Women around the world collectively spend about $426 billion on beauty products every year. Whether you are trying to keep your scalp healthy, keep your skin looking young, or make your nails look fabulous, you can do this all for $1. That’s right, one dollar. What is this mystery product? Well, it is not much of a mystery; rather, it is very common and accessible to everyone.
Baking soda is where it’s at. It isn’t just an ingredient in your favorite cookie recipe. There are a lot of ways to use baking soda, and you won’t have to go to the store every other day to get beauty supplies! Plus, most beauty supplies contain chemicals that can impair the way your body eliminates toxins. Start saving money, caring for your body, and try out these baking soda beauty hacks.
Healthy Hair
Rather than going to the store to buy a bunch of hair care products, you can get one bottle of natural shampoo. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking powder in your usual handful of shampoo to remove dandruff and build up. Or you can sprinkle some on your head and brush it in like a dry shampoo. Don’t do this more than once a day.
Polish Jewelry
This is a pretty amazing life hack. Any woman knows that jewelry can fade or get discolored. All you need is a piece of aluminum foil, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon baking soda, ½ cup boiling water, and ½ cup white vinegar. Place the foil on the bottom of the bowl and pour the rest of the ingredients in. Mix the solution and let your silver sit in there for 5 minutes. Remove it and dry it with a soft cloth. Only use silver. Don’t put other metals in this solution.
Great For Exfoliating
If you need to exfoliate dry skin, look no further than baking soda. Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water and massage on dry or rough areas, like your elbows, hands, feet, or knees. Do not put this on cracked heels because it can be too strong in those sensitive cracks.
Teeth Whitener
Now don’t go and sprinkle baking soda on your teeth because that can be too harsh. Your teeth and gums are delicate and you need to treat them as such. Baking soda is actually a key ingredient in many whitening toothpastes, so making your own toothpaste is very easy and healthy. We got the source so let’s whiten our teeth. Mash a strawberry with a little bit of baking soda to make a paste. Brush with this paste for a couple minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Don’t do this more than 3 times a month.
Keep Your Towels Fresh
When you get out of the shower you don’t want the towel you use to smell moldy or gross. Here’s a trick to keep those towels smelling fresh and lovely, just like you. Wash your towels with ½ cup of baking soda on a hot water cycle. This makes them fluffy and gets rid of any bad odors.
A Great Natural Deodorant
Baking soda is a great ingredient to naturally reduce body odor. Making your own deodorant is much healthier than using deodorants with all sorts of chemicals. You can make your own deodorant by combining 6 tablespoons of organic coconut oil, ¼ cup of baking soda, ¼ cup arrowroot, and drops of your favorite essential oils. Store this in a container and use as necessary.
Healthy Facial Mask
When you apply this mask to your face, you can improve the clarity of your skin. If you have acne, this mask can help fight oils and bacteria on your skin. All you have to do is mix 1 tablespoon of raw honey, 2 teaspoons of water, 4 tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of fresh lime juice. Apply this to your face and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.