Baking Soda for Acne: How to Use It, Side Effects and More

• Baking soda is widely purported to be a home treatment for acne.
• Because of its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and exfoliating properties, baking soda is thought to reduce acne breakouts.
• Baking soda has an alkaline pH, which means it may interfere with the skin’s healthy, slightly acidic pH. 
• Home baking soda treatments include face masks, spot treatments and overnight treatments. 

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is widely recommended as a safe, effective home acne remedy. It is a common, multipurpose substance with an alkaline pH. Baking soda is antiseptic, fights inflammation and is often used to manage the body’s pH and to lower acidity. 

Does Baking Soda for Acne Work? 

Baking soda can help to alleviate low-level pain and inflammation associated with acne. For some people, it’s soothing to inflamed and irritated skin. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, baking soda is often used in over-the-counter skin remedies. 

People who use baking soda for acne should not use it on a daily basis. Baking soda can actually irritate the skin and negatively affect the skin’s pH. 

Baking soda for acne scars

Baking soda is sometimes used as an exfoliant, but there is no evidence that it can help acne scars after they have already formed. Because baking soda can help control acne symptoms in some people, it may help to prevent new scars from forming. 

How Does It Work?

Baking soda may fight acne through its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and exfoliating properties. Research on baking soda for acne is nearly non-existent. Most research on baking soda’s antibacterial nature is dental research. 

Because baking soda is abrasive, it can help to remove plaque from teeth. This raises questions about the safety of using baking soda on the skin. If baking soda is abrasive enough to remove plaque from teeth, it should only be used on the skin with extreme caution, if it is used on the skin at all. 

Baking soda is often confused with baking powder, particularly when it comes to skin care. Baking powder should never be used on the skin, and has no benefit against acne symptoms. 

How to Use Baking Soda for Acne Safely

Baking soda isn’t generally recommended for treating acne. If you do choose to try it, there are a few safe ways to go about applying it to the skin. 

Be sure to purchase a brand-new box of baking soda for your skin care routine. Don’t use baking soda that you have stored under your sink for cleaning, or used to absorb food odors in your refrigerator. Baking soda from a previously-used or open box might have absorbed chemicals, odors, or substances that could harm your skin or cause an adverse reaction you might not experience otherwise. 

Before you begin, note that you only need to use a tiny amount of baking soda due to its alkaline pH. Do not scrub the skin after you have applied baking soda, and use caution when you rinse it off your face. 

To use baking soda for acne, you may add a little baking soda to your facial cleanser. Just a pinch of baking soda (no more than half a teaspoon) per wash is plenty. Only use baking soda in facial cleanser once or twice per week, and be sure to use plenty of moisturizer afterward to prevent your skin from becoming dry and tight. 

Baking Soda Treatments for Acne

Baking soda treatments for acne are mainly backed by anecdotal evidence. If you choose to use baking soda for acne, do so with caution. 

There are several ways you can use baking soda to combat acne, including face masks, spot treatments, and overnight treatments. If you incorporate baking soda into your skin care routine, don’t use it more than twice per week to prevent excessive dryness. 

Baking soda and lemon face mask 

Combining baking soda in a simple mask with other ingredients such as lemon can help to calm acne, control excess oil and exfoliate skin. However, baking soda is a controversial mask ingredient because of its potential severe side effects. 

Baking soda’s exfoliating properties can help to unclog pores, which reduces inflammation from breakouts and the formation of acne. Lemon juice’s naturally occurring citric acid brightens the skin and acts as a chemical exfoliant. 

1. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp of water, 2 Tbsp of baking soda and several drops of fresh lemon juice
2. Massage the paste onto the skin gently
3. Leave mask on for ten minutes
4. Rinse off gently with lukewarm water
5. Pat skin dry with a soft washcloth
6. Apply your moisturizer of choice

If you wish, you may add a few drops of hemp seed oil to the mask mixture to help prevent excessive dryness. Hemp seed oil contains nourishing vitamins and essential fatty acids that may help counteract the drying characteristics of the baking soda and protect the skin’s natural barrier. 

Baking soda spot treatment

Some individuals prefer to mix up a baking soda spot treatment to use only on specific blemishes and lesions on the face. 

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser
2. Rinse with lukewarm water
3. Pat dry with a soft washcloth
4. Combine 2 tsp baking soda with a small amount of water
5. Mix until a paste forms
6. Apply paste directly to pimples or lesions
7. Leave on for 20 minutes 
8. Gently wash off 
9. Apply your moisturizer of choice

Baking soda spot treatments can help prevent widespread irritation and pH imbalance that may happen when applying baking soda to the entire face. 

Overnight baking soda treatment

Some people who have a good tolerance for using baking soda on the skin may choose to try an overnight baking soda treatment. 

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser
2. Rinse with lukewarm water
3. Pat dry with a soft washcloth
4. In a small bowl, combine up to 2 teaspoons baking soda and a small amount of water
5. Mix until a spreadable paste forms 
6. Gently apply onto the affected area
7. Leave on overnight

Leaving baking soda on your face overnight may put you at a greater risk for side effects, so proceed with caution. If you have sensitive or dry skin, it’s best not to use an overnight baking soda treatment. 

Risks and Side Effects 

Using baking soda on the face could be potentially harmful. Its harsh texture alone could irritate the skin. In addition, its neutral pH could interfere with the skin’s normal pH. 

Generally, skin’s pH should be slightly acidic–around a 4.5 to 5.5 pH. Acidic pH is at the bottom of the scale, from 0 to 7. Alkaline substances range from 7 to 14. Baking soda has a pH of 9, which means it’s alkaline and will lower the pH of anything acidic it comes into contact with.

Skin’s natural acidity–the “acid mantle”–helps to protect it from bacteria and damage from the environment. If the skin’s pH is neutralized, its natural protections are compromised. Baking soda can strip the oils that are naturally produced by the skin, leaving the skin prone to harmful microbes and increasing sensitivity. 

Some of the side effects of using baking soda for acne–especially overusing it–could include: 

• Extreme dryness
• Inflammation
• Irritation
• Redness
• Peeling
• Increased severity of acne
• Premature wrinkling 

If you experience adverse side effects from using baking soda for acne, discontinue use immediately. 

Takeaway

Although baking soda is a popular acne treatment, it is largely supported only by anecdotal evidence. Its alkaline pH and gritty texture could cause more harm than good, and for this reason baking soda tends to be a controversial ingredient in homemade skin care products. 

Baking soda may be used effectively in face masks, spot treatments and overnight treatments. To use baking soda safely, it’s important to use small amounts and to be gentle with your skin in the process. You may want to add a skin-friendly oil like hemp seed oil to your baking soda face mask mixture, for example, to counteract baking soda’s drying properties. 

Using baking soda for acne could cause extreme dryness and skin irritation, so use with caution. Altering your skin’s pH could leave it vulnerable to worse acne and further damage.