Beautiful, thick and shiny hair is the dream of every woman. To achieve the ideal, the ladies spare no effort or money. Any available means are used - special shampoos, balms, masks and serums. All these products are presented in stores with a wide range, and on the shelves you can find a tool for any type of hair.
It is especially important to get the right shampoo. This is the fastest-consuming product that many girls use daily. So, it must be absolutely safe. Unfortunately, most mass market products cannot be assigned to this category. Almost all shampoos contain sulfates, preservatives, dyes and fragrances, which are not the best way to affect the condition of the hair.
All this leads to the fact that many women are looking for a safer alternative to shampoo. And some of them practice washing their hair with soda. According to reviews, this method of cleaning is much more efficient and does no harm. But is it really so? Let's try to figure it out.
Soda
An example of the non-standard use of sodium bicarbonate is washing your hair with soda. According to reviews (photos of well-groomed curls are often accompanied by positive comments), a huge number of people practice this method of hair cleansing, both in our country and abroad.
But this is not the only non-standard use of sodium bicarbonate. It is also used as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent to reduce acidity in the stomach, get rid of sweating, eliminate sputum, eliminate inflammatory processes and manifestations of psoriasis on the skin, destroy bacteria and fungi.
Soda is also widely used in folk cosmetology. Soft peels for face and body, baths for softening coarsened heels and lotions for eliminating acne are made from this substance.
But how effective is washing your hair with soda? According to reviews in various sources, this method of purification gives a good result. But it is not suitable for all women.
The properties
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (sodium bicarbonate). The chemical formula of the substance is NaHCO 3 . It is used as an acidity regulator and baking powder in food products. It looks like a fine white powder. NaHCO 3 is an acidic sodium salt. In an aqueous solution gives a slightly alkaline reaction. The biggest misconception regarding this substance is the imposition on it of the properties of individual chemical elements.
Sodium bicarbonate does not enrich hair with oxygen, despite the fact that it contains molecules of this element. And it does not have the properties of coal dust.
The cosmetological effect of baking soda consists mainly in the effect of degreasing. In this regard, sodium bicarbonate resembles ordinary soap or shampoo, which also have slightly alkaline properties, so they wash off fat and dirt from skin and hair so well. This substance also softens water.
Benefit
Washing hair with soda can have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair. With regular use, the following results can be expected:
- Decreased production of lipid fat on the scalp. The greasy shine will disappear, the curls will become less oily.
- Deep cleansing of the root zone. Sodium bicarbonate will wash away all plaque and dirt.
- Inflammation and irritation of the scalp will decrease.
- Dandruff and seborrhea will disappear.
- The strands will lighten slightly.
- Dyed hair will gradually begin to acquire a natural color.
Harm
How harmful can a hair wash be with soda? The reviews of doctors are mixed. In fact, no studies of this substance in this vein have been conducted. When ingesting sodium bicarbonate, there is a whole list of contraindications - this is individual intolerance, and hypocalcemia, and hypochloremia. Soda consumption can lead to edema, high blood pressure, vomiting, severe alkalosis and other side effects.
But when washing hair, the substance is applied externally. However, there are risks. NaHCO 3 well degreases any surface, including the scalp. The substance washes off the entire lipid protective layer without residue, due to which the root bulbs remain without natural protection. They dry quickly, begin to weaken, and then the hair falls out. Of course, this effect will not be immediate - it manifests itself in strands prone to dryness, and after some time or when the concentration of the washing solution is exceeded.
All this makes it more careful to approach this method of shampooing and carefully weigh all possible risks.
Contraindications
What harm can washing your hair with soda do? According to experts, this procedure has a number of contraindications. Sodium bicarbonate should not be used as a detergent if:
- On the scalp there are wounds, injuries, microcracks. It will cause pain and itching.
- Hair is dry, prone to brittleness and loss.
- Perm was done, which weakened the hair follicles and worsened the condition of the hair.
- There is biolamination, as the protective layer can be damaged.
- Identified individual intolerance of baking soda.
- There are skin diseases.
- Hair is dyed, as the pigment will gradually wash out.
If there is at least one of the above, you should find another alternative to shampoo.
General recommendations
To properly wash your hair with soda, you must follow a few general rules:
- Sodium bicarbonate helps best if the hair is oily. If you use this tool, you can wash your hair less often, as it will become less oily.
- Normal hair generally responds well to soda cleaners. However, they should not be abused.
- Dry hair with a solution of sodium bicarbonate is best left untreated. If this is necessary, then before washing, apply a mask that moisturizes the hair.
- If the strands are greasy in the basal zone, and dry at the tips, then only scalp should be washed with baking soda.
- Sodium bicarbonate is highly soluble in water of any temperature - cold, warm or boiling. This will not affect the properties of the solution.
- If the detergent composition is multicomponent, then first you need to mix all the ingredients, and only then add water.
- Best of all, if the soda is as friable as possible, not packed and not knocked into lumps.
- At the first washing of the head with soda, the concentration of the solution should be minimal. Usually start with 100 grams per 2 liters of water. With a favorable result, the amount of active component can be increased.
- Soda solution is a detergent, not a rinse aid. And it needs to be used accordingly. That is, apply to hair and skin, massage, and then rinse thoroughly.
- Before the bath procedure, curls, especially long ones, need to be combed well.
- A few drops of essential oil will help protect your hair from drying out.
- If grains float in the solution, then it turned out to be too saturated.
- Wet hair does not rub with a towel. They are slightly blotted, and then dried naturally.
Soda solution
Soda solution is very simple to prepare. To do this, 250 ml of water (large glass) must be mixed with two tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate. The specified volume is enough for a single wash of long hair. For short strands, half is enough.
Before use, the hair is combed, then moistened with soda solution and massaged for a couple of minutes. Due to this, fat and dirt are cleaved and washed out. At the same time, dead scales are exfoliated and dandruff disappears.
Soda shampoo
It is not necessary to clean your hair only with pure soda solution. Various multicomponent detergents are very popular, for example:
- Honey shampoo. To prepare it, you need to take 20 g of liquid or melted honey and mix with 30 g of sodium bicarbonate. Then add water to make a mixture more convenient for application. This means wash your hair, then rinse your hair thoroughly.
- Soda for washing hair with shampoo. To a normal daily shampoo you need to add a little baking soda (half a teaspoon) - in approximately equal volumes. The recipe is relevant for very oily hair.
- With oatmeal. Grind a couple of spoons of Hercules with a blender, mix with two teaspoons of soda. Dilute with water to a state of gruel.
- Complex shampoo. It is prepared from a small amount of clear shampoo or soap solution based on baby soap, 10 g of sodium bicarbonate, two tablespoons of lemon juice and a small amount of berry pulp from any seasonal fruits. All components are interrupted in a blender, then they are applied to the head and left for 20 minutes. This is a shampoo and a nourishing mask.
Dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is also made from sodium bicarbonate. They are sprinkled with strands when there is no time for full bath procedures. Dry powder absorbs fat from the hair, so that an attractive appearance and volume returns to them.
- The recipe for blondes is to mix one tablespoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of starch.
- The recipe for brunettes is to mix one tablespoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of cocoa.
Paint wash
What is the effect of washing hair with baking soda? According to reviews in various sources, this is a good way to get rid of bad color after staining. To do this, you need to prepare a highly concentrated solution of salt and soda. You need to take a glass of hot water, pour 10 large tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate and one tablespoon of salt into it. Next, you need to moisten the strands along the entire length, cover them with plastic wrap and wrap them in a thick towel. After 40 minutes, wash your hair with regular shampoo.
The tool is very aggressive, so it can not be used often.
Rinse
Sodium bicarbonate in combination with water gives a slightly alkaline solution. It rinses grease and dirt off hair and skin well, but it must not be allowed to linger on them longer than necessary.
Therefore, all soda detergents need to be neutralized. To do this, rinse water needs to be acidified. For this, wine or apple vinegar is often used. It must be taken in the following proportions:
- For fat curls, the ratio is 1: 4 (vinegar and water, respectively);
- For normal - 1: 5;
- For dry and damaged - 1: 6.
It is worth using an acid rinse after all the soda shampoo is washed off the head. Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice or citric acid.
How effective is washing your hair with soda and vinegar? According to reviews of people who have tried this method of purification, a more magnificent volume can be achieved. But this is a myth. Very oily, sleek hair after processing with a solution of baking soda, they become normal. Which gives the effect of adding volume. In fact, this tool does not contain any components that would lift hair from the roots.
Reviews
Judging by the reviews of people, washing your hair with soda and shampoo gives a much better effect than using a regular detergent. The strands become lighter, airier, less oily and fit well into the hair. Especially satisfied are those who did not neglect acidified rinses.
But soda washing solutions have a downside. In some people, they cause itching, irritation, and profuse hair loss. As a rule, such cases are associated with the fact that people used a folk recipe, not paying attention to contraindications.
A softer but also effective procedure is the softening of water with soda for washing hair. According to reviews, this also gives a good result. To soften water, ¼ teaspoon of soda is added to each liter of liquid. Alkaline components normalize pH and acid salts are precipitated. Due to this, the water in terms of acidity becomes as close as possible to the pH of the skin.
The opinion of cosmetologists
So what effect can be expected from washing hair with soda? Reviews of doctors and cosmetologists are not intended. Most experts are sure that only the products intended for this purpose should be used for washing the hair, that is, soap and shampoos. They are tested, approved by dermatologists and, despite a certain content of harmful substances, are relatively safe. It is difficult to predict how sodium bicarbonate will behave. In addition, many people do not know the measures in the use of folk recipes and neglect contraindications, which can also lead to damage to hair and skin.
Other cosmetologists do not see anything wrong with using baking soda as a detergent. Such recipes are very popular for at least three generations. And most people say that after switching from shampoo to soda solution, the hair became better. However, they do not recommend abusing this tool. Some cosmetologists emphasize that detergents based on baking soda give a good result on oily hair. However, it is better to use them no more than once a week.