If you’re curious to see how you can use the powder in your routine (you’re here on this page after all), we’ve gathered some of the baking soda’s best formulations. One way to do this is through a DIY face scrub: in general, you need two basic ingredients for a scrub, a physical exfoliant and an emollient. Baking soda makes for a particularly potent granular exfoliator if you feel your skin needs some extra help. From there, just blend it with a base, vitamin E oil being a popular one, but you can also try a few drops of water for a one-ingredient mask. Your face is delicate, so do be mindful to make sure you scrub is more emollient than exfoliator. And as always be mindful not to overdo it. (Dead skin cells may sound like something you want to rid your skin of, but your top level of skin should have some there as a protective barrier.) “The most important tip is that ’less is more.’ You want to exfoliate just enough to increase cell turnover and reveal fresh new skin,” says Ife Rodney, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Eternal Dermatology reminds us about exfoliation. “But be sure to not scratch or damage your skin by overusing these devices or products.” For a DIY body scrub, use one cup of baking soda with adding in one tablespoon of your oil at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. (Marisa Plescia, research scientist at clean beauty e-tailer NakedPoppy, says it will take anywhere from 3 to 6 tablespoons.) However, a major word of caution. The high alkalinity1 of baking soda can disrupt the hair cuticle, leaving the hair dry, frizzy, and prone to breakage," says Kate Denniston, N.D., a licensed naturopathic doctor and founder of Los Angeles Integrative Health. Board certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D., agrees: “Due to the abrasive nature, not only can the baking soda damage the hair shaft and contribute to hair breakage and split ends, it higher pH may also harm your scalp causing redness, inflammation and itchiness. Baking soda also opens up the hair cuticles, which causes water absorption: some absorption can be helpful, but too much can weaken the hair. However, we must note, some find it irritating and may cause an underarm rash. If that’s true for you, there are baking soda-free options. Just be mindful to not go too long without washing your hair when using a dry shampoo. The product can leave buildup, cause inflammation, and may even lead to hair loss. “When you have product, dirt, and oil building up around your follicle opening—which is where your hair grows out of—buildup around that starts to slowly suffocate your hair root, and it causes inflammation,” trained trichologist and hairstylist Shab Reslan once told us about the condition.
