Baking Soda Beauty: 13 Reasons To Move It from Your Fridge to Your Medicine Cabinet

By on March 3, 2009 in Uncategorized

As elements of spring start to peak through, I’m inspired to freshen up my "beauty routine," which has always minimal. Winter has taken its toll on my skin and hair, but enough is enough. It’s time to peal back the curtain. Influenced by these 10 beauty essentials totaling $75, I started to think about glow- and shine-inducing products that I already have on-hand and my favorite of the bunch, baking soda.

How can my favorite multi-purpose (beauty) product enhance your grooming routines? Read on. (More than a dusted off Redbook list, these applications for baking soda are a compilation of research, polls and personal use, the last indicated by an *).

WHERE TO BUY?  FOR HOW MUCH?

  • Baking Soda is ubiquitous. It does not vary by brand nor fall into different price brackets. It’s reliable and will always come to the siren call of your beauty needs.
     
  • It’s available. You can purchase it at supermarkets, bodegas, drug stores and gas station mini-marts.
     
  • The price is right. Drugstore.com offers buy-one-get-one for $2.99.
     

HAIR

  • Remove buildup. Mix a small palm-full of baking soda to your shampoo to remove buildup from conditioners, mousses and hairsprays.*
     
  • Dry shampoo. No time for a shampoo? Baking soda can be used as a dry shampoo when your hair is oily. Sprinkle some on your hair, comb through then quickly fluff your hair with a blow dryer.
     
  • Chlorine-damaged tresses. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 pint warm water.*
     
  • Combs and brushes. Remove product and oil buildup by soaking your utensils in a bowl of warm water with about 3 tablespoons of baking soda. You can also add a splash of bleach.*
     

SKIN

  • Facial Exfoliant. In the palm of your hand, mix some baking soda with your facial cleanser to make a gentle exfoliant. Use circular motions to apply gently then rinse as usual for very soft skin.*
     
  • Rough skin. This also works for the rough skin on elbows and feet. Make a thick paste with baking soda and water (about 3 parts baking soda to one part water) and scrub away.
     
  • Shaving. A solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in a cup of water works as a pre-shave product of aftershave rinse for men with sensitive skin.

MOUTH

  • Tooth polish & whitener. Baking soda toothpastes have been long-time shelf staples for a reason. The baking soda works to freshen breathe and whiten and polish teeth. Dip a damp toothbrush in baking soda and brush away. My personal twist, dip a toothbrush with toothpaste in baking soda for mouth cleaning times two.*
     
  • Toothbrush. Soak your tooth brush in a mixture of water and baking soda and let it soak overnight.*
     
     

NAILS

  • Soft cuticles. Scrubbing your nails or toenails with a nailbrush (or old toothbrush) dipped in baking soda will soften and gently exfoliate cuticles.

Have any other beauty tips that incorporate baking soda? Or perhaps another ingredient from your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator? I’d love to know. Who knows, before long I could be making lipstick from cherries, shampoo from apple cider vinegar and conditioner from mayonnaise!

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About olivia

Olivia Kuhn-Lloyd believes in the reach of business to effect real social change. She works with companies who are forging a new paradigm of cause capitalism and writes about the power of consumer choice at Cause+Capitalism. She managed international trade advocacy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., working with both foreign ambassadors and national business owners to tell their stories. She left the Chamber to spend a year in the Marshall Islands as a volunteer teacher and journalist. When she returned to the States, she worked with nonprofits and grantmakers in Los Angeles on program development, capital campaigns and executive coaching. Olivia now works with businesses to integrate social cause at a fundamental level and build community around the product or service. She lives in Santa Monica, CA.
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10 Responses to Baking Soda Beauty: 13 Reasons To Move It from Your Fridge to Your Medicine Cabinet

  1. beautiful.momentum March 3, 2009 at 1:44 pm #

    i love the cheapo beauty tips…. keep them coming! :D

  2. Balanchine March 3, 2009 at 2:06 pm #

    I've always used it when I want an extra shine for my teeth (it used to be a regular practice before dates!). Didn't know it could remove product build-up in my hair. I'll definitely try it and for go Neutrogena's expensive clarifying shampoos.

  3. blazedale March 3, 2009 at 4:38 pm #

    Great tip! Thank you…

  4. michelle.cook March 3, 2009 at 4:41 pm #

    Great info, Olivia. These are some excellent ideas. I use baking soda for a lot of purposes, but I'll definitely add your suggestions.

  5. Dave March 3, 2009 at 5:21 pm #

    Another tip for plumbing: Mixing it with vinegar and pouring down a clogged drain can sometimes work as well as draino. :)

  6. mp101 March 3, 2009 at 8:10 pm #

    Hey thanks-I didn't know I could use it for hair buildup. I've been using it on my teeth..yes,especially when we're going out and now I can use it on my hair – hair will be back to shiny! Thanks.

  7. gregory57 March 3, 2009 at 8:19 pm #

    Great information Olivia, thank you. Many swimmers will testify that it really helps with hair if you are in the pool alot.

    Love, Greg

  8. blueiris1261 March 3, 2009 at 9:55 pm #

    The only thing that really cures my heartburn…1 tsp baking soda mixed into about 4 oz. of warm water.

  9. steven0000 September 19, 2009 at 2:19 am #

    Skin care products, whether all natural or not, go bad. Check for expiration dates on packaging

  10. gazy August 16, 2010 at 3:11 am #

    thanks for the beauty tips.i will sure try it.

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