Baking soda is one of those miracle products that should be kept in every kitchen pantry. It has so many uses, from a powerful natural cleaning product to being used for skin care.
When it comes to spray tanning, baking soda can swoop in to help as well. Exactly how does baking soda help to give you the perfect spray tan?
It is all in the preparation! Baking soda is super effective with helping to exfoliate the skin before being spray tanned. Its is cheap, readily available, and probably sitting in your kitchen right now waiting to be used!
Why You Should Use Baking Soda To Exfoliate
Baking soda acts as one of the most effective skin exfoliants around while being substantially cheaper than other exfoliators on the market.
Baking soda is made up small, finely ground granules that make it a worthwhile exfoliant. Due to its texture, it easily removes dead skin cells without causing much irritation to the skin.
To add to its remarkable ability to exfoliate the skin, baking soda is a neutral acid, which allows it to cancel out other acids and soaps on the skin, removing them to prepare for a spray tan.
The baking soda exfoliant will not penetrate down into the skin but instead helps to only remove excess skin cells and products from the surface of the skin, which is exactly what you need to prepare for a spray tan.
Many store-bought exfoliators contain microbeads, made from plastic, which help to scrub the skin.
To avoid using an excess of plastic when there are other alternatives, baking soda should be used. The granules dissolve in water, so you will not be flushing tiny plastic balls down the sink each time you exfoliate.
Baking soda remains as one of the most cost-effective ways to exfoliate your skin before a spray tan, and can be found in almost any store!
The Importance Of Exfoliation Before A Spray Tan
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to exfoliate your skin before getting a spray tan. Without exfoliating your skin, you will more than likely be left with a patchy tan with stripes and streaks, mainly in the drier areas such as the ankles, knees, and elbows.
Spray tans, like self-tanners, contain an ingredient called DHA. DHA reacts with the top dead layer of skin, creating the darker tone which resembles a tan.
An excess of dead skin cells in some areas will cause the DHA to darken that area more than other areas, resulting in a very blotchy tan.
Removing excess dead skin cells will also ensure that your tan will last longer. The top layer of dead skin cells will slough off after a short amount of time, and by removing these, you are ensuring your tan won’t fade by sloughing off with these dead skin cells.
Exfoliating also helps to remove old products from the skin, such as old lotions or perfume, which may act as a barrier to the spray tan, preventing it from reaching the skin properly, which once again could cause patches and dark spots.
To add to it all, exfoliating helps to clean your skin, and clean skin holds a spray tan much better.
Creating the perfect canvas for your spray tan is one of the best ways to ensure you achieve a natural-looking, flawless and even tan, free from streaks and patches.
How To Make Baking Soda Exfoliator
Making a baking soda exfoliator is so ridiculously easy. For the most basic baking soda exfoliator, all you need is two ingredients – baking soda and water.
Start with two tablespoons of baking soda, placed in a small dish.
Then, add a tablespoon of water in and stir. You can add more water if you want, but make sure that the exfoliator has a thick consistency, but still wet enough to spread evenly over the skin.
The paste should be able to be scooped out of the bowl easily without running and messing anywhere.
Variations
- Essential oils – To give your skin some extra care, you could add in a few drops of essential oils to the paste. Spearmint and lime are a good choice as they hydrate the skin and smell really good, but you can use any essential oil you like!
- Lemon juice – You can also add in lemon juice, just a few drops. This helps to further cleanse the skin of any excess dirt or build up.
How To Exfoliate With Baking Soda
Using your baking soda exfoliator is almost as easy as making it. Remember to not scrub too hard at your skin, and rather trust the baking soda to remove the dead skin cells and old product off your skin on its own.
With your baking soda exfoliator paste, hop into the shower. Rub the body scrub onto your body using your fingers in small, gentle circles.
Remember to focus on the drier areas of your body such as the ankles, knees, and elbows. Leave the baking soda on your skin for a minute or so, and rinse it away in the shower.
As a facial scrub, you can gently massage the baking soda exfoliator onto your skin, leave it for a minute or two, and rinse it off in the bathroom sink.
Using an exfoliating mitt will help the process even more, by adding an extra texture that will further help to remove any build-up of skin cells or old product that has been left on the skin.
You don’t only have to use a baking soda exfoliator to prepare your skin for a spray tan, but used once a week, it works wonders on the skin.
Do not use it more than once a week as regular use could dry out the skin and strip it of natural oils that keep the skin hydrated and moisturized.
Exfoliate your body using the baking soda paste 24 hours before your spray tan. This will remove all the excess build up on your skin but still give your skin enough time to rehydrate and recover before having the spray tan product applied.
As an extra tip, shave your legs and any other body parts that are going to be spray tanned while you are in the shower rinsing off your body scrub.
This creates an even smoother canvas for the spray tan, as there will be no barrier between your skin and the spray tan product. It also saves you having to shave soon after your tan, which could strip some of the color off of your skin.
Does Baking Soda Really Do The Job?
There is no doubt that baking soda really does help to prepare the skin for a spray tan. It will leave your skin smooth and even, ready to be gifted with the most gorgeous bronze glow!
It is important to moisturize after exfoliating though, as your skin might be slightly dry after using the baking soda body scrub.
Use a moisturizer that does not contain oils, alcohol, or perfume, as these might block some of the product from reacting evenly with your skin.
Related Questions
Can baking soda help to remove a spray tan?
Using a paste made from baking soda and water, you can remove a spray tan.
Simply by rubbing the paste over the skin and leaving it for a few minutes before washing off, the tan will fade as the skin cells on the outer layer of the skin will be removed by the exfoliator. This method also works to even out a patchy tan, when applied and rubbed into darker areas to lighten them.
What else can baking soda be used for?
There are almost too many uses for baking soda to be listed in one article! Some of the more popular uses of baking soda are:
- A natural cleaning ingredient in homes
- Facial scrub
- Teeth whitener
- Absorbing bad odors
- Treating heartburn
- Relieving itchy skin
How else can I prepare my skin for a spray tan?
Other than exfoliating your skin 24 hours before a spray tan, you should shave any areas that are going to be spray tanned as well. Use a moisturizer to rehydrate the skin, giving it some extra nourishment to hold onto the tan for longer.
You should not use any deodorant, makeup or perfume before heading off to get your spray tan, as these will definitely stop you from having an even and flawless tan.
Baking Soda Exfoliator for Spray Tans
Sometimes, the simplest and cheapest options are the best, and this goes to show with using baking soda as an exfoliator before a spray tan.
Spray tanning can be quite an expensive beauty habit, so finding a cheap way to prepare your skin for the spray tan is such a win. Not only is baking soda as an exfoliator cheap, but it is incredibly easy to use, accessible and not harmful to the skin.
With so many uses, there is no reason you should not stock up on baking soda to keep at home!
