I’m going to start sharing my beauty hacks on this blog. I’ve always been a pretty easy going non-glam girl type. Yes I like makeup from time-to-time but I’m not all glam bot,all day every day with a full face of pretty. My hope is to actually get my red drosacea (dry and rosacea) skin happy enough to use little to no foundation (we’ll get to that in another post). I’ve figure out a lot of beauty hacks through my own trial and error as I've gotten older. My first beauty hack is going to be about baking soda. Yes, the stuff you use to make cookies. It’s a very versatile little product and at under a dollar for a whole box, it’s very economical.
Brush your teeth!
I’m sure you’ve seen the toothpastes that also use baking soda. You don’t have to buy those expensive toothpastes to get the same effects. You can either mix baking soda with a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution or you can just dip your toothbrush (toothpaste and all) into baking soda. Baking soda helps to polish the teeth and contains salt, which helps to kill bacteria. This is not going to taste good if you make your own paste with hydrogen peroxide but if you’re worried about toothpastes with chemicals it’s a good alternative.
Mouthwash!
Just mix a teaspoon in 4oz of water (half a cup) swish and spit out. Unlike other mouthwashes it actually kills the bacteria that causes bad breath and will neutralize any odor.
Exfoliator!
Mix 3 parts of baking soda with 1 part of water (say tablespoons of baking soda with one table spoon of water). This will make a paste that you can use to gently exfoliate your skin. Just apply and rub in circular motions. I use this on my body. I have a very sensitive face so I personally avoid that area. It is safe to use around the face though. Avoid your eyes!
Wash your hair!
Mix some baking soda with your shampoo and lather up as normal. The baking soda helps remove your build up styling products. You can also massage it into your scalp as a scalp exfoliator. Spa day!
Speaking of spa day… Body Soak!
I’m not sure why this is not used more (or maybe it is and I’m out of the loop – very possible) but when I was a kid and had chicken pox my mother use to have me soak in a tub of water and baking soda. It helps with the itchiness. Another benefit – it makes your skin very soft. Oh, and other then soft it helps to get rid of oil and icky stuff on the skin. It also helps to neutralize your PH and we all know what happens with bad PH right ladies?
And my NUMBER 1 use for baking soda - Deodorant!
Since the age of 16 I’ve been using baking soda as deodorant. I’ve never liked the smells of the store bought kind. I also know that some are very concerned about the chemicals and additives used in baking soda. This solves all your problems! It is not an antiperspirant so if you sweat a ton you’re still going to sweat, you just won’t stink. The sodium bicarbonate actually inhibits bacterial growth (salt is a wonderful thing). Take a little tiny bit and just brush it under your arms. You could use a powder puff too if you’d like. It can cause irritation, say if you cut yourself shaving (salt remember) but I’ve never had a problem with it other than some stinging. Another plus (oh there is more) silky smooth underarms Seriously, Dove has nothing on baking soda.
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda is $0.50 cents for 8 oz. How can you go wrong? Of course make sure you’re not allergic to it. It also may irritate your skin, so please patch test it. I don’t want any irate emails saying how you rubbed baking soda in every orifice on my recommendation and now you have hives (please don’t do that).
Also, remember that baking soda has salt in it. Don’t put it on irritated or sensitive areas. It’s going to burn (in case I wasn’t clear). What kind of beauty hacks do you have? I’d love to know them!
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