Too much baking soda?

Swandattur

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I tried using baking soda instead of soap and shampoo for four or five days. It worked great as a shampoo. My hair has been silky and soft. In place of soap it seemed alright. It must work as an exfoliant. It's kind of warming. Everything seemed fine until I realized it might be what has been causing agitated nerves lately. Last night I could not sleep no matter what I tried, until finally I took a shower in hopes that if it was the baking soda, showering would rinse any of it still on the skin off. I felt calmer after that and even better after applying coconut oil on my legs, arms and abdomen. I really wonder if I overdid on the baking soda. I still might use it for my hair at least part of the time, and maybe use a little here and there, but not too much. I think I have noticed before that it hasn't seemed calming when I used some in a bath. Epsom salts, on the other hand is calming for me. I remember someone else on this forum or the RP question and answer forum saying baking soda in a bath was not calming for them.
 
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Swandattur

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I have laid off the baking soda as soap and shampoo, and I slept better last night. I woke up a few times not feeling so good, but some fruit helped with that. I think when I have gotten too much sodium, I can smell it. I seem to stumble from one bad experiment to another. I didn't imagine that there would be any bad effects from bathing with baking soda, other than skin or hair dryness or something. The reason I tried the experiment is that I saw Ray Peat talked about soap being disruptive to the endocrine function of the skin.
 

Dan W

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Interesting, I wonder why it had such a strong effect. I make a "wash" with around a teaspoon in a cup of water and a bit of lemon juice, and haven't noticed any effects.

I wish there was more data about transdermal absorption of different substances, it seems like a barely-studied topic.
 
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Swandattur

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Thank you Dan and Jenn so much for responding. At least this does make me realize that even nontoxic substances coming in contact with the skin can really have an effect. I think I used way too much. If soap disrupts the endocrine system, then I guess too much baking soda might, too. I think I'll see if I can find anything about it. I've really been feeling extra emotional lately. I just don't think it's all psychological in origin, because the stressors are pretty much the same as always. One odd thing was last night I woke up and had this very hot feeling in one location on my leg. I looked to see if one of the kittens we have had decided to pee on the bed, but no, they were totally innocent. I just had a hot spot. Weird! I know in a way that seems like a minor fluke sort of thing, but actually I keep getting this uneven temperature thing all over. Just thought I'd mention it in case it might help someone else figure something out, as long as I'm being my own guinea pig. ,')
 

Jenn

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That website is recommending lactic acid for the skin, I would not trust it.

However, I agree that just because something is natural, doesn't mean it appropriate for every situation.

Baking soda is very beneficial for me as it supplies co2 to the skin and I breathe better after using it. I still need to rinse it off with ACV or the leftover sodium itches. For poison ivy, applying it as a paste is soothing and stops the irritation and makes the rash go down and disappear. Bug bites too. It provides what my body needs.

I have a friend who does not use baking soda at all, but just uses diluted ACV. For washing, rinsing and deodorant. The ACV provides what her body needs.
 
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Swandattur

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I do use baking soda for wasp stings and things like that. I think maybe for me a little is very good, but using it full strength like a soap or shampoo all over was not my best idea. There are some links to studies in that article that had interesting information. This one really caught my attention: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/c ... /820.short
 

Jenn

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Baking soda on a diaper rash? No, you don't put baking soda on a sensitive rash like that. You need to pay attention to the reason for the rash in the first place. I wouldn't wash a baby's hair with anything, BTW.

I don't use it full strength, except a few times, only on the hair at the shoulders.
 
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Swandattur

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I get the idea most everyone else just uses it judiciously and intelligently.:) It just didn't occur to me to be careful. Anyway, if it could be bad for a baby as a diapering powder, the large amount I used might not have had the best effect. I seem to be hypersensitive, though, especially these days. Ray Peat never said to take the equivalent of mud baths with baking soda. :eek:
 
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Swandattur

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Just to follow up on this... I don't know if the baking soda had anything to do with my insomnia. I am still having insomnia even though I quit using baking soda or even Epsom salts for bathing a few days ago. I notice in googling it on the Internet, it seems lots of people use quite a bit of baking soda with no problem. Maybe It's best if I use moderation with most things and also avoid most abrupt changes. Even when something is good, maybe I can have a hard time adjusting. I really like the baking soda for my hair. It works really well for that. Maybe I should try using the vinegar to neutralize the effect somewhat.

One thing I noticed last night about the insomnia was this. I was feeling disconnected from my body and wondering what's wrong with me, and then I realized I was hyperventilating. Breathing into a paper bag brought things back together. Maybe that is part of what happens in insomnia. The more you focus on it and get worried about it, the more you hyperventilate, and maybe lack of sleep causes hyperventilation, anyway. Just some thoughts.
 

Jenn

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Yeah, if a little is good, more must be better, right? ;)
Actually, I had an itchy scalp for a long time until I figured out I was using too much. Are you washing at night or in the AM,that can make a difference too.

Everyone is different. A diphenhydramine at night puts me to sleep and I sleep well and deep, its energizing for my son and he won't sleep at all and feel awake the next day too. He can take it in the AM and get allergy relief and normal sleep at night.
 
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Swandattur

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I usually bathe before bedtime. It may be that baking soda is somewhat energizing, so I might want to wash with it in the morning. Then I could just rinse off at night to help relax. I was just reading some stuff about insomnia. The articles mention high cortisol in people who have insomnia, and there is mention that insomniacs tend to be unable to sleep in the daytime either, which is definitely true for me. Being unable to nap in the day when sleepy would seem to indicate high cortisol. One article equated high metabolism with insomnia which is all wet in the Ray Peat perspective.
 
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Swandattur

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I finally got a good night's sleep. Now, I am thinking the cause might have been that I had started eating my carrot salad before bed, because I kept forgetting to have it earlier. I finally ate it in late afternoon yesterday. Maybe that helped. Also, I noticed the carrots I had been eating from tasted kind of funny, like mold. Most of the time it's those pre-peeled ones that taste that way, but these were organic unpeeled ones. So, I switched to ones that taste right.
 

Rolan

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I've been using Baking Soda on my hair for months and sleep is very good. I also smear it on my armpits as a deoderant(which weirdly neutralises ANY smell for days), use it as a facial exfoliant(not regularly), toothpaste and now I put it in my OJ(just to test the co2 effects or lack of before exercising) - all this and my sleep is very good. I do wonder aswell whether I over use it though.

Even had a Bicarb bath yesterday in cool water, and I swear I felt uber relaxed afterwards. The sugars I'm consuming make me much more relaxed anyway, but the bath made me one chilled dude, yet alert aswell. I might test it before bed next time to see if it effects my sleep.
 
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Swandattur

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I don't know if it was just coincidental or what. Baking soda is really nice for deodorant and in place of soap and shampoo. I've been staying away from it since the insomnia, but I like it so much that I will probably try it again in small amounts. If it works out for me then, I'll mention it here.
It may be that there is some pollutant in the air where I'm at that is causing me trouble. The pollen count has been low and I have been eating pretty low histamine, yet I've had some allergy symptoms. My daughter and her kids came to visit and started getting allergy symptoms, and my son gets lots more allergy attacks when he becomes to this area to visit. So, hmm...
 
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Swandattur

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I'm using a little baking soda again, and it seems alright. Maybe I just overdid. It probably doesn't take much to cause me a problem. I've been accused of being like 'The Princess and the Pea' more than once. I guess The Princess didn't complain of pollution and possible radiation exposure, though. :P
 

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