When you hear the words 'baking soda', it's natural for the mind to be filled with drool-worthy images of sinful chocolate cakes. We all know that baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, serves many purposes in our kitchen and day-to-day life. It helps in cleaning, eliminating odours, getting rid of tough stains from our carpets and as a quick-fix beauty product for several skin issues. Wait, what? That's right. Baking soda can help you solve many of of the skin troubles you've been fretting over, if you know how to use it. So here are some tried and tested ways in which baking soda can change your beauty regimen forever.
1. Blemishes no more
If you patchy skin, you need to make friends with baking soda now. Take 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of lemon juice and mix them together to form a smooth paste. Before applying the mixture, wash your face thoroughly with lukewarm water, but do not completely dry off with a towel, leave a little moisture on your face. Apply the paste on your face. Rinse off thoroughly after 1-2 minutes. Finish it off by applying a moisturiser that suits your skin. Repeat 2-3 times a week for best results, but make sure you don't leave it on your face for too long.
Baking soda and lemon juice have bleaching properties that make pigmentation and marks fade and reduce over time. In addition, baking soda acts as a scrub and an exfoliator, removing dead skin
2. Smelly cat? Nope
Maybe it's changes in your diet and lifestyle or just the weather that's making your body erratically. Whatever be the reason, even if you don't suffer from body odour usually, there can be phases when your body starts to emit a strange funky odour. Usually, it is caused by the build-up of bacteria in our pores. While you definitely need to see a doctor, baking soda can offer some respite in the interim. Mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp baking soda together until you get a paste-like consistency. Apply it to the parts that tend to perspire a lot and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Do this every day for at least a week.
Baking soda helps to absorb excess moisture from your body and behaves like a natural deodorant, killing the bacteria and alkalising the body, all of which controls its perspiration. It is also used as an ingredient in some deodorants.
3. Use it as a toner
Open pores can pose a big problem, especially if you live in a city with heavy pollutants in the air. Harmful bacteria and viruses can enter the body through the pores of the skin and cause issues like acne and pimples. To prevent this, mix 1 tbsp of baking soda with 1 cup of tap water and keep it aside. Wash your face like you normally would. Use the mix on your face like a toner 3 to 4 times a week and apply a moisturizer.
Baking soda acts as an astringent and cleans the pores while shrinking them. As a result, this treatment prevents acne by keeping the pores clean and sealed.
4. Show off the pearly whites
If you're forever conscious of grinning happily in photos because of the yellow tinge on your teeth, baking soda can help. Mix a pinch of baking soda and salt with water. Brush your teeth with this paste every alternate day for a week for cleaner, whiter teeth. Make sure you don't add too much baking soda. Ultimately, soda is, well, acidic, and you don't want to scrub the enamel off your teeth.
5. Glowing skin is within reach
Pollution in the air can make your skin look dull, which, in turn, gives you a constantly tired and fatigued look. To give your face an energised glow, mix 2 tbsps of fresh orange juice with 1 tbsp of baking soda into a paste-like consistency. Wash your face with a gentle face wash and dab it with a towel, but keep it slightly damp. Apply the paste on your face and keep it on for about 15 minutes. Slowly rub the pack off your skin with wet fingers. Rinse and finish off with a moisturizer. Repeat once a week.
Orange is acidic in nature and helps neutralise your skin, while giving it a boost of collagen, thanks to the vitamin C in it. At the same time, baking soda acts as an exfoliator, removing dust and excess oil from your pores.
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