by Stephanie Harris

Created on: July 19, 2009   Last Updated: July 20, 2009

Health and Beauty uses for Baking Soda

Baking soda has so many different uses, from cleaning, baking and health and beauty. It is an indispensable item in everyones kitchen cupboard; it is also so much cheaper than the tailor made products that we can buy and that may cause some nasty side effects.

A very good and simple remedy for any Urinary Tract Infection is to mix half a teaspoon of baking soda into 250 ml glass of water and drink it all down; this is to be done at the first sign of any problems as this will raise the acid base balance of the irritating, acidic urine. This remedy followed by drinking a good couple of glasses every hour will very often flush most problems away.

To make your own bubbling bath salts you will need; 2 cups of baking soda mixed with 2 cups of cream of tartar, add to this mix cup of cornstarch. Depending on your mood, you can always add up to twelve drops of essential oil into the mix, this will scent your bath as well, for a mixture to be used for bedtime baths, use lavender or chamomile to help you relax and sleep. For a morning bath mixture, peppermint, rosemary, or during the winter, ginger or cinnamon. As long as this mixture is kept in a covered container it will be fine stored in the bathroom. The baking soda is wonderfully soothing and moisturising for the skin, and this mixture fizzes quite well in the bath water, a little like a crushed bath bomb, and it can be made in five minutes so a lot quicker and cheaper than going to the shops.

The alkaline in baking soda makes it a wonderful solution as an antacid remedy. If you suffer from acid reflux, sour stomach or acid indigestion mix one teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of warm, pre boiled water and swallow, this will ease your stomach problems very quickly.

To soften hard skin on feet, knees and elbows make a paste with three teaspoons of baking soda and one teaspoon of water, rub into the dry calloused skin and you will find yourself with softer, smother skin. To make yourself a very good and efficient facial scrub, that is fine for people with sensitive skin to use is yet another recipe using products from the kitchen cupboards. Baking soda and porridge oats, put into a food processor 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoon of oats, grind to a very fine powder for the face, mix to a paste with a little water and pat on to the face like a face mask, leave for 5 minutes and then rub into the skin gently, rinse with water ending with a cold rinse. Follow this with a little plain moisturiser and your skin will be looking cleaner and feeling smoother.

In the old days, before the tubes of toothpaste, our families used baking soda on a tooth bush to clean their teeth, as it is an alkaline, the majority of bacteria will be killed as soon as it comes into contact with baking soda. As such, baking soda in powder form makes a terrific tooth powder; if made into a solution, it will make a very efficient mouthwash. Very good if you have bad breath, or cavities.

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