Baking Soda

The What, Why and How.

What is Baking Soda?

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), more commonly known as baking soda, is a powdered crystalline substance that is refined from the ore natron.  Mined primarily in the United States, this naturally occurring element offers many opportunities for simple cleaning.

Why is Baking Soda so ridiculously useful?

Today’s 5 star word is “AMPHOTERIC.”  Remember your high school chemistry class?  They talked about acid and bases, you might even remember the word alkalinity, but amphoteric?  Probably not.  An amphoteric material, quite simply, can act as an acid or a base, depending on its surrounding environment.  That is why baking soda is so useful to the natural chemist.  Baking soda is amphoteric.

How to use Baking Soda in skin care?

Baking soda can be used effectively in the following ways: as a scrub, as part of a facial mask for acne, or as an ingredient in soap.  The very fine particles of the baking soda allow for a very fine, light exfolliating experience.  Apply just the powder to your face, moisten your finger tips with water or a hydrosol, and gently rub.  The baking soda as an ingredient in a facial mask allows the mask to both soften the skin as well as balance the skin oils without aggressively breaking down facials oils, which are essential for protection from harmful radicals.  In your soap, the baking soda acts as a softening agent for your water, allowing the soap to gently yet effectively.

If you are committed to an all natural skin care program but live in an area with particularly hard water, you may find that all natural soaps without the baking soda “dry” out your skin.  In fact, the ions dissolved in your water are preventing your soap from working effectively.  You have a few options:

1. Move to an area with softer water (a rather costly option).
2. Install a water softener.
3. Install a shower filter.
4. Seek out all natural soaps, such as Christmas Orange, Orange Oriole or Chain Bite Citrus, that include baking soda in the ingredients list.