Gray hair is inevitable, but as you’re dealing with your graying hair, you might be wondering is baking soda good for gray hair?
Baking soda is known for having lots of beauty benefits, but can using baking soda within your haircare routine help alleviate your gray hair concerns? Keep on reading to find out!
Beauty Benefits Of Baking Soda
Baking soda is raved about on social media, for its many benefits within your beauty routine, from your skin to your hair.
If you have gray hair, you’ll know that gray hair can look quite brassy with noticeable warm tones, and you might be looking for a solution to help minimize those brassy tones.
Baking soda is a natural ingredient, which works as a clarifying agent, which is why it’s so popular as a cleaning ingredient.
Not only will it clean around your home, but it’ll also help remove build-up and impurities within your hair, which could be causing dull or lack lustre hair.
When used sparingly so it doesn’t dry out your hair, baking soda can neutralize unwanted yellow tones caused by environmental factors.
Is Baking Soda Good For Gray Hair?
There are many benefits of using baking soda on gray hair. Here are just a few of the ways in which baking soda can improve your gray hair’s appearance and condition;
1. Neutralizes Yellow Tones: Baking soda can help you to reduce unwanted yellow tones in gray hair.
2. Cleanses Buildup: Thanks to the mildly abrasive nature of baking soda, this will help lift unwanted pigment (like the aforementioned brassy tones), and also product buildup, similar to a clarifying shampoo – but a natural alternative.
3. Improved Shine: Using baking soda can give your hair a glossy sheen, with shine and vibrancy.
The Downsides Of Using Baking Soda On Gray Hair
While there definitely are benefits of using baking soda within your gray haircare routine, there’s of course some megatives to consider too.
Baking soda has a high pH level of 9, and that is much higher than your scalp’s natural pH, which can cause irritation and dryness.
Using baking soda will remove build-up and impurities, but the mildly abrasive nature (mentioned above) can strip away natural oils, leaving your gray hair looking frizzy and less shiny, giving you the opposite effect of what you’re actually looking for.
Regular baking soda use may lead to an increase in the brittleness of your hair, which can cause breakage.
The drying effects can emphasize the coarser texture of gray hair, and you could risk an irritated scalp, so even if you do decide to use baking soda within your haircare routine, you need to make sure you’re using hydrating haircare products too, to counteract any of the negatives.
How To Use Baking Soda Within Your Haircare Routine To Improve Gray Hair
If you’d like to try using baking soda within your haircare regimen, here are some tips:
1. Mix the Paste: Combine ¼ cup of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of water to create a paste in a bowl or glass.
2. Application: Apply the DIY baking soda paste to your damp hair, trying to focus on the areas of your gray hair with brassy tones or buildup, and leave it on for one minute.
3. Rinse Thoroughly: After letting your paste sit for 10 minutes on your hair, ensure you rinse your hair clean, and ensure all of the paste is removed.
4. Condition: Always use a moisturizing conditioner afterward to restore your hair’s natural oils and maintain moisture in your gray hair.
