Baking Soda

I use it to exfoliate every other day, and I use it as a mask twice a week. I have oily, acne-prone skin and I live in the tropics. I have always had issues with acne, but four years ago it became severe. It was so bad I started using accutane which worked, but I was never comfortable with the side effects. Last year I started to develop cystic acne once again and I decided that I was tired of using pills and brand name acne products that never seemed to work long enough. I did some research and heard about the use of baking soda. I tried other things as well, but this was the one thing that continued to work Now I hardly break out. It has cleared up my acne, and my dark spots are on their way out the door! It takes time, and patience is required, but if you stay consistent you will see the results.

Baking soda disrupts yeasts that cause seborrheic inflamation. It may do so by reducing sebum output; by turning small amounts of sebum oils into soap, thereby emulsifying the remainder and making it unavailable to microbes; by altering the PH profile of the pore environment and making it intolerable for some microbes; or by some other means. It works, and probably does so in multiple ways. Using a paste scrub is not necessary. As many have testified, a paste scrub left on too long will cause chemical burns and considerable (unnecessary) exfoliation. I personally use a simple solution of baking soda in witch hazel, on the order of a teaspoon baking soda per cup of witch hazel. I could probably use less. I use cotton pads to apply, but a soft cloth would work as well. The bottom line is, it works 100% better than the "oxy" pads, acid or alcohol scrubs pushed in the market. You'd do well to throw out the contents of such products and recycle the plastic jars to soak cotton rounds with a weak baking soda solution. The price and effectiveness are much better.

I'm 16 and have been battling acne for about 6 months now. I know this may seem like a short while but I'm the kind person that HATES pimples and scars. And so I've basically tried everything! At first I used baking soda and water as a scrub but stopped as it made my pimples and face so red! Instead I used it every other night as an exfoliating mask. I cleanse my face and then apply a mixture of baking soda with several drops of water on my face. I rub very gently it in so it exfoliates my skin and make sure I do not scrub. Then I leave it on for about 20 minutes and rinse off. I also use this mixture as a spot treatment. I apply it wherever I have pimples and leave it on till I go to bed (because I don't want it flaking on my bed). I've been doing these for only four days now but theres a big improvement in my face. When I started, I had pimples all over my forehead, side s and cheeks. Now, ONLY FOUR DAYS AFTER, I only have 5 little pimples in all just on my forehead!! I recommend everyone to give baking soda treatment a shot so long as you're careful! Good luck and stay beautiful!

I started washing my face with baking soda about a month and a half ago and my face has gotten so much better. Since I was 10 I've had moderate acne and tried all the exfoliants and acne treatments. I had been sort of accepting my face as it was and decided why not give baking soda a shot, it can't hurt!? And within a week my skin cleared up. I get the occasional one or two zits that come and go, but it's better than the constant four or five horrible that I was used to. I wet my face, then put about a tablespoon of baking soda in the palm of my hand and drip a bit of water in it to make a paste, then scrub. I rinse with cold water and that seems to shrink my pores. Every so often, I follow up with an ice massage on my face, which gives me a soft glow the rest of the day. Overall-do it! You've got nothing to loose!

I'm a teenager and I have mild acne, mostly in my T-zone, chest and shoulders. I dislike using acne cleansers like Clean & Clear and Oxy because of all the chemicals, harsh medications and fragrances in them. It just doesn't make my skin feel truly 'clean'. I do like soap such as ivory, and it gets my skin clean, but it doesn't really prevent new pimples. A few days ago, I started reading on the internet about baking soda and how well it works on acne. So I figured that I'd try the toothpaste that I bought to whiten my teeth to clean my face called Arm & Hammer Toothpaste w/ Baking Soda and Peroxide. I wet my face and massaged it gently all over my face and left it on for about 5 minutes. The toothpaste was mint flavored so it made my face and eyes have a 'cold' sensation. The next morning, I couldn't believe it. No sebum what-so-ever! My complexion also looked better and my pimples seemed to shrink overnight. I will continue to use plain baking soda and water since toothpaste isn't really for your face and see if it continues to reduce my acne. ALSO: I would only use this once a day, preferably at night, since this dries your skin a little. But that should be enough.

I've been trying everything from lemon juice, vitamin C, ACV, peroxide, Acne Free, Proactiv, Cetaphil, OMG. I'm depressed reading how many I've tried. Back in June I went to the dermatologist because I was breaking out occasionally and wanted to get a handle on it, he prescribe me terazol which COMPLETELY destroyed my face. Been fighting the breakouts every since. I wanted to try and cure my acne from the INSIDE out inside of the OUTSIDE in, so I went on a natural hunt for a acne cure.Currently I'm: Eating an apple a day (malic acid) taking 2 apple cider vinegar tablets daily to balance out my acid in the morning wash with desert essence face wash tea tree with awapuhi follow up with lemon juice on the dark spots to lighten them up jojoba oil (closest to skin oil) with a few drops of tea tree in it in the evening I used a little baking soda and washed my face with just that and the water have a spray bottle with half water have ACV and SPRITZ my face, put a b.soda dot on pimp.

I read stuff about baking soda and decided hmm why not? The first two nights I put about 2 tbs of baking soda in my hand and a bit of water (enough where the bs didn't completely dissolve) and did swift motions all over my face for about 2 min. to exfoliate my skin. After those two nights I have done it every other night sometimes skipping a day so my skin wouldn't dry out too much. Now that I see my skin, it looks a lot brighter and it feels as though my skin has evened out as well. If you have oily skin like me this is a good product when used in moderation and if you gave dry skin I recommend using a good moisturizer after. P.S. I didn't really have pimples during the use of baking soda so I can't say if it helps with pimples but I think it has helped a tiny bit with my blackheads. But it made my skin very nice :)

The pH of baking soda is 9, whereas skin is slightly acidic at 4.5-5. Using baking soda will be a huge irritant and upset your skin's natural protective barriers. Bacteria actually likes alkaline cultures, so using this can encourage bacterial growth. It's also way too abrasive - it can cause micro-tears (tiny openings in the skin which allow bacteria to enter) and also broken capillaries, which can only be fixed by laser treatments.

Tried so many over the counter washes and acne treatments and nothing seemed to ever work!!!!I have very oily skin and still broke.out at 28 with acne, tried making baking soda face masks by just adding a bit of water to a a handfull of baking soda. It seriously works better then anything, keeps my skin from being a oil slick all the time somehow. A bit too much too scrub your face with, irritates mine that way. But wetting my face a few times a week and doing the mask is amazing, took alot of redness away also!!!!Try it!!!!

I tried a baking soda mask (just baking soda with water) first, and only kept it on for a minute or so. Still, it seemed to be drawing out stuff from my skin. So, I decided to try it again. I have sensitive skin, so I mixed about an eighth of a large cucumber, skinned it, mashed it into a paste, then mixed it with the baking soda mask. It neutralizes the sting, and cucumber also has soothing properties. This let me keep the mask on longer because it stung less. It seems to work really well!