Baking soda for your skin

Bushra S Khan, TNN

Never heard baking soda and skin care being mentioned in the same sentence? Baking soda is known for being a staple in the kitchen but it's also one of the most useful and not to mention inexpensive ingredients around when it comes to DIY skin care! Grab a box of baking soda from your kitchen and get ready to see some big changes courtesy these baking soda beauty fixes!

Face wash

Make a thick paste out of two teaspoons baking soda and one teaspoon warm water. Wash your face with water and apply the mixture that you have prepared in gentle circular strokes. Rinse off the mixture with warm water.

Exfoliate

Baking soda makes for an excellent as well as gentle exfoliator. Add one teaspoon of baking soda to your cleanser and massage face gently to slough off dead skin cells. If you have oily skin, you can add one-teaspoon baking soda to two tablespoons of uncooked oats. Mix this with water and scrub your face and skin in circular motions gently. Oats combined with baking soda is great for deep cleansing and clearing clogged pores.

Footsie

While leading busy, stressful lives, its our feet that take the biggest beating. It's sad that the feet do not even figure in most people's list of skincare. Treat your feet to a baking soda and warm water soak. Baking soda will clean your tootsies and also soften the skin. Mix half a cup baking soda for every four liters of water in a tub and soak your feet for at least half an hour. Moisturise your squeaky clean, soft feet with a thick cream.

Bathing soda

Baking soda makes for a great detox bath. Indulging in a detox bath every once in a while is good for your skin since it helps in purging your body of toxins. Add one or two cups of baking soda along with two cups of Epsom salt in your bath and soak in for about 30 minutes. Make sure to sip on water all through or you might feel terribly dehydrated

Soothe a sunburn

Relieve irritated, itchy and sun burnt skin with baking soda. Soak a clean cloth in baking soda and water to make a cool compress or run a lukewarm bath with half a cup baking soda in it to soothe irritated skin especially when there's no aloe Vera on hand.

Cuti care

Dip your nail brush in baking soda and scrub your nails and cuticles to give them a good washing. If you are suffering from nail fungus (a persistent problem with ladies who love their acrylic nails), then mix two parts baking soda and one part water and make a paste. Apply generously on the infected nail and leave it on for 10 minutes. Do this twice a day till the fungus is gone.

Acne pack

Wash your face clean and then apply a mask of baking soda and water if you have an acne ridden face. Leave it on for five to 10 minutes and wash off with warm water. This also gets rid of blackheads.

 

Source: Baking soda for your skin