Random Skincare Facts on Baking Soda

We've seen a lot of Youtubers and bloggers promoting the use of baking soda for facial skin care, usually as washes or as exfoliator. Popular as it may seem though, baking soda is one ingredient not meant for the face. especially if used on DIY skincare recipes. Today, we'll take a look on what baking soda is and how it affects the skin.

Good for baking, bad for skin.
(Image from Arm & Hammer website)

Baking soda is the non-chemical sounding name for the salt sodium bicarbonate. It is often used as a food additive as leavening agents, ingredient in fire retardants, and as cleaning agent. It also has become a personal and skin care product, thanks to old wives tales and the internet.

Baking soda is safe for consumption is small quantities, such as its use in baking. However, there is such thing as a "baking soda overdose" which may cause great discomfort. As with anything, too much is bad!

So how is it bad for the skin? Baking soda is highly alkaline, with a pH of around 8.5-9.5. The skin, however, is protected by a thin film called the acid mantle. This barrier is what prevents bacteria, fungi, and other contaminants from penetrating the skin. It even protects against moisture loss and should be maintained for a healthy skin! While the barrier is slightly affected by the usually alkaline contaminants, it can be greatly affected by skin care items with the wrong pH - and baking soda is most certainly at the wrong pH as it is "too alkaline", just like lemon which is "too acidic".

Damaging the acid mantle can allow for more bacteria on the skin, which can lead to acne. To compensate for the higher pH of the skin due to baking soda use for cleansing (or use of a cleanser nowhere near the acid mantle's pH), the oil glands tend to secrete more oil, and this of course will lead to oilier skin.

Fun fact 1: Baking soda and SLS have around the same pH! SLS and SLES may be irritating for some people, hence the advocacy for SLS/SLES free products. Which makes the use of baking soda (alone or with other acids and unformulated) seem a bit crazier.

Fun Fact 2: Baking soda is not a natural compound - as in "found in nature" compound. It's also synthesized in laboratories, just like the rest of the "scary chemicals". It can also be chemically refined from mined ores.

Fun Fact 3: It's not good for the hair, but is unfortunately used with apple cider vinegar for no-shampoo advocates.

Fun Fact 4: Diluting it in water alone does not really help lower its pH, as brilliantly put by this unfortunate former no-poo supporter.

Fun Fact 5 (not skin care): Baking soda is not baking powder. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, while baking powder is made of baking soda, an acidic partner (usually cream of tartar) and other fillers like cornstarch. Baking soda is sometimes neutralized with an acid to get rid of the metallic taste of baking soda.

Best advice, if it's not properly formulated (like almost all DIY baking soda concoctions), do not use it!