What is baking soda anyway?
Being the real foodie that I am, I sometimes get curious about strange things. What kinds of things you ask? Things like baking soda, for example. Honestly, I didn’t even know what it is… plant, mineral, or chemical creation? I had no idea. Do you?
Well, my curiosity got the best of me, and thanks to Google I quickly found my answer. Baking soda’s chemical name is sodium bicarbonate. It is a white solid that often appears as fine powder, but can be a small crystal. It has a mild salty flavor. The mineral form of baking soda is nahcolite.
Where does baking soda come from?
Most baking soda in the U.S. comes from Green River Wy. Green River also supplies 1/4 of the world with baking soda. Now that is a lot of baking soda!! The baking soda from Wyoming is mined from trona ore. The trona then goes through a chemical process to create baking soda. It is heated until it turns to soda ash. Then the soda ash is treated with carbon dioxide, and voila!! You have an abundance of chemically created baking soda! As I was discovering this fact for myself, I went through a brief stage of shock, then awe, and then utter bewilderment. But isn’t baking soda suppose to be super good for you? How can it possibly be made in lab?
Can I get baking soda that isn’t processed with chemicals?
Lucky for us not all baking soda is made in a lab. Long before laboratories, baking soda already existed in nature. It has been used in one form or another for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used it to clean. Today it can still be found naturally. Sigh of relief! They mine the soda directly from the ground in the form of nahcolite (hint: nahcolite is already baking soda). In the form of nahcolite there are no chemical reactions. There is nothing added, or altered. It is just pure baking soda straight from the ground, the way mother nature made it!
How do I find natural baking soda? Is it worth the extra cost?
There are several brands that carry a natural baking soda. Just look for packages that tell you the baking soda has been processed without chemicals.
In my opinion, it is fine to use a cheaper baking soda for cleaning. My tub, and my toilet will know no difference. However, I prefer to use natural baking soda for baking, and for personal care products. I buy this kind.
What is all the hype about baking soda anyway?
Baking soda has way more value than just making beautiful fluffy baked goods. It is one of those miracle cures. It is good for just about everything, and its uses seem just about endless. With baking soda you can extinguish a fire, make a volcano or other science experiment, clean your house, unclog a drain, soften your laundry, neutralize the ph of chemicals or your own GI tract, treat heartburn, relieve itching from poisonous plants, bug bites, extract a sliver, brush your teeth, wash your hair, prevent B.O., and there have been claims that it can even help cure cancer. It is pretty cool stuff!
Where can I find awesome tutorials and DIY products that use baking soda?
I told a few friends that I was writing about baking soda and they all wanted to share how they use it. Here are their links:
Homemade Deoderant (for sensitive skin) from, Whistle Pig Hollow.
Homemade Cleaners That Work! from Whistle Pig Hollow.
7 Ways to Use Vinegar for Cleaning from Good Girl Gone Green.
How to Unclog a Drain Without Toxic Chemicals from Small Footprint Family.
Organic Garden Disease Control from Small Footprint Family.
All Natural Hair Care from Reformation Acres.
The Easiest and Most Effective Homemade Deoderant from The Sweet Plantain.
Easiest Blackhead Removal Method from Beauty Secrets Revealed.
3 Simple Homemade Cleaners from Fancy Nonsense.
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Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Baking-Soda.html
Thank you! I had no idea…. But I love this info…. And I love baking soda.
For what it’s worth, you shouldn’t use baking soda to wash your hair – it’s high pH causes the hair to feel soft at first, but that is because it is causing the hair to breakdown – the inside of the hair is leaking out through the open cuticle. Your hair and scalp are slightly acidic (about a 5 on the pH scale) and baking soda is about a 7 – it is basic. Definitely use it to help detergents and soaps clean better, but please, don’t use it on your hair.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I tried using baking soda for shampoo earlier this year but decided I didn’t like it. Apparently that was a good idea.
a ph of 7 is neutral. Baking soda’s ph is around 9-10. It’s about as basic as tomato juice or lemon juice is acidic.
I don’t know… I’ve been washing my hair with baking soda for about four years now, and I recently went to a salon for a haircut (a rare thing for me) and the woman who cut my hair seemed very impressed by the lack of split ends. I do rinse my hair with water and vinegar after I wash it… Maybe that makes a difference?
Wow. Thanks for your information. I used it on my hair and was so blown away the first time but since then my hair looks lifeless.Think I may try apple cider vinegar again. I really want to use only natural products. Thanks again
That is why you condicioned it with vinegar right after.
most cheap grocery store shampoos do more harm than baking soda
Tiffany – I’m in complete agreement as to the wonderful benefits of using natural baking soda, however I’m wondering why you would choose a brand that is labelled as “Pure Baking Soda” yet contains “sodium phosphate, bicarbonate of soda, cornstarch, and calcium phosphate”? The cornstarch could be from GMO corn since it’s not an organic product & is completely unnecessary. I know many folks confuse baking soda with baking powder & think they should be looking for “aluminum free” baking soda, but Sodium Bicarbonate is pure baking soda & nothing else…why not choose a brand that is really pure instead?
Oops! I linked to the wrong one. I put a new link in, which is pure sodium bicarbonate. I didn’t know that they made different kinds, and will have to check into that more. Thanks for catching that.
Awesome post…thank you! 🙂
thx for the coment
So fun! My parents are from Green River, and my dad mined trona in the summers to pay for college!
Thank you!
You know what’s interesting? I would get horrible rashes from baking soda if I tried it for deodorant and using it in toothpaste made my gums ache and I’d get sores.So I avoid it…this explains why.
I’ve heard of people struggling with baking soda in their personal care products, but I never connected that it may be due to the kind of baking soda they were using. I would love to know if you try again with a quality baking soda how it works out for you.
ME! I bought the Piper was brand and couldn’t use it for that reason!
Thank you for the link to natural baking soda made without added chemicals, while providing additional information about it’s processing. I had researched this years ago and forgot what I had learned other than it was mined from an ore of sorts.
I generally do not use flours or bake, but I will on a rare occasion for a special event. I also avoid it as I am opting for a very low sodium diet to meet my personal health needs.
I will certainly share forward this information for anyone looking for natural baking soda without chemicals! 🙂
Years ago I got wondering what was in deck cleaners at the store. I figured I was buying a lot of water with some chemicals in it. Ultimately I found sodium percarbonate which is a crystal form of hydrogen peroxide and a close relative of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Sodium percarbonate is used as the cleaner for the deck, then a mild mixture of oxalic acid and water releases the tanins from the deck and voila! Pennies later the deck looks awesome. Since then we have been using it to clean toilets, clean and whiten lamp shades, showers, laundary, coffee makers etc. I learned most of this from thechemistrystore.com, and got my raw products there when we used to live in the states. Anyways, great article and great comments above. Thank you,
Peter Gilbert
http://www.tragedyofthecommons.ca
I disagree completely with it being okay to use the cheaper, manufactured-with-pollutants baking soda for cleaning. The whole point, for many people, of cleaning with baking soda is to be environmentally-friendly. . . . and the cheap stuff ain’t it. While your tub and toilet don’t know the difference, the environment will.
Very informative, thank you soo much. I had started baking with regular, cheap baking soda out of the store but at first thought it was supposed to be natural and up to par with the all natural, organic ingredients I use. My baked goods turned out great taste-wise, but based on my sensitive system I knew something had started throwing off my internal balance. The only ingredient that was different/new to my consumption in my overall diet was the baking soda, so researching my suspicion brought me to this article. Thanks so much! Will definitely be using the more natural , chemically unprocessed baking soda in my baking. I need only the best of quality of foods for my consumption, and want to produce the same for those who consume my baked goods.
Well I lookedthis information up because I believe I have a weird addiction. I love to not only brush my teeth with baking soda which works wonderfully. But. I also like to just suck on it. I’ll take pinchfulls and put it in my mouth and just suck on it. I love the taste of it. Or is it the saltiness that I’m liking ? Just wondering.
If you are craving baking soda that is called pica and is usually a sign of a nutrient deficiency. Consuming baking soda regularly can disrupt proper digestion and inhibit nutrient absorption.
I RECENTLY READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT DIABETICS HAVING NEUROPATHY. THIS PARTICULAR MAN TRIED BAKING SODA MIXED WITH WATER. HIS PAIN WAS GONE WITHIN A SHORT TIME, (MINUTES). I HAD SIMULAR PAINS AND FOUND THE SAME RESULTS. I TRIED DIFFERENT DOSAGES AND NOW FIND THAT ONE QUARTER TEASPOON IN THE EARLY MORNING AND THE SAME AT NIGHT DOES THE TRICK. HOPE YOU HAVE THE SAME RESULTS.
,
This is such a beautifully articulated article! Thank you for this! Answered all my questions I was seeking, AND MORE!
Shared to FB!
Diane in NE Texas❤️
I have been addicted to eating baking soda forever. I wet the bs into a paste with water put it in the microwave cook it for 5 min’s. crunchy soda here we come. I’m addicted to eating it. I love the taste. I know I more than likely made soda ash but I eat it anyway. who does this?
I do some of it for stomach issues, my question to you is how old are you and for how long have you done this?