Baking Soda Experiment on Skin

Summer always brings dryness in my skin no matter how much moisturizer I wear. Even this time the same thing happened. Unfortunately, it was made worse by the acne I got after going in the sun. For a few days, it was all itchy and swollen. Even the faces wash I daily use could not cure it. So I thought to do an experiment on my ruin with baking soda.

I read in a few magazines and books that it got rid of acne and soothed the skin. But at the same time, they warned against extreme dryness and recommended readers to use the ingredient only twice or thrice a week as exfoliator. My experiment, however, included all weekdays.

The first day I basically made a paste of baking soda by mixing it in water. I wore it all over my face and waited 10 minutes to see what happened. It was definitely an “ouch” experience. The acne suddenly received irritation. It was becoming hard for me to take it. So after 10 minutes I rushed to the bathroom to wash off the baking soda from my face. Just as it was instructed in the magazines and books, I finished off my beauty treatment with my moisturizer. One look at the mirror made me feel very good. My face seemed to glow after all.

Next day, once again I went to the mirror to see if the baking soda did its magic of curing my acne. What did the inspection reveal? Well, the pimples were not really gone, but they did shrink a little. Throughout the day I also noticed that there was no more itchiness in my face. So somehow the baking soda showed me some hope. That same evening, I once again thought to use the ingredient on my face. This time, however, I made sure to not make it a facial mask, but face wash. I simply massaged the substance onto my skin with water for 1 minutes and then washed it off. The irritation was still there. I felt as if thousand blades were going in circular motion on my skin. After drying off my face, I headed for the moisturizer. I basically kept doing this for 4 more days. Good news is that my acne finally started disappearing. 

Verdict:

Baking soda does cure acne, but not overnight like some other natural ingredients.  The notion that the ingredient causes extreme dryness is not true for all skin types. I used it every night, but my skin experienced no such thing. The result was opposite. In other words, the dryness simply disappeared.There is a possibility that the baking soda just made my skin ready for absorbing my facial cream properly.  Yet those who have dry skin must take precaution while using baking soda. Follow the “twice a week” use system.

Overall, use of baking soda on skin is not that bad. There is basically no side effect unless your skin is over sensitive or thin. Irritation can be a problem for all those who are suffering from acne dilemma. If it continues even after you finish washing off your face discontinue using the ingredient. But it is recommended that you buy a new pack of baking soda from the store instead of using the one you have in your kitchen cabinet especially if it has remained open for too many months.

Now there is another thing you need to know. As mentioned before, I went through the baking soda treatment all weekdays. But once I halted on the weekend and went outside in the hot sun, i found a tiny pimple appearing under my chin. This should imply to you that skipping the treatment will put you back to square one especially if you are someone who has never ending acne problem. So in a way, baking soda is not really a wonder ingredient for skin care.