Bella begs to know…I recently read on Eco-Chick and a couple of other places that adding a little baking soda to shampoo can help get rid of styling residue and other gunk in your hair. How does this work? Is it safe for hair?
The Right Brain responds:
Adding baking soda to shampoo is a very persistent beauty myth. Using baking soda as a shampoo substitute (i.e., as a dry shampoo) does make some sense because the powder can absorb oil and some surface dirt. But will adding baking soda to shampoo really result in better cleansing? There are three potential reasons why this might work:
3 Ways Baking Soda MIGHT Clean Your Hair
Enhanced detergency
Detergents, which belong to a chemical classification known as surfactants, work because they have both oil and water soluble properties. Baking soda, on the other hand, is a water soluble salt which doesn’t really have provide any detergency. You can easily demonstrate this by dissolving some in water and adding a drop of oil. If the baking soda was good at washing away oil it would disperse the oil droplet. (But it doesn’t.)
Increased abrasion
If you had some very insoluble substance stuck in your hair that shampoo would not remove, like chewing gum, the gritty texture of baking soda might help physically abrade it. But for the common types of soil that you will find in your hair (sebum and styling residue) you don’t need this increased abrasion.
Raising the pH to dissolve styling residue
At first glance this approach potentially makes the most sense. Styling polymers are neutralized with acid to make them less water-soluble (that’s why they can hold your hair in high humidity.) One way to get rid of styling gunk is to make it more soluble by raising the pH. Since the pH of a baking soda solution is about 9 this could work, right?
That, as they say, is a testable proposition. So we added a 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda to 1/2 ounce of the shampoo we’re currently testing (the new Mark Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil shampoo.) Then we measured the pH using litmus strips.
As you can see from the strip on the left, the initial pH is pretty close to 7 which is neutral. After adding a good slug of baking soda the pH strip turned slightly darker. The lighting in the picture makes it hard to tell, but it looks like it went up to about 8 or 8.5. Unfortunately, this much of a pH increase won’t provide much cleaning boost to the shampoo because baking soda is a weak base and it won’t do a very good job of neutralizing the weak acids present in the styling resins.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
While adding baking soda to your shampoo won’t hurt your hair it also won’t help much. So if you like to do this and you think it gives you a little bit of an edge in cleaning power go for it. But, if you’re going to run out and buy a 50 gallon barrel of baking soda just because you think it’s critical for clean hair. then save your money.
Image credit: http://capl.washjeff.edu/2/l/5761.jpg
P.S. Did you like the way we slipped the mention of Marc Anthony Oil Of Morocco Argan Oil Shampoo
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree! Baking soda can help a bit but not totally, its always ok to give it a try. I’ve also heard that baking sodas are good for clogged pores.
I read about using baking soda INSTEAD of shampoo and have been doing so for over a year. I put 2T of B/S and 2C of warm water into a plastic ketchup-type squeeze bottle (anything with a pointy end would work so you can apply it where you want it) and stir until completely dissolved. I wet my hair and then apply the mixture to my scalp, massaging as I go. After I massage my scalp some more, the way I would if I were using regular shampoo. Rinse thoroughly.
Then I use a vinegar/water rinse – same formula, 2T per 2C of cold water, stirred. I pour that all over my hair, comb through gently with a wide-tooth comb. Do not rinse with tap water. After I blot my hair dry, I use a leave-in conditioner (I’m using Moroccon Oil at present).
I was worried that my hair wouldn’t come out clean because of what is pointed out in this article, baking soda does not dissolve oil. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was indeed clean. It doesn’t feel STRIPPED but it definitely is clean.
Since I have been using this, I can’t see any difference in my hair whatsoever. My hair dresser can’t see any difference in my hair either (and she was pretty skeptical). My hair is thick coarse hair with natural curl/wave on the dry side and I wash it every three days or so. I have no idea how this would work for other hair types. My hair does not smell of vinegar when dry (and I have had friends stick their noses right into my hair and smell
) although I have noticed that if I wet it a bit the next day to do some styling, there is a slight tang of vinegar smell.
And I only buy a medium size box of baking soda. It last a long time. When I first tried this I thought, what the heck – if it doesn’t work, I can just shampoo my hair again, nothing to lose. I was spending a lot of money on all the best shampoos and conditioners and nothing was making my hair any less frizzy or more silky or any of the exciting claims that they made on the bottles.
Has anyone else out there tried this?
Do you have any suggestions for something that you can add to your shampoo that will act as a mild ‘chelating’ agent to counteract heavy mineral content in water?
Also, I add a tablespoon of baking soda to my hard water when I wash clothes. They come out a bit whiter and fluffier and scent free. According to the company, it allows you to use less chlorine bleach and laundry detergent in the wash, and boosts stain removal, removes lingering odors, and I have found that to be the case.
Alone, it’s good for all kinds of cleaning projects, and less expensive than detergents.
I get the oversize bag at my Costco store and use it a lot.
I actually use a good sized dollop of baking soda (two tablespoons or so) to mix into my shampoo the day before I use hair color. My hairdresser had told me it would help to remove any buildup I might have on my hair. It may not be helping that much but it sure doesn’t seem to hurt anything either.
@CaliPop: You might try this: http://thebeautybrains.com/2012/03/12/can-vinegar-remove-minerals-from-hair/
Hi Beauty Brains —
Oh yes, I am familiar with Vinegar and use it a lot (it’s the other half of my household cleaning chemical kit, baking soda being the other).
Yes, as a rinse it does leave my hair softer — I live in a hard water area. However, it doesn’t remove much of the ‘chlorine green’ streaks from swimmers hair.
I guess I am looking for a home remedy for swimmers hair that is a little more natural and a lot less expensive than the Ultra shampoo and conditioner that I’ve been using apres swim.
Thanks for the info! The best shampoo for me is Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo helped my dry and frizzy hair immensely. The argan oil deeply hydrates my hair and makes the strands more resilient plus frizz is smoothed and shine is increased