There isn’t one thing that baking soda can’t be used for. It is a multi-tasking wonder for both your body and home, and can help maintain a full wallet. After all, why buy fancy products when some cheap sodium bicarbonate can do the trick?!
The many benefits of baking soda have made it a state among households who are serious about living healthy, as well as saving money!
Using baking soda over conventional beauty and household products can also help save the environment. Every time we wash personal care or cleaning products down the drain and into our water system, these chemicals end up somewhere else, and for animals like dolphins, the end result isn’t pretty.
Besides protecting wildlife (especially the aquatic ones), we can also protect ourselves from the array of toxins in household cleaning and beauty products. Not to mention, this useful powder also benefits the body in more ways than one. Let’s check out what it does below!
1. Natural Deodorant
One of my favourite ways to use baking soda is as a natural deodorant. Baking soda helps neutralize the bacteria in your arm pit and reduces body odour. You can try this recipe, but instead of adding 1/4 cup baking soda, try just adding 1 or 2 tbsp. of baking soda, as it can irritate the armpits if used in excess.
2. Insect Bites and Poison Ivy
If you’ve been bit by a mosquito, fly, or other insect, or just walked into a poison ivy plant, baking soda’s got your back. Simply mix a little bit with water to make a paste, and then apply on the affected area. It helps neutralize any toxins secreted by the insect bite or poison ivy on your skin’s surface, thereby reducing itch and healing the bite/rash.
3. Foot Soak and Exfoliator
Want soft baby feet? Add three tablespoons of baking soda to a tub of warm water to rejuvenate the feet and make them feel soft again. You can also exfoliate your face and body by making a paste from three parts baking soda to one part water. It is gentle enough to be used every day if you please, but if your skin is more sensitive, opt for using it 1-2 times per week.
4. Body Soak
You can also soak your entire body in a bath of baking soda to rapidly shed old skin cells and make your skin feel baby soft. Adding in some epsom salt can also help detox and relax the whole body – you’ll feel like you just walked out of the spa!
5. Hand Cleanser
If you’re wanting to neutralize weird odours from your hands, mix three parts of baking soda with one part water and gently scrub onto your hands. This is a great mixture to use after a day out shopping, as it can also get rid of a host of different bacteria and viruses.
6. Cancer Fighter
Baking soda helps regulate pH levels, given its alkalizing pH of approximately 9.0. It counteracts acidity that accumulates in the body, and can be used to increase oxygenation and carbon dioxide levels in the body – important when someone is trying to fight off cancer in the body. Research has shown that baking soda, along with the use of other natural healing strategies, can be used to naturally defend against cancer, as well as strengthen the immune system. For more information on baking soda and cancer, check out the article here. Also, check out this guy who cured his stage-4 prostate cancer with baking soda.
7. Splinter Removal
If you’re like me, getting a splinter often means digging it out with a needle (or patiently awaiting its natural expulsion from the skin). However, baking soda can speed up the process, if you’re one of those people who can’t stand digging out a sliver with a needle. Simply add a tablespoon of baking soda to a small glass of water and soak the affected area twice a day. This will allow the splinter to come out on its own.
8. Sunburn Remedy
Baking soda is great at soothing a bad sunburn. You can sit in a bath full of baking soda and water, or you can apply a mixture directly to your skin. Start with 1/2 cup of baking soda in a mixing bowl and add cool water until the mixture is thin enough to spread on your sunburned skin. Apply the mixture and leave it on for 15 minutes – then wash it off in cool water.
9. Natural Toothpaste
Toothpaste can easily be made with a mixture of baking soda and coconut oil (and some essential oils like peppermint if you please). And if you’re too concerned about baking soda being too abrasive – think again. Commercially store-bought toothpastes are actually more abrasive in general than baking soda on its own (check out the article here). Baking soda also possesses antibacterial activity that has been found to kill Streptococcus mutans bacteria – major contributor to tooth decay.
When making toothpaste I like to take 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 2 tbsp. baking soda, with a couple drops of peppermint essential oil. I stir it all up, and my toothpaste is ready to use!
10. Heartburn, Indigestion and Ulcer Pain
Baking soda is one of the best at-home remedies for heartburn, indigestion and ulcer pain. It can help to neutralize stomach acid, and get rid of the pain and discomfort these ailments create in the body. Just take 1/2 teaspoon baking soda fully dissolved in half a glass of water. It’s majorly effective (be prepared to burp, too!). Make sure you don’t rely on this remedy every single day, however, as too much can cause an electrolyte imbalance (this is a remedy, not an every-day excuse to continually eat the foods that are causing your stomach issues in the first place).
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