brush too vigorously and only do this once a week or once a fortnight at best.
- May help cure acne, make a face mask using bicarbonate of soda mixed with water to make a paste. Apply directly to clean dry skin and leave for about 10 to 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water and pat your face dry with a towel. Do this at least 3 to 4 times a week for maximum benefit.
- Baking soda can also be used to help relieve heartburn, put a small teaspoon in a glass of warm water and sip until the burning sensation in your chest is gone. Be careful not to overdo it, take it in moderation as it is sodium, and sodium is not good for your body in large amounts. It is also not good for people who have high blood pressure.
- It can offer a quick relief for itching, put 1 cup of baking soda to warm water in a bath and soak for 30 to 45 minutes. This is especially helpful for itching in hard to get to places, when finished air dry your body. You can treat itches by making a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the itch only if the skin is not broken.
- Using bicarbonate of soda can help some people overcome fingernail fungus, make a paste and rub into your toenail or fingernail. Keep this on the nail for a while and then rinse off and dry your foot or hand thoroughly. Do this once a day.
How To Exfoliate Skin with Baking Soda?
Baking soda can make your cakes and cookies fluffy, and at the same time, it can work wonders for your skin too. Baking soda is a physical exfoliant, which helps to manually remove dead skin cells with the help of any abrasive ingredient. (Chemical exfoliants remove the dead skin cells by loosening the bond between those cells and the skin, with the help of acids or enzymes in it.)
Baking soda is acid neutral and also acts like a buffer and so, can neutralize acidic and basic substances. It is best for exfoliating skin, as it is a fine, but hard powder and is usually not associated with any skin irritation. The following are some guidelines regarding how to exfoliate skin with baking soda. Let’s learn how to exfoliate skin with baking soda.
- Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of your facial cleanser to make a smooth paste.
- Apply the paste all over the face with your fingertips. Leave the areas surrounding the eyes, as the skin is very sensitive there.
- Now, gently rub your face in circular motions. It is better to cover small areas, rather than trying to scrub the whole face in a single circular motion.
- Concentrate more on areas with blackheads or whiteheads. But, never overdo the scrubbing, as it may harm the skin.
- Once you finish scrubbing, rinse off the paste with water. Make sure that you have removed the baking soda paste completely.
Effects of Baking Soda on Skin
Skin Irritation Relief:
In addition to helping restore your skin’s natural glow, baking soda can help reduce skin irritation. Jennifer L. Krasovic of the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center recommends adding oatmeal and baking soda to a lukewarm bath to help reduce dry, itchy skin. Its exfoliating properties also may make it an effective acne treatment.
According to The Beauty Brains, an online beauty resource focusing on the science of beauty, exfoliation causes an “increased skin cell turnover rate, making your acne look less noticeable.” Baking soda also has neutralizing properties, which may help decrease the redness associated with acne and skin irritation.
Mouthwash:
A pinch of the soda added to a glass of water can make an effective mouth wash. Swirling it around your mouth thoroughly before throwing it out can cleanse out your mouth cavity by getting rid of the harmful germs lurking within it.
A Natural Exfoliate:
Considering the wide array of store-bought beauty products claiming to buff, scrub and polish the skin, many of us have forgotten about the simplicity of baking soda and its secret ability to shine and exfoliate the skin. In paste form, baking soda can be used as a natural skin exfoliant.
Baking soda’s fine texture allows it to gently remove the top layer of skin cells, unlike some over-the-counter scrubs that can be abrasive and create fine scratches on the skin, causing irritation. Baking soda’s texture also makes it a natural cuticle softener helping to gently buff the nail and delicate cuticle area.
Face Cleanser:
A thick paste made up of three parts of baking soda and a part of water can be used to clean the face daily. Baking soda is gentle enough to be used as a daily cleanser.
Insect Bites:
The benefits of baking soda are not all necessarily beauty-related: It also soothes insect bites and stings. For a mild skin reaction to insects such as mosquitoes, bees and ticks, try making a paste from baking soda and water. Use 3 tsp. of baking soda and 1 tsp. of water, and apply to affected area. You may need to repeat application throughout the day, and if irritation persists or continues to swell, be sure to see a physician to rule out more serious issues.
Razor Burns:
Razor burns on your skin look ugly. They are uncomfortable as well. A paste made of baking soda and water can be applied to the affected area in order to soothe the chaffed skin and reduce infection.
