Wash Your Face With It
Baking soda is great to use on your face, albeit not frequently. The powder is mildly abrasive, which helps to remove oils, grime, and dead skin cells that can clog pores and cause acne. It also helps tighten pores and relieve inflammation.1
The easiest way to use baking soda on your face is to mix it with just enough water to form a milky consistency, then scrub skin gently. To up the soothing factor, combine baking soda with honey and colloidal oats until you get a thick masklike consistency. Massage it in, rinse clean, and repeat once per week.
Exfoliate Your Underarms
You may notice a darkening of the skin under your arms if your deodorant contains harsh ingredients like alcohol and aluminum. Shaving (especially on dry skin and/or with a dull blade) can also cause skin to darken and thicken over time.
You can improve underarm darkness by removing some of the product buildup and dead skin. Do this by combining coconut oil and baking soda into a thick, creamy paste. Apply to your armpits, gently massaging it in, and leave on for five minutes before rinsing. As a bonus, baking soda itself acts as a natural deodorant.
Clean Stained Hands
You may be left with stained hands after working with berries, walnuts, beetroot, or turmeric. Most things that can stain skin are acidic in nature, and using baking soda on the stain should neutralize it and help your hands—or the carpet, etc.—return to their normal color. Just add a dash of baking soda to some liquid castile soap. Scrub, rinse, and voila!
Use Baking Soda as a Spot Treatment
Washing the whole face with baking soda is too much for some sensitive skin types. If that’s the case, you can still reap the inflammation-fighting rewards of baking soda by targeting pimples instead. Make a thick paste by adding a drop of water to a teaspoon of baking soda. Feel free to add a drop of tea tree oil for extra fighting power, too. Apply the thick paste to your blemish and allow it to dry. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse, pat dry, and moisturize the area to prevent overdrying.
Swap Your Dry Shampoo With It
Baking soda is a hygroscopic substance, meaning it attracts and absorbs moisture. That includes hair grease, which is why many use the powder as a natural alternative to chemical-based dry shampoo. Just add a dash to your scalp and rub in with your fingers for a fresh, just-washed feel.
Soothe Skin After Shaving
Baking soda has a refreshing cooling effect on skin—hence why it’s often used to soothe sunburns. It can also reduce some of the irritation caused by shaving. Treat your razor bumps and burn with the same solution you’d use on blemishes: a simple baking soda and water paste. Apply it to clean skin and allow to dry for about 10 minutes. Repeat this twice a day as needed.
Make a Brightening Face Mask
While baking soda works to cleanse and purify skin, lemon aims to brighten the complexion. Together, they deliver all the things you look for in a face mask. Mix freshly squeezed lemon juice from half a lemon with one to two tablespoons of baking soda, depending on your desired consistency. Mix in a teaspoon of honey to balance out the acidity and protect your skin’s barrier. Apply the mixture to clean skin and leave on for 10 minutes.