Use the Baking Soda for Skin Problems
In a typical household, baking soda has many important functions. It removes odors from the refrigerator, cleans the kitchen sink, freshens laundry, and makes an appearance in a variety of tasty recipes. But baking soda can also play an important role in your beauty regimen when its used to treat and relieve skin problems.
Benefits
A natural
cleaning agent, baking soda is an effective product for cleansing the skin and
removing cosmetics, lotions, perfumes, dirt and oils. For deep cleaning, add
half a cup of baking soda to bath water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. And with
its mildly gritty texture, it can also be used for gently skin exfoliation. To
exfoliate the skin -- whether your face, knees, elbows or heels -- mix the
baking soda with a small amount of water to form a thick paste and massage it
into the skin in a circular motion. Some people might also notice that baking
soda helps relieve redness, treat acne, even skin tone, or minimize the
appearance of pores.
Considerations
Although
baking soda is a mild and gentle product, the potential for skin irritation is
always possible. If your skin becomes red, itchy, dry or painful after applying
the baking soda treatment, rinse it immediately and avoid using baking soda in
the future.
Other Uses
Along with
treating various skin problems, baking soda can also be incorporated into other
aspects of your beauty routine. A bit of baking soda mixed into your shampoo
can help remove hair product build-up. And if you don't have time for a shower,
sprinkle dry baking soda onto the hair to absorb oil and freshen hair quickly.
Baking soda can also be used to whiten the teeth, refresh the fingernails and
toenails, and relieve pain from heat rashes, sunburns and insect bites.
Other Home Remedies:
If your skin
care frustration has inspired you to give up beauty products and seek out new
remedies from your kitchen cabinets, baking soda is not your only option. The
Ladies' Home Journal website recommends using banana and avocado to moisturize
skin or coarse sea salt mixed with olive oil to exfoliate skin. Additional
ingredients to use include egg whites for skin toning and oatmeal for treating
acne and soothing skin.
Allergy Concerns
Before
applying any type of product to your sin -- baking soda or otherwise -- do a
patch test to check for allergies. For a patch test, make a small amount of the
concoction you plan to apply to your skin. Gently massage a small amount of the
mixture onto the skin of your inner arm. Over the next 24 hours, check the area
for signs of an allergic reaction, including redness, rash, swelling or
itchiness.
