Is It Bad to Wash Your Hair with Baking Soda? 10 Must-Know Tips Before You Try It

Co-authored by Mindy Nguyen

Last Updated: November 29, 2022 References

Step into the world of all-natural hair care, and you’ll be swamped with exciting promises and rave reviews about the effects of baking soda as a shampoo replacement. But you’ll also discover people who are disappointed with the results, or even report extensive hair damage. With all the conflicting stories, it can be hard to know whether to try it! If you’re wondering whether it’s even a good idea to wash your hair with baking soda, we have the answer to that—as well as your follow-up questions, too.

Question 1 of 10:

Can I wash my hair with baking soda?

Yes, but it may not be effective. Some people do find that baking soda leaves their hair clean and shiny.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.} But others have found it to be virtually ineffective at removing oils from anything but their scalp, even after spending several minutes washing their hair.^{[2]
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Research source} Since everyone’s hair and styling routine is different, there’s no way to guarantee whether it’ll work for you.
- Baking soda is pretty rough on the hair and skin. While some people might benefit from using it for an occasional deep cleanse, it’s not a good choice for regular hair-washing.^{[3]
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Question 2 of 10:

What does baking soda do to hair?

It typically causes damage, like frizz and dryness. Baking soda is fairly alkaline, which makes it good for breaking down grease and grime—but there’s a risk that it’ll break down your hair, too. Some research has suggested that the more alkaline your hair product is, the more likely it is to give you rough, dry, frizzy hair.^{[4]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} In other words, it can cause some pretty serious damage that can take a long time to fix!
- Baking soda also risks irritating or damaging your skin, which is a concern if you have sensitive skin or any skin conditions (like eczema or psoriasis).^{[5]
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- There’s some chemistry behind this: baking soda has a pH level of around 8 or 9, whereas your hair and skin average around 3.7 and 5.5, respectively. The high pH of the baking soda “clashes” with the low pH of your hair and scalp, which damages it.^{[6]
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  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  Go to source} It’s an interesting science experiment, but probably not one you want to try on your hair.

Question 3 of 10:

What if I mix or dilute it?

That will change the scent or texture, but it won’t prevent damage. There are tons of suggestions for “softening” baking soda shampoos with other ingredients, or rinsing your hair with something to neutralize the damage—such as water, apple cider vinegar, or tea tree oil.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.} But there’s no real way to prevent baking soda from causing mayhem on your hair. In fact, some of these combinations (like baking soda and apple cider vinegar) could actually cause more damage, because you’re “shocking” your hair with the sudden contrast in pH.^{[8]
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- Mixing baking soda with water won’t reduce the pH, despite what you might have heard. Water's pH is 7, which is neutral, so adding baking soda just raises the pH of the water.

Question 4 of 10:

Can baking soda cure dandruff?

Baking soda risks making your dandruff worse, not better. Some people tout baking soda as a permanent end to their scalp flakiness, but the alkalinity of baking soda dries out and breaks down the skin on your scalp. This can result in a stronger dandruff problem than before, because a dry scalp means more flakes. Scalp dryness and irritation alike can also mean more itchiness, meaning more scratching at your scalp!^{[9]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}

Question 5 of 10:

What about removing buildup?

It works, but only as an occasional treatment. It is true that baking soda breaks down anything that may have been building up on your scalp, like oil or hair products.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.} Since it also breaks down skin, though, you don’t want to use it regularly: there won’t be enough buildup for it to remove, and you risk earning a raw and sensitive scalp for your effort.^{[11]
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Question 6 of 10:

Is it still safe to try it out?

Yes, if you have healthy, oily hair and don't have sensitive skin. If you really want to try baking soda shampoo anyway, you should assess your hair and skin before trying it. If you have thicker, oily hair and don't have sensitive skin, you can give it a shot. And it’s a good idea to dab a little bit of the mixture on your skin before you wash your hair with it, just to make sure you don’t have a reaction.^{[12]
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- Avoid baking soda shampoos if you have thin or weak hair, sensitive or dry skin, or have reacted badly to other products based on baking soda.
- You should also not use baking soda shampoos if you’ve used any kind of bleach, dye, or relaxant on your hair.^{[13]
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Expert Answer

Q

Is baking soda bad for eczema?

Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Mindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.

EXPERT ADVICE

Answer from Mindy Nguyen:

Baking soda acts like an exfoliator, and is too abrasive for people with eczema or psoriasis on their scalp.

Question 7 of 10:

How do I use baking soda shampoo?

Use it sparingly, and focus it on your scalp. The simplest way to make a baking soda shampoo is to combine baking soda with water; a common ratio is 1 part baking soda to 3 parts water. Then, use your fingers to massage the mixture into your scalp.^{[14]
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Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Expert Interview. 8 October 2021.} After one to two minutes, rinse it out with water, being sure to get all of the baking soda off your scalp and out of your hair.^{[15]
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- Don't leave in the baking soda for longer than two minutes. It can irritate your scalp.
- Once you've rinsed out the baking soda, treat your hair and scalp with a moisturizing treatment, like conditioner, hair oils, or hair masks. (Baking soda wears down and dries your hair and scalp.)

Question 8 of 10:

How often can I use baking soda on my hair?

Limit it to once or twice a month. You shouldn't replace your normal shampoo with a baking soda shampoo; since baking soda is much stronger than other cleansers, using it regularly will hurt your hair and scalp and give you dry, unhappy hair. It's better for removing excessive oils or product buildup. Depending on how oily your hair is and your typical hair routine, that could mean using it monthly, or every two or three weeks.^{[16]
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- If your hair is weak or treated, you shouldn't use baking soda at all, because it can damage your hair and cause it to break.^{[17]
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Question 9 of 10:

Do commercial shampoos work better with baking soda?

There isn’t much evidence for that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. Some hair-care resources claim that if you combine baking soda with a store-bought shampoo, it’ll do a better job of cleaning your hair. There isn’t research to back that up, though; it’s most likely to change the pH, which doesn’t mean it’s cleaning your hair any better.^{[18]
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Research source} But if you’re curious, you can give it a try! You can either add commercial shampoo to a homemade baking soda shampoo, or you can try adding a very small amount of baking soda to a bit of store-bought shampoo.
- Like with a baking soda shampoo, test a little bit on your skin before you wash your hair, to make sure you don’t react.
- Keep in mind that store-bought shampoos with high pH levels will still damage your hair. Consider testing the pH of the mixture before you try it.

Question 10 of 10:

Are there any gentler alternatives?

Yes, there are options that are softer on your hair and skin. If you’re curious about baking soda shampoo, but are worried about harming your hair or skin, don’t worry! There are other cheap or natural ways to care for your hair, regardless of whether you just want to wash your hair or are trying to resolve some kind of hair scare.
- Explore different natural shampoo recipes or store-bought shampoos, or even consider forgoing shampoo entirely.
- For dandruff removal, try a moisturizing solution like coconut oil or aloe vera.
- Use coconut, argan, or jojoba oil to moisturize or volumize your hair, or get curls to stand out.^{[19]
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Expert Q&A

Question

Does baking soda mess up your hair?

Mindy Nguyen
Holistic Cosmetologist
Mindy Nguyen is a Holistic Cosmetologist and the Owner and Founder of Mai Blossom Organic Salon, an organic hair salon in San Diego, California. With more than 35 years of experience in the beauty industry, she specializes in combining Eastern philosophies with Western science to provide organic hair coloring and holistic hair styling.

Mindy Nguyen

Holistic Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

It can if you use it too often. Baking soda is great at removing buildup on the hair—because of this, using it too frequently can dry out your hair.