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I hear people bemoaning the high cost of "going green." And while organic food does cost more than its chemical-laden counterpart, I'm here to tell you that it's easier to spend more for healthy food when you save money in other ways. We can skip many of the green cleaners, deodorizers, and personal care products, most of which are fairly expensive. Why? Because baking soda is our friend.
What's so great about baking soda?
1) It's cheap. On Safeway.com, a 1 lb box is $1.40. But I save money and packaging by buying it from the bulk bin at my local natural foods store, filling up my own reusable cloth bag. That way, it's only 89¢/lb!
2) It's simple. One of the ways I try to protect my health and that of the planet is to buy products that contain the lowest number of different ingredients possible. Baking soda is just about as simple as you can get.
3) It's non-toxic. Need I say more?
4) The packaging is plastic-free. With my method, there's no plastic at all. Otherwise, it comes in a biodegradable/recyclable cardboard box.
5) It's versatile. Baking soda has over a hundred uses and can substitute for many other more expensive products. Here are just a few of the ways we use it in our home, as well as a few suggestions from other bloggers and friends.
Personal Hygiene
Deodorant: Baking soda is hands down the best deodorant I have ever used. After a full day, I have no odor. Waking up the next morning, still no odor. I have never found a commercial deodorant that could go that kind of distance, natural or otherwise. I'm king of evangelical about it, listing it as the first item in this article because if you take away nothing else, baking soda deodorant is the one thing to remember!
So how do I use it? I keep it in a little metal tea tin in my underwear drawer and apply it with a powder puff after taking a shower.
(You should have seen me explaining my little tea tin full of white powder to the TSA agent at the airport security gate last weekend.) I use it straight without adding any other ingredients. However, Melinda from One Green Generation finds that straight baking soda is too strong for her, so she combines it with cornstarch which also acts as an antiperspirant. Read her post, How To Make Your Own Deodorant (A Very Simple Recipe). She's as evangelical about it as I am.
A note about baking soda and aluminum: I've heard rumors here and there that baking soda actually contains aluminum, one of the things we're trying to avoid by switching away from commercial antiperspirants. As it turns out, pure baking soda does not contain aluminum. Baking powder, on the other hand (which is a combination of baking soda with other ingredients) sometimes does. Check out iVillage's explanation of the difference.
Washing Hair: This is one that gets me a few strange looks when I reveal it. Yes, I wash my hair with baking soda. To be specific, one tablespoon of baking soda per one cup of water. I keep it mixed up in a sports bottle in the shower. And actually, I mainly scrub my scalp rather than my hair with the baking soda solution. Then, once or twice a week I add an apple cider vinegar rinse (1 T acv to 1 C water. I also add a few drops of rosemary essential oil).
Baking soda/apple cider vinegar is one of the No 'Poo methods of hair cleansing you might have heard of, and it works really well for me. For everything you ever wanted to know about the BS/ACV haircare regimen, check out Babyslime's definitive guide as well as the whole No 'Poo forum.
Mouth Rinse: Baking soda and water make a great breath-freshening mouth rinse. Baking soda helps neutralize acid conditions in the mouth
