This article was co-authored by Mindy Nguyen. Mindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.
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Step into the world of all-natural hair care, and you’ll be swamped with exciting promises and rave reviews about the effects of baking soda as a shampoo replacement. But you’ll also discover people who are disappointed with the results, or even report extensive hair damage. With all the conflicting stories, it can be hard to know whether to try it! If you’re wondering whether it’s even a good idea to wash your hair with baking soda, we have the answer to that—as well as your follow-up questions, too.
Things You Should Know
- Baking soda is medically safe to use on your scalp, but it may cause hair damage or dandruff.
- Use baking soda twice a month to remove oil buildup, but avoid using it if you have dry skin.
- Mix 1 part of baking soda with 3 parts of water to make a shampoo. Work it into your scalp for 2 minutes, then rinse it out completely.
Steps
Expert Q&A
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QuestionDoes baking soda mess up your hair?Mindy NguyenMindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.
Holistic CosmetologistIt can if you use it too often. Baking soda is great at removing buildup on the hair—because of this, using it too frequently can dry out your hair.
Tips
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If you use baking soda on your hair, it’s a good idea to regularly inspect it for dryness, split ends, or a loss of strength. (Those with curly hair can give their curls a gentle tug to see if they bounce back, too.)[20]Thanks
References
- ↑ Mindy Nguyen. Holistic Cosmetologist. Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.
- ↑ https://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2015/05/hair-science-how-well-do-mild-cleansers.html
- ↑ https://hair.lovetoknow.com/hair-products/diy-baking-soda-hair-wash-instructions
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158629/
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158629/
- ↑ Mindy Nguyen. Holistic Cosmetologist. Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158629/
- ↑ Mindy Nguyen. Holistic Cosmetologist. Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.
- ↑ https://hair.lovetoknow.com/hair-products/diy-baking-soda-hair-wash-instructions
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://hair.lovetoknow.com/hair-products/diy-baking-soda-hair-wash-instructions
- ↑ Mindy Nguyen. Holistic Cosmetologist. Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://hair.lovetoknow.com/hair-products/diy-baking-soda-hair-wash-instructions
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://thebeautybrains.com/2012/05/can-baking-soda-make-shampoo-work-better/
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/
- ↑ https://www.curlcentric.com/baking-soda/