Happier Abroad Forum Community

Winston wrote:I tried using baking soda to wash my face today. Wow. Afterwards my facial skin felt so smooth and fresh, almost like baby skin! I was surprised. The result was even better than the 800p facial treatment i got at the facial salon in SM! And its free too!

Supposedly if u wash ur face with it for one week all your acne and acne scars will be gone. I will see if it works.

I also am using baking soda to whiten my teeth, since many people said it works. I see some results already. It works better than expensive teeth whiteners.

I also used it on my jock itch rash under my balls and it helped too. Made the skin there feel fresh and new!

I didnt know a cheap thing like baking soda had so many uses, and works better than expensive stuff too! You should try all this yourself sometime and see! Just google "benefits of baking soda" or "uses of baking soda" or YouTube it, and you will see lots of info about it. Theres a ton of online info about using it for your face, teeth, skin, etc. Same with hydrogen peroxide.

droid wrote: I'm actually trying hydrogen peroxide ( lol ) mixed with baking soda, externally, for some small sun blotches on my face and hands.
I first applied it yesterday for 20 minutes, and 24h later it seems to have made a notable difference.

I will keep applying and report back if this is real.

PLEASE DO NOT USE BAKING SODA ON YOUR SKIN. I know most people here at /r/skincareaddiction know this already, but if you are new to this subreddit and are currently scrubbing your skin with baking soda and toning with vinegars, please stop.

If you remember anything from your high school chemistry class, you'll remember that the pH scale works like this: 1 is acidic, 14 is alkaline. Things are either more acidic or more alkaline based on where they sit on the scale (unless it is 7, in which case it is neutral). As a reference point, your skin is roughly a pH of 4.5-5, blood is 7, an effective AHA or BHA is 3.5-4, baking soda is a 9, and the average WHITE vinegar (5-10% acetic acid) is 2.40-3.40.

pH is so very important in skincare -- too alkaline and the skin barrier is disrupted or damaged, too acidic and you risk burns.

Vinegar and baking soda are household chemicals and they are not safer just because they are not in a bottle in the skincare aisle. Baking soda can be used to scrub stains out of a toilet while vinegar can be used to break down lime build-up on your tub or sink. These are chemicals. They are not safer than your Cetaphil cleanser just because they are only one or two ingredients.

Skin care problems are generally caused by genetics, diet, and mistreatment of the problem to begin with, such as scrubbing dehydrated, acne skin with baking soda, which damages the skincare barrier and makes your face a bacterial breeding ground. Think of your skin barrier as part of your immune system -- it is essential for keeping the bad guys out and the good stuff in, such as moisture. Scrubbing it with a too-alkaline cleanser is increasing moisture loss and decreasing the ability to keep bacteria on your skin in check. Worse, by toning your skin with a product with a pH of 2.4-3.4, you are putting your skin at risk for chemical burns, which at best are uncomfortable and at worst will scar.

Please, please use products that are made specifically for use on skin -- your face is not a toilet bowl or a sink. They are balanced by cosmetic chemists and generally use tried-and-true ingredients for cleansing or moisturizing.

For further reading on alkaline products and the skin barrier, here are some medical journals:

One
Two
Three
Four (WHO USED BAKING SODA AS A TREATMENT FOR A RASH!?)

starchild5 wrote:

droid wrote: I'm actually trying hydrogen peroxide ( lol ) mixed with baking soda, externally, for some small sun blotches on my face and hands.
I first applied it yesterday for 20 minutes, and 24h later it seems to have made a notable difference.

I will keep applying and report back if this is real.

Wow ...That's really very progressive of you....You were against it at first but you are open minded to try it...

I use baking soda twice a month and my teeth are super white and no bad odour etc...This is the best and easiest remedy to make your teeth white...just take some baking soda powder in your fingers and rub it to your teeth and you will have shining white teeth without any side effects...

droid wrote: Lol 'progressive' is not really a compliment nowadays

I still disagree with the useless internal use "cure all" scam. But using it externally at least makes some sense, if the peroxide gets to penetrate enough to break down the melanine in the skin blotches, it would work. It could still be a wrong assumption, if those melanocytes have already been 'reprogrammed' for higher production or they have increased in quantity, then the spot will just later come back.

Note that i attempted to use the baking soda just as a vehicle only, to make the HP stay in place. Maybe need to find something more inert.

I didn't know aliens even had teeth
How long did it take for you to see those results?

droid wrote:

Winston wrote:I tried using baking soda to wash my face today. Wow. Afterwards my facial skin felt so smooth and fresh, almost like baby skin! I was surprised. The result was even better than the 800p facial treatment i got at the facial salon in SM! And its free too!

Supposedly if u wash ur face with it for one week all your acne and acne scars will be gone. I will see if it works.

I also am using baking soda to whiten my teeth, since many people said it works. I see some results already. It works better than expensive teeth whiteners.

I also used it on my jock itch rash under my balls and it helped too. Made the skin there feel fresh and new!

I didnt know a cheap thing like baking soda had so many uses, and works better than expensive stuff too! You should try all this yourself sometime and see! Just google "benefits of baking soda" or "uses of baking soda" or YouTube it, and you will see lots of info about it. Theres a ton of online info about using it for your face, teeth, skin, etc. Same with hydrogen peroxide.

I'm actually trying hydrogen peroxide ( lol ) mixed with baking soda, externally, for some small sun blotches on my face and hands.
I first applied it yesterday for 20 minutes, and 24h later it seems to have made a notable difference.

I will keep applying and report back if this is real.

Adama wrote:

PLEASE DO NOT USE BAKING SODA ON YOUR SKIN. I know most people here at /r/skincareaddiction know this already, but if you are new to this subreddit and are currently scrubbing your skin with baking soda and toning with vinegars, please stop.

If you remember anything from your high school chemistry class, you'll remember that the pH scale works like this: 1 is acidic, 14 is alkaline. Things are either more acidic or more alkaline based on where they sit on the scale (unless it is 7, in which case it is neutral). As a reference point, your skin is roughly a pH of 4.5-5, blood is 7, an effective AHA or BHA is 3.5-4, baking soda is a 9, and the average WHITE vinegar (5-10% acetic acid) is 2.40-3.40.

pH is so very important in skincare -- too alkaline and the skin barrier is disrupted or damaged, too acidic and you risk burns.

Vinegar and baking soda are household chemicals and they are not safer just because they are not in a bottle in the skincare aisle. Baking soda can be used to scrub stains out of a toilet while vinegar can be used to break down lime build-up on your tub or sink. These are chemicals. They are not safer than your Cetaphil cleanser just because they are only one or two ingredients.

Skin care problems are generally caused by genetics, diet, and mistreatment of the problem to begin with, such as scrubbing dehydrated, acne skin with baking soda, which damages the skincare barrier and makes your face a bacterial breeding ground. Think of your skin barrier as part of your immune system -- it is essential for keeping the bad guys out and the good stuff in, such as moisture. Scrubbing it with a too-alkaline cleanser is increasing moisture loss and decreasing the ability to keep bacteria on your skin in check. Worse, by toning your skin with a product with a pH of 2.4-3.4, you are putting your skin at risk for chemical burns, which at best are uncomfortable and at worst will scar.

Please, please use products that are made specifically for use on skin -- your face is not a toilet bowl or a sink. They are balanced by cosmetic chemists and generally use tried-and-true ingredients for cleansing or moisturizing.

For further reading on alkaline products and the skin barrier, here are some medical journals:

One
Two
Three
Four (WHO USED BAKING SODA AS A TREATMENT FOR A RASH!?)

droid wrote: ^Good points Adama, all things with restraint

Winston wrote: Starchild, what do you think? You seemed to imply that it was ok to use baking soda to brush your teeth everyday, instead of toothpaste. However, most sites I read said that you should only use baking soda AFTER you brush your teeth with toothpaste, and only every other day too, because it could damage the enamel on your teeth if you use it everyday. What do you think?

Btw, I've been brushing my teeth with baking soda every other day and it does seem to make a little difference. My teeth are a little whiter. The yellow stains on my teeth may be deeper than I thought though, because the difference although noticeable, is happening really slowly.

My point is and the thing is..There are no freaking rules with baking soda...do as you please...