AN ODE TO BAKING SODA: My new best friend.

For my first post, I am going to share one of my absolute favorite products in the entire world that I could not live without.  Baking Soda is my magical secret ingredient to a happy and clean life.  Firstly, baking soda acts as an abrasive, while also absorbing oils making it a perfect cleaning product for your kitchen counters, stoves, etc.  Also, I like to use it when scrubbing my tub.  More recently I had a serious problem with some moldly looking gross-ness in a corner of the tub and scrubbing it with some baking soda got rid of it.  YES you might use more elbow grease if you are using baking soda instead of one of those sprays.  HOWEVER, consider that replacing dirt and grime with chemicals on your counters may not be the best thing to do.  Article on accidental poisoning of kids in the U.S.. 

Another use of baking soda is to use it as a facial scrub.  It's fine enough that it won't irritate your skin and it will soak up alot of excess oils in your skin.  I would suggest only using this once or twice a week.  I personally like to just put the baking soda in my hands, add a little bit of water to make it into a runny paste and then work it around my skin.  If you'd rather you can add a little to your face wash.  Make sure you use a circular motion and you're not just rubbing it up and down, which will just irritate skin.  Also make sure that you moisturize after doing this, as anytime you scrub you should moisturize after. 

I also use baking soda in the fridge, to eliminate odors as is always seen in the commercials.  Plus you can add a scoop to your laundry to get rid of any added stink (we don't use scented laundry soap or any fabric softener in my house because of a friend's sensitivity to chemicals so this is a certain way to get rid of any unwanted smells). 

Also if you mix together equal parts baking soda and baby powder you can make an at-home dry shampoo.  It doesn't always work so well with darker shades (as a brunette, I've only used it once when I was recovering from surgery and didn't want to deal with the hassle of washing my hair), but for lighter shades it works quite conveniently.  I would definitely suggest this to anyone who has oily hair as a way to avoid overwashing your strands (as this can strip your hair of all natural oils and lead to breakage, split ends, and excessive purchases of shampoo and conditioner which can get expensive!).  I like to use a powder brush from my makeup collection and dust it over my strands, then brush it through with a natural bristle brush. 

These are just some of the ways that baking soda is a fantastic product that can be used in so many numerous ways.  Buy a huge box, get a container to keep it in and you'll have a product to keep your skin fresh, your hair oil free, and your house clean and smelly-free!