Do you need a quick and easy way to exfoliate your skin before getting a spray tan? If so, then baking soda is the answer! Baking soda is naturally alkaline and can help remove dead skin cells. It also has natural moisturizing properties that will leave your skin feeling soft. In this post, we’ll give you some tips on how to exfoliate with baking soda then spray tanning.
What is a Baking Soda?
Baking soda is a fine white powder that has multiple uses, including baking and personal care.
“Ooh, baking soda is such a useful thing to have around the house! You can use it for so many things,” you say while thinking about how horrible of an idea it would be to eat some and ruin all of your dental work and breath.
Generally speaking, baking soda is a wonderful ingredient to add to your beauty routine, your cleaning routine, and even to your cooking preferences. Many people have been using this ingredient for centuries as a way of exfoliating the skin to reveal softer and brighter layers.
Baking soda can help detoxify the body as well as slow down the aging process. There are so many great ways to use baking soda, but today, we are focusing on one of the most popular uses for this ingredient, baking soda exfoliation.
Why Exfoliate?
Exfoliation is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. Many people have never heard of it before, but they know it’s “that thing” that they need to do to make their skin look nice. It’s a little intimidating to think about sloughing off the top layer of your skin in order to show off that new and improved layer, but it’s better than carrying around all of that dead skin throughout your life.
Exfoliation is the process of removing the topmost layers of cells from the skin by scrubbing them away. Many people use scrubs and other products to do this, but there are natural ingredients like baking soda that can do the job very well, as well.
Baking soda helps skin appear smoother and brighter because it helps shed those topmost layers of cells that may contain blemishes or other imperfections. When you exfoliate with baking soda, your skin becomes softer and brighter because the topmost layers of your skin are removed to reveal a newer and more even layer of cells.
What Does an Exfoliation Involve?
There are many different types of exfoliators, including microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and manual scrubs.
If you are looking for a quick morning routine to prepare your skin before getting spray tanned , then baking soda is the answer! Baking soda has many wonderful benefits that will leave your body feeling rejuvenated with younger-looking skin.
Benefits of Using Baking Soda to Exfoliate
- Natural exfoliator, similar to microdermabrasion
- Softens skin with moisturizing properties
- Helps detoxify the body and prevent acne breakouts (removes impurities)
How Do You Perform Baking Soda Exfoliation?
There are many methods that you can use when performing baking soda exfoliation. You can use a DIY scrub that you make at home or purchase one from the store, which is typically in powder form to be mixed with water.
When exfoliating your skin before spray tanning, it’s important to avoid products containing any oils because they will cause issues when getting sprayed down with self-tanner.
How do I exfoliate with baking soda?
- First things first; dry off your body before getting into the shower or bathtub.
- When you are ready to use your baking soda scrub, pour a quarter sized amount of baking soda into the palm of your hand.
- Add a few drops of water to make a paste. If it isn’t sticking together, add a little bit more water until you get something that looks like this.
- Apply this baking soda paste to your skin and rub it in circular motions to remove those dead cells. Leave it on for a few minutes until you start to feel some tingling. The tingling means that the baking soda is breaking down those hardened layers of cells.
- Rinse this off with warm water and pat your skin dry. You can follow up with a homemade moisturizer if you would like.
- With the dead skin cells removed and nourished with a quality lotion, spray tanning will last longer and look zestier!
What else do I need to know?
This shouldn’t be used more than twice a week because it can cause irritation and redness if it is used too often. People with sensitive skin might only be able to use this once a week instead of twice.
Once you rinse this off, it’s not advisable to go into direct sunlight because the baking soda might irritate your skin. This is not an exfoliant that should be used before applying self-tanner or after shaving/waxing because it will sting.
If you are pregnant, this should not be used because it can pose health risks to the baby.
If you are taking medication, this might interact with that medication and do more harm than good. It is always best to speak with your doctor before using anything like this if you are on any medications.
This acts as a natural deodorizer so don’t use it if you want to wear perfume or cologne after shaving because the scents might clash.
If you are showering at night, use this before bed so that your skin has time to repair itself overnight. This should not be used right before applying self-tanner either because it can cause streaking and other problems associated with application.
Ways Baking Soda Will Help You Tan Better
Once you have exfoliated your skin, then you can begin to put on your tan. The baking soda exfoliation will help the spray tan last longer and develop more evenly because of the dry skin that has been removed and made way for better, even coverage of the product. You will be more likely to get a deeper color as well if you allow the product to set for several hours before showering off the tan.
Things to Remember
Remember that with any type of tanning, including spray tanning, you are taking part in a chemical process that will leave the skin exposed to harmful UV rays. Using an SPF product is always recommended when tanning or even being exposed to sun for extended periods of time.
It should also be noted under any circumstances do not use an SPF product right before applying a spray tan. This will remove the tan and create very noticeable areas of contrast where the product did not develop (usually under the arms and around the feet).
Keep in mind these helpful tips when spray tanning:
- Wash all products off of the skin before beginning to spray tan. You want pure, clean skin for best results.
- Take a shower before tanning, scrubbing the skin to remove dry, dead cells.
- Choose an unscented lotion or oil to use on your skin for about two hours after showering to make the application of the spray tanner easier and more even.
- Be sure to hold can 6″-8″ from the body when spraying to avoid over tanning certain areas.
- Use a soft, round brush to blend the spray in after applying evenly onto the skin.
Are there any complications?
No, there really aren’t any complications to using baking soda as an exfoliant. Baking soda is a common household substance, which means that it’s readily available and won’t cost you anything extra.
All you need to do is make sure that your skin is damp before scrubbing the baking soda into the surface of your skin with a washcloth or loofah. If you have never exfoliated with baking soda before, it may feel rough when the surface of your skin is dry and it becomes smoother when applied to a wet face.
If you find that the baking soda is irritating to your skin for any reason, try exfoliating with a bit less of it or mix it with some other ingredients to make a homemade scrub. Baking soda is an ingredient in many store-bought exfoliating scrubs, so you can find one that suits your skin’s needs without causing irritation or damage.
I have sensitive skin and I’m prone to breakouts…
You’ll be happy to know that baking soda is perfect for people with sensitive skin. If your skin is easily irritated by products, then you’re in luck.
Baking soda is an ingredient that’s gentle enough for all skin types and won’t cause irritation to those who are already dealing with breakouts or other dermatological conditions.
Other uses of Baking Soda
As if using baking soda on the skin before a spray tan wasn’t enough, there are other ways to utilize this product. Many people like to mix it with water and scrub their insides with baking soda to get rid of toxins and dead cells in the digestive tract.
Some choose to brush their teeth with it instead of regular toothpaste. And baking soda can be used to make a natural face mask or skin exfoliator.
So next time you’re thinking about how to exfoliate with baking soda before spray tan, don’t forget that this is just one of many different uses for the product. It has been found incredibly helpful in those difficult detoxifying moments as well as being gentle enough to use on delicate facial skin.
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