Baking Soda Bath: How to, Benefits and More

When it comes to do-all household wonders, baking soda is reigns supreme. Not only does it help your favourite baked goods rise to fluffy perfection, but it's also a heavy-hitter in the laundry room, turning stained and soiled clothes white again.

You might be used to sprinkling it into your mixing bowl or washing machine, but did you know that baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, is equally powerful in the bathroom?

It's true! A baking soda bath is one of the most soothing, revitalizing ways to boost your health and indulge in a little TLC. Today, we're sharing some of the little-known benefits that soaking in one can provide. We'll also share how to run the perfect one, along with where you can find the best sodium bicarbonate in Australia.

What is a Baking Soda Bath?

As its name implies, a baking soda bath is created by sprinkling a little baking soda into your bathwater. The result is an inexpensively indulgent experience that revitalizes your senses while treating a variety of skin and health concerns.

For optimal results, it's best to stick to all-natural sodium bicarbonate, such as the kind you'll find in our shop. Also called Bicarb Soda, our version is food-grade, gluten-free and 100% natural. It's also devoid of chemical alteration, thanks to a sourcing process called solution mining.

With this approach, hot water is pumped nearly 2,000 feet underground. Once there, it dissolves the underlying naturally-occurring sodium, or nahcolite beads, found deep within the earth. What returns to the surface is rich, all-natural bicab-saturated water. At the processing facility, pure sodium bicarbonate is extracted from that brine.

How To: Baking Soda Bath 101

Next, let's explore our simple how to: baking soda bath tutorial. Before you start, be sure to drink plenty of water.

When it's time for a soak, set the mood first to create a calming atmosphere. Turn the lights down, light a few candles and turn on some soft music. For added skin benefits, you can gently dry brush your body as the water runs.

Temperature-wise, keep the water comfortably warm. If it's too hot, you could run the risk of burning yourself or drying your skin out severely. In addition, you could also become lightheaded, dizzy and dehydrated. Lukewarm water moisturizes your skin and helps it absorb moisture.

Once the bathtub is full, it's time to add your baking soda. You can use as much or as little as you like here, with most people stirring in up to two cups. Gently swish the water around to make sure the bicarb dissolves.

Then comes the fun part! Soak in the nourishing water for 30 to 40 minutes, allowing your aches and pains to float away with your stress. Once you've finished soaking, go ahead and rinse off in a shower with fresh water to remove any residue from your skin. Then, dry off with a towel, moisturize with lotion and keep drinking plenty of water.

What are the Benefits of a Baking Soda Bath?

It's important to understand that while the two are similar, a sodium bicarbonate bath is not the same as an Epsom salt bath.

The latter is more commonly used to treat internal conditions, including:

• Blood pressure
• Circulatory health
• Nerve function

On the other hand, soaking in baking soda is primarily meant to help relieve skin concerns, yet this is far from its only app. Baths, in general, offer a host of health-boosting benefits, including:

• Relief from muscle pain and tension
• Perspiration
• A circulation boost

This list alone should be enough to convince you to run a bath tonight! Yet, consider how these effects are amplified when you add a little baking soda to the mix. Let's take a look at a few of the most common baking soda bath benefits you can expect to receive.

UTI and Yeast Infection Treatment

Research shows that nearly one in two Australian women will experience a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) at some point in their lives. If you find yourself suffering from one, a bicarb soda bath can help.

The sodium bicarbonate works to neutralize the acid in your urine. This helps ward off germs and can jumpstart your healing. If your UTI has caused painful urination, it can also offer much-needed relief.

Along the same lines, baking soda can also help soothe and relieve the symptoms of a yeast infection, including:

• Swelling
• Itching
• Burning
• Stinging

Naturally anti-fungal, it's an ideal way to balance your pH and keep an infection from reoccurring.

Eczema Relief

Are you one of the 800,000 Australians who suffer from eczema? If so, you know that the skin condition, which causes red, inflamed rashes, can be isolating and even debilitating to some.

This is where a baking soda bath comes in. When you add 1/4 of a cup of soda to your bath, it can help relieve the incessant itching. Be sure to use plenty of moisturizer afterward!

Psoriasis Relief

You can find many expensive treatments for psoriasis, but most people usually try to treat their symptoms first with a medicated bath. An immune system response that leads to scratchy, dry scales on your skin, psoriasis can impact your quality of life and lower your self-esteem.

What if you could find relief in an all-natural treatment?

One study found a positive correlation between baking soda baths and psoriasis improvement, noting that the baths helped curb both the itch and irritation associated with this condition.

Boosted Immune System

Adding baking soda to your bath is a quick and easy way to cleanse and detoxify your body. As you soak, you're also giving your immune system a boost, which is always a plus.

Want to make the ultimate detox bath salts? Try one of our favourite bath salt recipes with baking soda!

Mix a little sodium bicarbonate with our natural Epsom salt. Then, sprinkle in a little Dead Sea Salt, along with some ground ginger. The salt and spice work together to restore and replenish your systems from the inside out.

Baking Soda Bath Safety Concerns

While these baths can be luxurious, they aren't for everyone. There are certain baking soda bath safety concerns to understand. As baking soda can be absorbed into your skin, skip this soak if you:

• Have high blood pressure
• Have diabetes
• Have a serious infection
• Have an open wound
• Are pregnant or nursing
• Are intoxicated by any substance
• Faint easily

Run Your Perfect Bicarb Soda Bath Today

Now that you know a few of the top benefits that a baking soda bath provides, are you ready to sink up to your chin in the warm concoction?

If so, we'd love to make your "me time" as peaceful and extravagant as possible. We carry a wide range of bath salts, from blended and scented salts to all-natural sodium bicarbonate.

Feel free to browse our full selection today and treat yourself to the TLC you deserve. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!