Baking soda is a unique product in every respect. It is used in cooking to make air baking, in the chemical industry - for the production of plastics and rubber, in medicine - to neutralize chemical burns. Sodium bicarbonate is also one of the components of a powder fire extinguisher.
Baking soda is widely used in folk cosmetology and medicine. It is used as a soft exfoliating scrub, as a means for treating acne and for preparing shampoo with soda.
According to many people, soda shampoo strengthens weakened and split ends, makes them soft and shiny, increases volume, and also helps to get rid of dandruff. But is it really so?
The effect of soda
Many housewives use baking soda to wash greasy dishes. And if there is no detergent at hand, then sodium bicarbonate will adequately cope with this task. In approximately the same way, baking soda also affects the scalp, that is, it breaks down and leaches all fat.
Therefore, homemade soda shampoo is suitable for those whose hair quickly becomes greasy. People with dry and breaking strands should not resort to this tool.
The effect of using a detergent with sodium bicarbonate will be as follows:
- The scalp will get rid of oily deposits, the hair itself will be softer.
- Soda particles will act on the skin as a soft peeling. They will remove the dead scales of the epidermis, which will allow the skin to “breathe”. Due to this, the basal blood circulation and nutrition of the hair follicles will improve.
- If the hair is dyed, then their color will change.
- Sodium bicarbonate makes your hair drier and fuller.
- With prolonged exposure, soda begins to irritate the skin.
How to apply
Soda for washing your hair is used in different ways. Some people make slurry with water or soda solution and they treat the root zone. It should be noted right away that this will save hair from grease and greasy shine. But sodium bicarbonate is not able to remove all contaminants. Therefore, after soda, they wash their hair with ordinary shampoo.
The most popular way to use soda for shampooing is to add powder to the detergent immediately before the procedure. The resulting shampoo with soda has the same properties, but it is much more convenient to use it. Just do not need to pour sodium bicarbonate immediately into the bottle with detergent. This can cause a chemical reaction with other components, which will change the properties of the powder. And if soda shampoo will cause irritation, then you have to throw out the whole bottle. Therefore, cook it at once.
Recipes
How to make a shampoo with soda? To do this, simply add the powder to a small portion of the detergent. Theoretically, any shampoo is suitable for such use. However, taking into account that sodium bicarbonate dries hair, it is best to use a detergent with the addition of natural oils. An ideal option would be an eco-shampoo made from natural ingredients, in which the minimum amount of dyes, flavors and other harmful chemicals.
Soda shampoos can be prepared according to the following recipes:
- Mix a large spoonful of shampoo with three teaspoons of soda, a small amount of fresh lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of applesauce. The resulting mixture must be applied to the head, foam and leave for 20 minutes. Then rinse off.
- Take 15 ml of hot water and two tablespoons of liquid honey. Mix these ingredients and add three large tablespoons of baking soda. It should turn out to be a voluminous thick paste due to the reaction of honey with sodium bicarbonate. Apply the mixture on the head for 2-3 minutes, then rinse.
- You need to take the amount of soda (3-4 large spoons), dilute with water until gruel. Add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil. Rub the gruel into the scalp, massage gently and rinse. This is a variant of dandruff soda shampoo. Sodium bicarbonate inhibits fungi and harmful microorganisms and washes away the nutrient medium where they multiply. Because of this, dandruff is getting smaller. However, this method does not affect the root cause of dandruff, so it can appear again.
- Gentle soda shampoo can be prepared from 100 ml of warmed kefir, a teaspoon of baking soda and 5-6 drops of burdock oil. Keep on your head for 20 minutes, then rinse and rinse with a decoction of chamomile with lemon juice to get rid of the characteristic smell of dairy products.
- The easiest option for homemade shampoo is an egg yolk mixed with half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. Apply the mixture to hair, rinse after a couple of minutes.
- Shampoo from salt and soda is prepared as follows: in 100 ml of warm water add 100 g of soda and a teaspoon of table salt. Apply the solution to the hair and leave for 30 minutes. Then rinse the strands with an ordinary detergent.
There are also ready-made soda shampoos on sale.
The effect of soda on dyed hair
Sodium bicarbonate should not be used on dyed hair. The dark color will brighten, and light strands will turn yellow. Sometimes baking soda is used as a home wash for paint. But the process is lengthy and unsafe.
Soda slightly lightens natural hair. For blondes, the lightening effect will be noticeable after 3-4 procedures.
Contraindications
Sodium bicarbonate can not be used in cases where:
- On the skin of the head there are sores, wounds and cracks.
- Hair is a dry type. Such a shampoo will make them look like straw.
- With increased sensitivity of the skin.
- Hair is dyed.
- There is an individual intolerance.
The use of soda as a “dry shampoo”
If there is no time to wash and dry your head, then you can use dry shampoo. This is a powder that is sprinkled on the head to absorb fat. You can buy dry shampoo at the store or make it yourself.
Flour or starch is usually used as the main component. Brunettes use cocoa powder. Also, dry shampoo at home is made from talc, cosmetic clay and soda.
The latter option, according to cosmetologists, is not completely safe. Soda really removes excess fat. But with prolonged exposure to the scalp, it causes irritation, and sometimes ulcers on the skin. Moreover, when applying and combing it unpleasantly fasten.
The increase in hair volume when using shampoo with soda
Oily hair is almost impossible to add volume. And without this, creating a beautiful hairstyle is impossible, since sleek greasy strands can not be given at least some beautiful shape. Will shampoo with soda help?
For volume, it is necessary that the hair is clean, light and that they are not pressed down by a layer of sebum. And soda shampoo copes well with this task. After its use, the curls become airy, almost weightless. And they can be easily laid in the most intricate hairstyle.
However, the means for giving volume should literally lift the strands at the roots, make the hair more dense, and sometimes cover them with a protective silicone film. They give a "long-playing" effect, and if the hairstyle is opal, you can slightly crack the curls and give them more volume.
Soda has a completely different effect. This component only cleanses the hair, which is why previously licked strands become lush and airy. And the effect disappears exactly at the moment when the head becomes dirty again.
So adding volume to your hair with shampoo and soda is a moot point. The effect will be noticeable on very oily strands, but it will be short-lived.
What do people say?
Judging by the reviews, shampoo with soda has a beneficial effect on the hair. This opinion is shared by most people who have tested this miracle remedy. But it should be used only on oily hair, and the fatter the strands, the more justified will be the use of sodium bicarbonate. Nevertheless, do not wash your hair with soda shampoo every day. It can be used no more than once a week.
People with normal hair should exercise caution in this matter. And for those with hair that resembles straw, it is better not to use sodium bicarbonate at all.