Baking soda is one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen pantry. You can use it in baking, as a deodorizer in the fridge or freezer, and a cleaning agent for your pots and pans. Be honest, who hasn’t dropped some in a cup of vinegar just to watch it foam up? We use both baking soda and vinegar in our Dish soap. It works wonders! But baking soda is making its appearance in the bath and beauty world, too. Our Bath Salts recipe calls for baking soda. So, what’s the big deal? 

In its natural form, baking soda is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times. For instance, the Egyptians used natron as a soap for cleansing purposes. Later, anecdotal reports throughout history suggest that many civilizations used forms of baking soda when making bread and other foods that required rising. 

However, it wasn't until 1846 when Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight began to manufacture and sell the compound we know as baking soda today. By the 1860s, baking soda was featured in published cookbooks, and in the 1930s was widely advertised as a "proven medical agent." Come 1972, the idea to keep a box of baking soda in your fridge to keep food fresh was born.  

So exactly how does baking soda fit into my bath and beauty regimen? Baking soda helps regulate pH—keeping a substance neither too acidic nor too alkaline. When baking soda encounters either an acidic or an alkaline substance, its natural effect is to neutralize that pH. Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering. British researchers found that adding one-half cup of baking soda to bathwater soothed itchiness and irritation in patients with psoriasis.  

I use our Bath Salts for a foot soak several times a week. Reason #1, because it feels amazing! Reason #2, my bath salt combines several natural ingredients that make you feel better! Soaking my feet for only 20-30 minutes takes away the pain in my heels, softens my skin and relieves itching and flaking skin. Interestingly, baking soda in deodorant can have the opposite effect and actually cause irritation.  For that reason, we have substituted arrowroot powder for baking soda in our deodorant. 

Try one of our cleaning or bath & beauty products and find out for yourself the powers of baking soda.  

Thank you for your support,  

C~