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Healthy skin is slightly acidic. This acid mantle helps form a protective barrier, and it’s important for overall skin health. Washing with baking soda can remove the skin’s protective oil barrier, alter its pH, and disrupt the natural bacteria on the surface that help to prevent infection and acne. This can leave you with stripped skin that’s prone to infection and breakouts.
While it’s generally not harmful, baking soda can irritate the skin. Most people don’t know they are sensitive to baking soda until they start applying it directly to their skin. It’s notorious for causing rashes, redness, and burning for some people when used in homemade or natural deodorants.
Dermatologists sometimes use baking soda to neutralize a chemical peel in the office, however, in general, baking soda should not be used on the skin on its own.
Pigmentation is simply skin’s coloration, determined by the amount of melanin produced by the skin cells. This umbrella term can include a wide variety of skin pigmentation disorders that can affect small or large areas of the skin. It includes genetic conditions, as well as environmental ones, such as sunspots or liver spots. Hyperpigmentation, for example, refers to a darkening of the skin, such as with age spots and sunspots.
To prevent discoloration from damaging UV, it’s best to moisturize daily and wear sunscreen. Additionally, antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals that damage cells and speed up aging. Ingredients and nutrients like acai oil, alpha-lipoic acid, jojoba oil, green tea extract, retinol/vitamin A, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, alpha-hydroxy acid and salicylic acid are all beneficial for preventing and reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is also a good brightening agent for hyperpigmentation. Hydrolyzed collagen also enhances the appearance of dull or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring the overall vitality of the skin.
baking soda may be effective for pigmentation, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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