10 UNEXPECTED USES OF BAKING SODA
1. All-over scrub: If you mix up ground oatmeal with water and soda in the ratio 1:1:3 you get a cheap nourishing, gentle and refreshing body exfoliator for everyday use. Rub it gently, in circles, to remove dead skin cells, then wash with warm water.
2. Prelude to manicure: Dip a tiny nail brush into some baking soda and gently scrub under your nails and around cuticles until your fingertips shine clean. Then, prepare a solution of three parts baking soda and one part water, and rub it in carefully as an exfoliant for your hands. Finally, wash out with warm water and you will be absolutely ready to apply nail polish!
3. Tough calluses softener: Soak your toes in a small basin of warm water with two tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of lavender oil. Once the calluses soften, you can scrub them away using another soda solution: three parts baking soda, one part water, and one part brown sugar. After the procedure, apply a rich moisturizer and wrap your feet in a warm towel; just relax and wait for several minutes.
4. Hair product buildup removal: Add a little bit of baking soda to your shampoo if you need to get rid of excessive product buildup. The baking soda can remove what has remained from the styling products on your head so you will end up with shining, clean and easy to manage hair.
5. Deodorant: For you own homemade deodorant mix four tablespoons of baking soda with about ten drops of any essential oil with a smell you enjoy. Then, apply the mixture to your underarms with a brush (a stubby Kabuki brush is probably most useful). The best way to store your deodorant is in an empty mineral makeup container. You can even easily reapply it on the go throughout the day!
6. Bath soak: If you need to relax after a long and tiring workday, try adding half a cup of baking soda to your bath to effectively wash away oil, acids and salts from your skin while you soak. In addition to this, baking soda softens and soothes your skin, and also calms down skin irritations such as sunburns, allergies or insect bites.
7. Teeth whitener: To whiten your teeth quickly every morning, dip your wet toothbrush into some baking soda and brush for one minute. Then brush your teeth again, but this time with toothpaste. You can also prepare yourself a mouth-washing solution, adding one teaspoon of soda into a quarter of glass of water. This mouthwash also has a strong anti-fungal effect.
8. Acne spot treatment: Paste, easily prepared from baking soda and a little water, can be applied to pimples as a strong local treatment. However, be careful and do not use this for deep cysts, as it has extreme drying effect.
9. Face wash: As you probably know, exfoliating your face removes the upper level of dead skin cells and helps reveal more shiny and healthier-looking skin. But if your exfoliant is not mild enough, you may cause a huge visible damage to your face. Try this easy recipe to make a cheap but gentle anti-acne face wash: one tablespoon of raw organic honey combined with the same amount of baking soda. Massage your face carefully with this mixture, then leave it on your skin for a minute and, finally, rinse well.
10. Uneasy stomach cure: Although this is not really a beauty tip, it is a very efficient application of soda, that we cannot help mentioning. If you suffer from stomach acids, heartburn, gases, or other tummy issues, add a teaspoon of soda into a glass of warm water and drink it down quickly. This is a very effective cure as the low alkalinity of the soda solution neutralizes the troublemaking stomach acids.
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