Baking soda for skin exfoliation

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. You can use baking soda for skin exfoliation and in this blog post we will show you how. But before moving ahead it will be good to know about the various benefits of exfoliating your skin.

Benefits of skin exfoliation

The most important benefit of exfoliating your skin is the improvement in skin texture. Exfoliation will help to smooth out rough, uneven texture by removing the build-up of dead skin cells.

Exfoliation can help with acne. This is because exfoliation clears out clogged pores by removing dead skin cells. It will also clear out excess oil that can contribute to pimples and blackheads.

You can get a brighter skin tone as exfoliation will remove the build-up of dead skin cells. Dead skin cells can make the skin appear dull. Exfoliation will reveal brighter and more even skin tone by removing the dead skin cells.

Exfoliation will result in a more youthful skin. This will happen as the cell turnover rate will improve. This is basically the rate at which new skin cells are formed and old ones are shed.

Since exfoliation opens the pores of the skin it readies the skin for improved penetration of the nutrients in skin care products. This includes moisturizers and serums.

By promoting the cell turnover rate exfoliation can also help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This will make you look younger than your age.

It is important to keep in mind that over exfoliation can lead to skin irritation and dryness. So it is good to exfoliate in moderation. You can exfoliate only 1 or 2 times a week. Depending on your skin type and sensitivity.

Now that we know the benefits of exfoliation let us look at using baking soda for skin exfoliation.

Baking soda for skin exfoliation

Baking soda is a common household ingredient. It can be used for exfoliating your skin. You have read the benefits of exfoliating your skin above.

To use baking soda as an exfoliant you need to make a paste by mixing baking soda with water. The ratio at which you mix both the ingredients will depend upon your individual skin type and the sensitivity of your skin. A good starting point is to mix 1 part of baking soda with 3 parts of water. This ratio can be adjusted till you find the right consistency.

Once you have the paste you can gently massage it on your face in circular motion. Focus more on the areas that are dry or have a rough texture. Be careful not to use too much pressure. This will irritate the skin. Leave this paste on your skin for a couple of minutes. Then rinse of with warm water.

There are other ingredients that can be added with paste to enhance the exfoliating properties of baking soda. You can add honey which is a natural humectant. This can help to moisturize the skin. Addition of essential oils like tea tree and lavender will give the paste antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This will be good for acne prone skin.

Baking soda is quite harsh and abrasive to the skin, so don’t use it daily. As mentioned above any exfoliant is best when used once or twice a week. Also don’t keep the paste on your skin for more than two minutes.

Follow this procedure by applying moisturizer on your skin. If your skin is sensitive then you will have to start with lower concentrations of baking soda.

Finally it is important to do a patch test to check for any allergies.

In conclusion

Using baking soda for skin exfoliation can brighten your skin, treat acne and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. However it is important to use it in moderation as overuse can lead to irritation and dryness. So use it once or twice a week.