4 Ways to Use Baking Soda for Beauty

While you likely already use baking soda for other things in your home, did you know that baking soda is one of the most versatile natural ingredients for DIY personal care? Here are four simple ways to use baking soda for beauty, from deodorant to tooth powder.

Once you try these inexpensive common ingredient can be a miracle worker for your beauty routine too?

Do you need to spend a heap of money to have natural beauty?

Nope!

Strategic marketing tells us we need the most expensive products on the market to nourish our skin. Companies infer that we can’t fight oily skin, acne or wrinkles without their latest innovation.

The truth is, beauty care is a multibillion dollar industry that comes with more than a monetary price.

Watchdog groups like the Environmental Working Group, continue to provide evidence that many of the chemicals found in today’s beauty care products are carcinogenic, estrogenic and hazardous.

But can we really keep our skin healthy and beautiful with all natural ingredients?

Absolutely!

What is Baking Soda?

Baking soda is one of the most beneficial and versatile compounds when it comes to our skin. It’s also cheap and readily available.

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a salt. Once termed saleraturus (latin for aerated salt), baking soda is derived from the mineral natron found in mineral springs.

Baking soda has a pH of 8, which is close to the 8.0 pH of sea water. Washing soda, on the other hand, has a pH of 11 which is too harsh for skin, but effective for cleaning.

Baking soda is, of course, typically used for, you guessed it, baking. However, baking soda is also known for being a natural scrub, and even a natural remedy for various ailments. It's been used for acid reflux, and is regarded as one of the best natural remedies for poison ivy.

However, baking soda can really shine as a natural beauty help. Here's how.

Baking Soda Tooth Powder

Store bought toothpastes contain numerous additives such as triclosan, fluoride and sodium lauryl sulfate. Baking soda, in combination with sea salt, makes an outstanding homemade tooth powder.

Concerned about the possible abrasiveness of baking soda? All toothpaste must be tested for abrasivity. Baking soda has one of the lowest scores with a rating of 7, while Crest has a rating of 95. See a list of RDA ratings here.

Baking Soda Deodorant

We all want to avoid stinking, but unfortunately conventional deodorants contain questionable ingredients like phthalates, triclosan and aluminum.

Since lymph nodes are present in high numbers in and around the armpits, it makes sense to seek out a more natural approach.

Because of its alkaline nature, baking soda has the ability to neutralize unpleasant acidic odors. This is why a box of baking soda works well in the fridge. The same principle applies to perspiration. Baking soda neutralizes the acidic compounds released in sweat.

Homemade deodorant can be as simple as baking soda sprinkled under the arm. Or you can combine it with arrowroot powder, herbs and essential oils for an effective homemade deodorant powder.

Baking Soda Manicure and Pedicure

There are several options for doing a baking soda manicure or pedicure, but I prefer making a paste of i

Manicure
Dip brush into Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and scrub nails and cuticles. Make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Rub in a gentle, circular motion over hands and fingers to exfoliate and smooth. Rinse clean with warm water and apply polish as usual.

Exfoliating Pedicure
Blend two tablespoons of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in a basin of warm water. After a nice soak, make a scrub using three parts baking soda and one part water. Follow with an application of a rich moisturizer and a warm towel foot wrap. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Feet will feel smooth and clean.

Baking Soda Bath Salts

Baking soda added to bathwater helps neutralize the acids on the skin, resulting in softer healthier skin.

You can add even more benefits by making homemade bath salts by adding sea salt and/or Epsom salt as well. Your bath can then really become a relaxing, rejuvenating and detoxifying experience.

Baking Soda Facial Exfoliant

Do you really need to spend a fortune to exfoliate our skin?

Esthetician Stephanie Tourles offers a refreshing perspective in her book Organic Body Care Recipes. Tourles offers many recipes that she says rival high-end spa treatments.

One of them is to simply use baking soda and water. Just mix the two together to make a slurry, apply to skin, scrub gently and wash off.

“It’s safer and won’t ever leave your skin red or irritated, because of gentle hand application. If this treatment is used on a regular basis, your skin will achieve almost the same results as mechanical microdermabrasion, without having its protective shield compromised.”

Are you ready to save money and nourish your skin?
Do you use baking soda in your personal care?

Andrea is a former journalist and the mother of nine children ranging in age from 28 to 12. Following a toxic mold exposure, Andrea and her family discovered the wonders of natural living. Andrea is the founder and president of momsAWARE, an educational organization designed to empower others to live healthy in a toxic world.