We’ve heard of one that entails rubbing vaseline and egg yolk on your face, like what in the greasy mistake is that?! A recipe for disaster. Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for DIYs and natural ways to care for your skin. But the truth is, not everything belongs on your face.
Like it’s actually OK to not try every skincare hack you find on Youtube regardless of how popular the vlogger is.
One of such advice that has been around for a while is using baking soda on your face. We get that the grainy texture makes it seem like an ideal exfoliant but this is why it’s a bad idea; baking soda messes with the pH balance of your skin!
What is pH?
First, let’s explain how pH balance works. It runs from 0-14, with 7 meaning neutral. Anything above 7 is alkaline and anything below 7 is acidic. Your skin’s pH balance is naturally between 4.5 to 6.5 which makes it acidic. This skin’s acidity is called the acid mantle and the acid mantle helps the skin fight against bacteria and infections.
(Photo: blog.havells.com)
Now the pH of the products you use is important because it can either destroy or maintain the acid mantle of the skin. When you apply a product with a high pH (alkaline), it negatively affects your acid mantle. And when this happens, it can damage your skin and make it susceptible to infections and diseases.
Baking soda has a pH balance of 9 which makes it way too alkaline for the skin. So just by applying it on your face, you’re already disrupting the acid mantle and leaving your skin open to bacteria, acne and other evils. Then when you scrub your face with it, you’re worsening the effect and damaging the skin even more. Over time you’ll end up with overly sensitive, irritable skin.
Instead, opt for a homemade natural scrub. Try this recipe of honey and sugar.