Everyone knows that baking soda can be used for a hundred different things. Whether it’s to keep your kitchen odour-free, assist you in heavy-duty cleaning, or just to help your cake achieve that perfect rise; it’s the one ingredient that has always got your back.Â
But did you know that baking soda can also be used for things apart from cooking and cleaning? In this video, we’ll be covering the 20 best baking soda benefits for beauty, including tried and tested recipes for proven success!
1. Baking Soda For Acne
Baking soda is an excellent remedy for pimples and blackheads. It’s a mild exfoliant that helps remove dead skin and clean your pores. It does this while drying out and healing existing acne. Baking soda also has antibacterial properties, which prevent acne breakouts.
You’ll need 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of water. Mix the baking soda and the water until you get a smooth paste, then wash your hands and your face and pat them dry with a clean towel.
Massage the paste onto your nose and other areas affected by pimples, blackheads, or whiteheads. Leave it on for about 2 to 3 minutes and rinse off the paste with warm water, then rinse your face for a second time with cool water and pat dry with a clean towel. Finish off with a moisturizer, as baking soda can be quite drying on your skin.
2. Baking Soda For Blemishes
Baking soda and lemon juice have bleaching properties that help lighten and fade scars. They also help you achieve an even skin tone by getting rid of dead skin cells.
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with one tablespoon of lemon juice until you get a smooth paste. Then wash your hands and your face and pat away the excess moisture from your face with a towel, leaving it slightly damp.
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Massage the paste onto the areas affected by acne marks, dark spots, and pigmentation. Leave it on for about 1 to 2 minutes and rinse off the paste with warm water. Rinse your face once more, then moisturise.
3. Baking Soda For Large Pores
Baking soda is an astringent that helps clean out your pores while shrinking them. This treatment also prevents acne by keeping your pores clean and sealed.
In a jug, dilute a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water and set the mixture aside. Wash your face as your normally would with your regular cleanser, then splash the baking soda water onto your face and then pat dry. Proceed to moisturize your face as you usually would.
4. Baking Soda For Dark Neck Skin
Mix and dilute a teaspoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of water until you get a runny paste, then cleanse your neck and pat it dry with a clean towel. Apply the baking soda paste and wait for about 15 minutes before washing your neck with cool water and finally moisturising. Repeat this daily until you see your neck lighten.
5. Baking Soda For Glowing Skin
Orange has a slightly acidic pH, which helps maintain the pH balance of your skin. It also contains a lot of vitamin C which helps give your skin a collagen boost. The exfoliating and cleansing properties of baking soda can remove impurities and dead skin cells from your pores, making the pair a great combination to use together.
Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of orange juice until you get a smooth paste. Then wash your hands and your face, and using a towel, pat away the excess moisture from your face, leaving it slightly damp.Â
Apply the paste on your face like you would a face mask. Once your face is evenly covered, wait for 15 minutes, then rub the face pack loose with some water. Rinse your face with cool water and pat dry with a clean towel, then follow with a moisturiser.
6. Baking Soda For Oily Skin
This baking soda scrub helps exfoliate your face and control moisture. It’s necessary to moisturize right after using this scrub as it can be quite drying on your face. Because baking soda can sometimes cause irritation, this one isn’t recommended for people with sensitive skin.
Dilute 1 tablespoon of baking soda with about a teaspoon of water. You need the paste to have a thick consistency. Next, wash your face with your regular cleanser and pat dry with a clean towel, then apply the baking soda all over your face, avoiding the fragile skin around your eyes, and scrub for about 15-20 seconds.Â
Rinse the baking soda off with cool water and moisturise to finish.
7. Baking Soda For Rashes
Coconut oil has soothing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help calm your skin, while baking soda has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The coconut oil prevents the baking soda from being too harsh on the skin.
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with one tablespoon of coconut oil until you get a smooth paste. Apply this mixture to the affected area and leave it on for about 5 minutes, then rinse the mixture off with cool water. Apply this every day until your rash gets better.
8. Baking Soda For Dark Lips
Honey and baking soda help get rid of the dead skin cells from your lips, while also bleaching your skin to naturally lighten the colour of your lips.
Combine 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of baking soda until you get a smooth paste. Apply this mixture onto your lips and leave it on for about 2 minutes. Then, using your fingertips, gently rub the mixture on your lips to exfoliate. Remove after another 2 minutes.
9. Baking Soda For Whitening Teeth
Baking soda is a mild abrasive which helps remove the stains from the surface of your teeth, making them appear to be whiter. It’s best to swill with baking soda rather than rub it straight onto your teeth, as this will prevent you from eroding away the structure of your teeth.
Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with half a cup of water until you get a mouthwash-like solution. Hold the mixture in your mouth and swill it around your teeth and gums for 2 minutes. Then spit and lightly rinse with water.
10. Baking Soda For Moles
Baking soda, when combined with Epsom salt, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar, forms a caustic solution that helps to dehydrate moles while also bleaching them, making them appear less obvious on the skin.
You’ll need 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup of Epsom Salt, a quarter cup of boiling water, and a quarter cup of white vinegar. Combine all ingredients together and stir to blend.Â
Then pour the mixture into a bottle and store it in your fridge until it’s ready for use. Apply the solution to your moles using a cotton bud and leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing with water.
11. Baking Soda For Facial Hair
If you’re dealing with unwanted facial hair, this baking soda hack helps dehydrate your hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out. For this remedy, since baking soda can cause skin irritation, be sure to conduct a patch test before you try it out yourself.
Combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 200 millilitres of boiling water and let the solution cool. Then soak a piece of cotton in the solution and drain it.Â
Secure the cotton to the problem areas with a bandage and leave it on overnight. In the morning, remove the bandage, rinse your face, and apply a nourishing moisturizer.
12. Baking Soda For Ingrown Hair
First, wash your hands and the affected area, and pat the area dry with a towel. Apply 2 tablespoons of castor oil onto your skin and massage it in with your fingertips for about 15 minutes, then wipe the oil away.Â
Next, combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of water and start gently rubbing the mixture onto the affected areas. Do this for about 2 minutes. Your ingrown hair should be more exposed at this point. Using a tweezer, pluck it out, then give the area a wash again.
13. Baking Soda For Thick Hair
The ‘no shampoo’ method has been getting a lot of attention lately, and this baking soda solution is one of the most popular ways of jumping on the bandwagon.Â
Baking soda helps gently cleanse your hair without the harsh chemicals that shampoo contains. It also helps add volume to your hair without stripping away its natural oils. This method also helps curb hair loss and promote new hair growth.
Just mix 3 cups of water with 1 cup of baking soda and 20 drops of castor oil and pour them into an empty shampoo bottle. When you’re ready to use it, rinse your hair with water and pour some of the baking soda solution onto your scalp.Â
Massage your scalp and your hair with the solution for a couple of minutes, then wash it out and follow with a conditioner. You can use this as a substitute for your regular shampoo.
14. Baking Soda for Scalp Exfoliation
Baking soda can help exfoliate your scalp, removing all the dead skin. It will also help to unclog your hair follicles without drying out your scalp, preventing dandruff.
You only need a tablespoon of baking soda for this hack. Rinse your hair, and while it’s still damp, take the baking soda and apply it to your scalp. Gently massage your scalp with your fingertips so that the baking soda can exfoliate it, then rinse your hair again and follow up with a conditioner.
15. Baking Soda For Your Feet
As we already know, baking soda is an excellent exfoliating agent. It helps soften the dead skin on your feet, making it easier to exfoliate. This treatment will give you soft feet in no time.
Fill a third of a bucket with warm water and to it add the three tablespoons of baking soda. Then sit back and relax!Â
Soak your feet in this water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Next, using a pumice stone, gently scrub the dead skin off your soles and feet. Finish off by massaging your feet with a moisturizing lotion or some coconut oil. Cover your feet with a pair of socks to help soak the moisture in.
16. Baking Soda For Body Odour
Baking soda is a common natural deodorant that many people use today, thanks to its ability to help absorb the excess moisture from your body when you sweat. It also kills bacteria and alkalizes the body so that it doesn’t sweat too much.
Combine one tablespoon of baking soda with one tablespoon of lemon juice and stir until you get a smooth paste. Apply the paste to the parts of your body that sweat a lot and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, before wiping away or washing in the shower.
Conclusion
We knew baking soda was versatile, but who knew that it could also be used as a beauty ingredient? With all of the beauty benefits of baking soda, it’d be silly to not stock up on this magic ingredient.