Baking soda for body care and health
Many body care products can be made from baking soda. These are not only very well tolerated by skin and hair, but can also be used by allergy sufferers. You also know which ingredients are actually contained in home-made body care products.
It should be noted that food-grade baking soda should always be used for body care.
It should be noted that food grade baking soda should always be used for personal hygiene.
Sodium bicarbonate from Niem-Handel fulfils this quality requirement and therefore meets all the prerequisites for all the applications described below.
Deodorant
Heat 100 ml of water in a pan, stir in 1-2 teaspoons of cornflour until the consistency is thick and dissolve 2 teaspoons of baking soda in it as it cools. As baking soda is odourless, you can add 5 drops of an essential oil or essence. Then stir the mixture well and pour it into an empty roll-on deodorant bottle. You can reuse an old roll-on deodorant after thoroughly cleaning it (e.g. with baking soda).
To make a deodorant spray, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in 90 ml of water and add fragrance essences or essential oils to taste. Then pour into a spray bottle.
Baking soda shampoo
Mix two teaspoons of baking soda with a little water to make a paste, apply to the hair, leave on briefly and rinse out with lukewarm water. The baking soda degreases and softens the hair. Should not be used on coloured hair, as baking soda lightens the colour of the hair.
Lightening the hair colour
Baking soda has a lightening effect on the hair. Depending on your hair type, your hair can become 1-2 shades lighter if you use baking soda as a permanent shampoo.
Tame unruly hair
Simply mix a teaspoon of baking soda into the shampoo. Your hair will then be easier to comb.
Brushing teeth
Baking soda can be used to make toothpaste or tooth powder. However, it should not be used as the sole tooth cleaning agent, as other substances are necessary for general dental health, e.g. to prevent tooth decay. However, it is unproblematic to use baking soda in addition to standard toothpaste to reduce bad breath and remove unsightly plaque from the teeth. Simply sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on a damp toothbrush after brushing your teeth and repeat the brushing process.
Mouthwash
Baking soda can be used to make a simple and effective mouthwash to neutralise unwanted odours. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of baking soda in 500ml of water and then add a little sweetener and a few drops of mint oil. Then pour the mouthwash into a glass bottle with a screw cap.
Whitening teeth
Baking soda has a whitening effect and can be used to whiten teeth. Apply a small amount of baking soda to a damp toothbrush and brush your teeth as usual.
Making bath pralines
Natron ist einer der Inhaltsstoffe von Badepralinen. Man vermischt 65 g Natron, 40 g Zitronensäure und 35 g Speisestärke in einer Schüssel. Dann schmilzt man 35 g Kakaobutter und 30 g Kokosöl in einem Wasserbad. Anschließend vermengt man alle Bestandteile, bis sie eine feste Masse ergeben. Für einen angenehmen Geruch kann man noch verschiedene Blüten-Essenzen oder einige Tropfen eines ätherischen Öls unterrühren. Zum Aushärten füllt man die Masse in Silikonformen, wie z.B. Eiswürfel- oder Pralinenformen, und gibt sie für mindestens 5 Stunden in den Kühlschrank. Das Natron reinigt, die Kakaobutter pflegt, die Zitronensäure in Verbindung mit dem Natron sorgt für einen leicht sprudelnden Effekt.
Making fizzy bath balls
Take 200 g baking soda and mix with 100 g citric acid, 50 g cornflour and 75 g melted coconut oil or coconut fat. Knead everything well to obtain a uniform mixture. For a pleasant odour, you can add various flower essences or a few drops of an essential oil. Shape the mixture into ping-pong ball sized balls. The balls can then be rolled in flower petals to create visually attractive bath balls.
Cleansing face mask
Dead skin cells make the skin look dull and make-up can clog the pores, which in turn can lead to pimples. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of coconut or olive oil to make a paste. Apply a thin layer to the face and leave the mask on for around 15 minutes. Then wash off the mask with lukewarm water. The baking soda gently removes dead skin cells and the coconut or olive oil moisturises the skin.
Baking soda scrub
Mix 100 g of baking soda with a little coconut oil or olive oil to make a paste. Apply the paste sparingly to the skin and leave on for approx. 5-10 minutes. Then wash off with lukewarm water and a flannel or exfoliating sponge.
Alkaline bath
Baking soda is alkaline and is therefore often used for alkaline baths. For an alkaline bath, add approx. 100 g of baking soda to a full bath and do not use any other bath additives. The skin becomes pleasantly velvety soft. The alkaline bath with baking soda should not be taken more than twice a week.
Alkalising foot bath
An alkalising footbath with baking soda is quick and easy. Dissolve 3 teaspoons of baking soda powder in 3 litres of warm water. Select the water temperature so that the foot bath can last for approx. 20-30 minutes without the feet cooling down. The feet become velvety soft after a baking soda bath, ideal for a subsequent pedicure.
Baking soda for calluses
After a baking soda foot bath, it is a good idea to do a baking soda foot scrub. The pores are already opened by the foot bath, making it easier to remove calluses. For the baking soda foot scrub, mix 100 g baking soda with olive oil or coconut oil to make a paste. You can spread the paste all over your feet. Leave the paste to work for 5-10 minutes and then rub the calluses with a nail brush or exfoliating sponge. Then rinse the feet with lukewarm water.
Neutralise sweaty feet
Bacteria in particular cause unpleasant odours on the feet. Baking soda neutralises these odours by simply washing sweaty feet with baking soda. Put a small amount of baking soda on a flannel with lukewarm water and use it to wash your feet. You can also take a baking soda foot bath directly (see point above).
You can also use baking soda as a shoe deodorant (see under home care).
Hände und Fingernägel reinigen
Take a small amount of baking soda in the palms of your hands, add a little water and wash your hands thoroughly. Then just dry and do not apply cream. Baking soda removes dead skin cells so that the skin feels nice and soft again. Fingernails - including nail polish residue - can be cleaned well with baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda on a nail brush and scrub the wet fingernails vigorously.
Use against heartburn, nausea and bloating
Baking soda is a tried and tested household remedy for heartburn and bloating. The well-known branded product "Bullrich salt" is based on the discovery by the German pharmacist August Willhelm Bullrich that sodium hydrogen carbonate or baking soda is an excellent therapeutic agent for heartburn and stomach complaints. Almost 200 years ago, he founded a company that has marketed baking soda under this name ever since.
Baking soda neutralises the excess acid in the stomach and therefore quickly relieves severe heartburn. However, this remedy should never be used as a permanent solution, as it only combats the symptoms and not the cause. This is because if the acid is neutralised quickly, the body understands that new acid has to be produced and so the unpleasant heartburn can quickly return.
Sodium bicarbonate also provides rapid relief from nausea caused by drinking too much alcohol by breaking down the excess acid in the stomach.