Is Baking Soda on Your Skin a Bad Idea?

For me? YES.

Pinterest would have you believe that baking soda belongs in your deodorant, your hair, your bath, your face scrub, etc etc etc.

Growing up, my Mom always treated ant bites with a magical baking soda/water mixture that took the pain away (if you've ever been bitten by fire ants, then you know how essential this is to one's childhood). Many experts even suggest baking soda to help treat rashes and other skin problems.

Perhaps for some people, this works. Personally, baking soda has been a nightmare. When I first went no poo, I used baking soda to wash my hair for about a month. While I think it did clarify my hair from tons of buildup, it was just way too harsh to use long term (even with an apple cider vinegar balancing rinse).

Next, I tried it in DIY deodorant and even natural deodorant I bought on etsy. OUCH. At first I was thrilled with the effectiveness, but after about a week I was miserable. I searched for a reason for my discomfort and came to the conclusion that I had not waited long enough after shaving to apply. I applied ACV to balance the pH of my pits and went without the deodorant until the horrible rash subsided.

AAAAAAND we're back to square one. I was SUPER careful with the application of my beloved natural deodorant, but as I type this my armpits are aching. It doesn't take a genius to figure out RED, PAINFUL, SWOLLEN body parts mean your skin is trying to tell you something... kind of a big part of nursing assessment (duh)... but I was trying to convince myself I was "adjusting." Dumb. No. Absolutely not. Baking soda was destroying my arm pits, period.



I've never had sensitive skin; never even had razor burn under my arms. But this was brutal. Apparently this doesn't happen to everyone, but if you are planning to try out baking soda in any of your recipes, please use caution. I am just going to have to leave baking soda in the kitchen. After all, it's not some fancy all-natural cure-all that it's often claimed to be. It is used in the hospital and considered "medicine." I've seen it with my own eyes during my ICU rotation... Sodium Bicarb to treat metabolic acidosis. Granted, it wasn't the white powder; it was a hypertonic IV solution, but still. It's a chemical compound used in the hospital as well as a cleaner to scrub your toilets with. So it ain't to fancy hippie au naturale home remedy for body odor (in my humble opinion).



Without taking you back to basic elementary school chemistry, the stuff is too basic for your skin. Skin friendly treatments tend to be between 4.5 and 5.5. Baking soda is 8.3.




Bottom line? Don't believe everything you PIN. And beware of baking soda on your skin.