The Wondrous Health Benefits of Baking Soda, Coconut Oil, and Apple Cider Vinegar!
Baking soda, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar—three things that I’d be lost in life without. The possibilities are truly endless, I swear I think I use all three of them for everything from beauty regimens, to household cleaning products.
I like to use baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil for:
1. Deodorant:
After finding out how much the aluminum in deodorants contribute to breast cancer in females, I’ve been determined to find an all-natural deodorant, as of yet, I am yet to find one I’m happy with so I decided to go online and make my own. I’ve been using this recipe for months now and it works like a charm.
Mix ¼ cup of virgin coconut oil with 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix well and refrigerate. You could either put in an empty deodorant bar, or you could save it in a closed jar. All you have to do is take a little amount in your hands and rub it into your underarms. I’d advise you do this right before you start on your makeup and let it absorb before you get dressed. Also, try to shave the night before as it may sting a bit.
2. Exfoliator:
Baking soda can be an amazing exfoliator that could really help in drying out pimples, getting rid of stubborn blackheads, and sloughing off dead skin cells on the face (or any other problematic areas).
I usually just mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of water and gently scrub my skin. Or I just dab the paste on the blackhead/pimple and leave it for 15 minutes, wash it off and voila..life is good again!
If your face is looking tired and you feel your skin needs a pick-me-up before applying your makeup, mix some of the leftover coffee grinds from your coffee maker with a teaspoon of baking soda and give your face a little scrub, leaving the scrub on your face for 5 minutes, wash off, and then moisturize as usual. Your face will feel super soft. The caffeine in the coffee will help promote circulation, and bring color back to your face.
3. Shampoo:
I’ve heard of so many people using the no-poo approach when it comes to their hair (using baking soda instead of shampoo), as much as I would love to jump on that wagon, my hair has been chemically processed badly in the past (I was forced into it for my wedding -.-). So I think using baking soda and apple cider vinegar 4 times a week may be a bit too harsh on my hair right now; so for now, I’ll just settle on using it to clarify my scalp once a week.
Clarifying your scalp means that you get rid of any excess oils and hair products which bring back body and shine to your hair and promotes circulation in your scalp, which also promotes hair growth. Did someone say triple whammy?!
I wet my hair thoroughly with cold water, mix ¼ cup of baking soda with double that amount of water and pour and gently massage into my scalp (only into my scalp). I then wash it off with cold water and add an apple cider vinegar mixture (1/4 apple cider vinegar to double that in water) to my hair especially to the ends and leave in my hair for 3 minutes—the apple cider vinegar, believe it or not, acts as a conditioner for the hair.
After that, rinse your hair with cold water really well. Don’t worry there should be no smell of the vinegar. Once you apply a leave-in conditioner (I like to use R&B from Lush), dry your hair, and style it as usual you will be amazed with your hair. I promise.
4. Toothpaste:
Since I’ve had such a hard time finding natural toothpastes that don’t have fluoride in them, I’ve had to resort to making my own at home. As soon as I wake up I usually oil pull with coconut oil (swish it in my mouth for 15 minutes to get rid of any nasty-ass bacteria) and then follow with my homemade toothpaste. Just mix some coconut oil with baking soda and brush—it’ll whiten your teeth, get rid of any bacteria and smell.
5. Mouthwash:
Since most store-bought mouthwashes contain alcohol and fluoride I’ve decided to gargle the old fashioned way using a glass filled with warm water, sea salt, and baking soda. And guess what…my gums don’t bleed when I brush anymore! Yay!
6. In the kitchen:
Baking soda has a million and one uses in the kitchen. I use it to help get rid of stubborn grease stains by mixing some with water and making into a paste I just spread it over stains on metal that I want to get rid of—dirty pots, the inside of the oven, stove tops—and leave them to set for a few hours or overnight. Then, all I have to do is wipe it clean the next day and I’m good to go.
7. Bad smells:
If you’ve got food stuck in your drain, or funky smells coming out of there you could use it as a natural drain cleaner that won’t harm the environment. Just pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain and follow it with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. Then a half hour later follow it with hot water. The reaction from the baking soda mixing with the vinegar will push down anything that could possibly be stuck (remember those volcanoes we used to make for science projects in school?).
Also, if you have a problem with the garbage cabinet or the fridge having a bad smell, just keep a can of baking soda open in there and it will suck up all the smell! No joke!
I’m sure many of you have about a gazillion other uses for baking soda and apple cider vinegar, I would love to hear them!
coconut diy diy beauty beautytips naturalbeauty coconut oil baking soda apple cider vinegar organic natural living ecofriendly anticancer dubai dubaiblogger uae uaeblogger uaehealthmovement
