Baking soda has a use for just about everything– it can put out fires, remove oil and grease from clothing, whiten teeth, clean vegetables, polish silverware, get rid of nasty smells, and settle your upset stomach. But did you know it is also an excellent natural skin care product?
One of the best skin care combinations is baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The baking soda cleanses and exfoliates and the apple cider vinegar acts as a toner and astringent. Both are natural products, free of harsh and irritating chemicals, and both have antibacterial properties. Apple cider vinegar is also loaded with excellent skin care nutrients, whether you drink it as a tonic or use it directly on the skin.
Here are a few recipes to get you started:
- As a cleanser and exfoliant, mix a couple of teaspoons of baking soda with some water until it forms the consistency of sand or brown sugar. Then apply it gently to a slightly wet face. You can choose to either wash it off right away or leave it on for a while- about 10 minutes or so- or until it’s mostly dry. After rinsing face well of the baking soda, make a toner with 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water (never use it neat) and apply with a cotton ball. Follow that with an application of coconut oil or vitamin E to soothe and soften. The baking soda thoroughly cleanses the skin while removing excess oils and dead skin cells. The apple cider vinegar is nourishing and closes the pores, and the coconut oil or vitamin E softens and nourishes at the same time. (If you do not want to go the all natural way with your moisturizer or just simply don’t have coconut oil or vitamin E, you can use your everyday moisturizer.)
- If you have problems with acne, try a honey mask after cleansing and exfoliating with baking soda. Smooth the honey directly on the skin, leave on for about 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. Follow with apple cider vinegar to tone. In this case, you don’t need the coconut oil or vitamin E as the honey has already done the job. Using this routine, you may be able to eliminate acne medication and special acne skin care products altogether.
- As an all-over body scrub, try sprinkling baking soda directly onto a washcloth and rubbing down. It exfoliates the skin while cleansing, and gives a soft, even texture. Use a paste of baking soda and water to smooth away especially rough areas– elbows or heels– before your shower.
Why do people use baking soda instead of the hundreds of skin care products available? Primarily because it’s natural- no harsh and irritating chemicals. Baking soda does a better job than most of the chemical-laden products and doesn’t damage the skin.
Many people have sworn off the chemicals used in most skin care products and replaced their cleansers, masks, exfoliants and even anti-aging serums with baking soda, honey, apple cider vinegar and other natural skin care treatment products. As a result, they’ve improved their skin and their overall health. Give baking soda a try and you should see the difference almost immediately. Plus, not only do you probably already have it in your kitchen cabinet, but it’s also very cheap at a couple of dollars at the most.
