We’re all familiar with baking soda – the powdery white substance that’s used in recipes to cause cakes to rise in the oven. There are so many benefits to baking soda aside from baking, though – it can also be used for heavy-duty cleaning and keeping your fridge odour-free. Not only that, but in recent years, baking soda has made something of a name of itself in the health and beauty industry.
According to science-backed evidence, baking soda has a whole host of skincare benefits and can be used to treat many different skin issues. Keep in mind that it’s baking soda, not baking powder, that is said to work as a skin treatment – so don’t get the two mixed up! So, let’s get into our top health benefits of baking soda for the skin:
First up, baking soda is said to be a really good acne treatment and works as a mild exfoliant that helps remove dead skin cells and cleanse your pores. You can use it for acne and blackheads, and it essentially dries out the excess oil that clogs up your pores and causes these common skin ailments. Its antibacterial properties also make baking soda a good preventative natural skin care remedy for acne breakouts.
To try out baking soda as an acne treatment, you’ll need one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of water. Mix the two together to form a smooth paste, then wash your hands and face.
Pat your face dry with a clean towel, then take the paste and massage it thoroughly onto the affected areas of your skin. Leave the paste for 2 to 3 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. It’s a good idea to follow up with a moisturiser, as baking soda can be quite drying to your skin.
When combined with lemon juice, baking soda has proven to be incredibly effective in lightening scars and making them less visible in appearance. This is thanks to the bleaching properties of the formula.
As an added bonus, lemon juice and baking soda can also help you to achieve a more even skin tone, as they’re pretty good at getting rid of dead skin cells that may be lingering on the surface of your skin.
Make your own baking soda scar and blemish removal treatment by combining one tablespoon of lemon juice with one tablespoon of baking soda. Mix until a smooth paste is formed, then wash your hands and face, before drying your face with a towel.
Leave your face slightly damp, then apply the paste onto your acne scars, dark spots, or blemishes. Leave it for up to two minutes before washing off and finishing with a natural moisturiser.
Baking soda is an astringent, which means it causes skin cells to contract. It helps clean out pores while shrinking them, which is helpful if you’re trying to diminish the appearance of large pores on your face.
Additionally, large pores can become more easily clogged with dirt, which can eventually lead to acne. Baking soda can prevent dirt from entering pores by sealing them, reducing the potential for acne breakouts.
To try a natural alternative to your regular skin toner, mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water. After you’ve washed your face as you normally would using your regular cleaner, follow up by splashing the baking soda solution onto your face, then pat dry. Finally, moisturise your face with a natural product.
Certain areas of our skin are more prone to a build-up of dead cells, which can cause blemishes and discolouration. Because baking soda can remove dead cells by gently exfoliating the skin, it’s particularly useful in removing those tiny particles that may build up in unwanted areas of your neck over time. And we’ve already mentioned this, but baking soda also has lightening properties, so any blemishes you have on your neck should be less noticeable, too.
To make a baking soda treatment for lightening the skin on your neck, you’ll need to mix a tablespoon of the soda with half a tablespoon of water. You’re looking to make a thick, grainy paste that will work best to exfoliate the skin, so don’t dilute it with the water too much.
Wash and pat dry your neck area, then apply the scrub in circular motions to the skin. Finally, wash off with water and moisturise with a body lotion to prevent dryness.
With anti-ageing skincare being as popular as it is nowadays, it’s common to spend hundreds of pounds on a product that promises to work miracles and knock ten years of your face. As all skin is so different in make-up, there’s no guarantee that these products will work for you – so you may want to consider baking soda as a cheaper alternative.
Using baking soda combined with orange juice can help boost the skin’s collagen and remove impurities. Thanks to the vitamin C content in oranges, your skin should take on a natural glow, while the baking soda offers gentle exfoliation.
Make this orange juice baking soda mix yourself by combining one tablespoon of baking soda with twice the amount of fresh orange juice. Mix to form a paste, then evenly apply the formula all over your face and neck.
Leave it to try for about fifteen minutes, before wiping off with a wet cotton pad and splashing with warm water to remove any leftover residue.
Whether you have a habit of licking your lips, you live in a cool, dry region, or you wear a lot of long-stay drying lipsticks, you may find that your lips take on a dry texture and a dark colour. Sun exposure can also cause dark lips.
If you want your lips to regain their natural shade of lighter pink, baking soda can help. It’s known for its exfoliating and bleaching properties, which make it ideal for use on damaged, dry, dark lips.
There are many baking soda formulas you can put together to soften and lighten your lips, but we prefer to mix equal quantities of baking soda and honey to prevent the soda from being too harsh on the delicate skin on your lips. If your lips are really dry, add double the amount of honey to soda.
Apply the solution to your lips, rubbing in small, circular motions. Then leave for a couple of minutes before gently washing off with water and applying an SPF lip balm to complete the process.
Ingrown hair is a nightmare to deal with, especially when it takes an excessive amount of fiddling with a tweezer to get it out. It’s caused when the hair grows inside the follicle, rather than sprouting out, which makes it hard to get rid of with standard hair removal methods like shaving or waxing.
You can never fully prevent ingrown hair from occurring, but you can use baking soda to remove it. It can be used as an exfoliant scrubber to remove the hair and lessen itching.
Make an ingrown hair removal solution by mixing a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water. Dip a cotton bud into the solution and dab it onto the affected hair follicles, then leave the mixture in place for five minutes.
Use cold water to wash the area, then repeat twice daily for the best results. You may also want to try out a baking soda paste, which is used by mixing one teaspoon of baking soda with one teaspoon of water and one teaspoon of ground oatmeal. Apply the paste and leave for five minutes before removing it.
Certain areas of the skin are more prone to body odour than others, especially the underarms and the feet. Dealing with body odour can be embarrassing, and many commercial deodorants simply aren’t strong enough to provide long-lasting protection.
Luckily, you don’t need to spend thousands on underarm botox to stay odour-free – the antibacterial qualities of baking soda make it ideal for treating body odour. It’s also known for its ability to absorb excess moisture when you sweat and alkalize your body. This helps to present perspiration in the first place.
If you want to try out baking soda for body odour elimination, take a tablespoon of the powder and mix it with equal parts lemon juice. Stir until you make a thick paste, then gently rub the formula on the areas of the body where you sweat the most, like your underarms, back and feet.
Leave the paste in place for 15 minutes before washing it off in the shower. It’s a good idea to use this formula every morning before taking a shower.
Our feet rarely receive the love they deserve, considering we use them excessively on a daily basis. If you don’t have the time to treat your feet to a lengthy pamper session, but you still want them feeling soft and looking their best, baking soda is your answer.
The exfoliating nature of baking soda enables it to remove dead skin cells from the soles of your feet, softening the skin, and even cleaning your toenails. Baking soda is also a good antibacterial agent, which will help keep common infections, like athlete’s foot, at bay.
To treat your feet with baking soda, fill a bucket or large bowl with warm water and stir in three tablespoons of baking soda. Let it dissolve, then soak your feet for ten minutes.
Keep a pumice stone at hand in case you need to exfoliate the dead skin from your soles. Afterward, wash your feet with regular water and wipe them dry with a soft towel.
For the best results, apply a moisturising lotion and put on a pair of soft, stretchy socks to keep your feet protected.
There are so many skincare benefits to be had with baking soda. Oftentimes, there’s no need to splash out on expensive products for treating your skin when baking soda home remedies prove so effective.
Just remember that it’s a drying agent, so you won’t want to leave it on your skin for any longer than five minutes at a time. It’s also worth doing a patch test on your skin before applying the baking soda all over, as some people are sensitive to the ingredient.
Baking soda is effective in treating mild skin ailments, but all skin is different, so you may notice better or worse results than other people. You should only use baking soda for skin maintenance, and not as a treatment for a serious condition.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you think you need medical treatment for a particular issue with your skin.
If you want to buy baking soda check out the best sellers below!
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