In the Beginning, there was Baking Soda..

Well, it has now been even longer (7months?) with the no-shampoo washing, and I am still a happy camper!  It does get knotty pretty fast, but with long curly hair that is a never-ending hassle and tussle with me anyway. 

One of my favorite side effects is that my brush has never been cleaner!  You know that wierd waxy, dirt buildup that tends to get in the bottom of combs and brushes if you use them alot? (really hard to clean, and kinda gross)  Gone, gone, gone!  (girls you know what i mean right??)  It took a few months but now my natural wood bristle brush stays nice and woody no matter how much i use it..

I think I have more split ends then before, so I might try putting a little oil on the ends once in a while, or brushing more often to distribute the natural oils.  But it remains nice and curly, bouncy after wetting, and very product free.  I still have some natural spray in conditioner, left-over from the old days, that i use for special occassions, less than once a month.  To be honest, I barely wash it at all anymore, even with baking soda…1-2 times a month —pure laziness!  I love it!

Upon returning from a trip i came across some strange new form of purified water in my fridge left by the house sitter…as i searched for the ingredients, guess what popped out?? That's right… SODIUM BICARBONATE
(otherwise known as baking soda)
Now, this water was touting itself as being designed for professional athletes so i gots to wonderin'…why would Baking Soda be good in my water?  I knew about the antacid effect for treating heartburn etc. -but that is a rather extreme treatment that shouldn't be used all the time -never mind in my daily drinking water (especially when -as a serious athlete of course- i try very hard to consume 2 liters of  water per day).  So after much searching i found some explanations that both made sense and were not in the form of a chemical formula. 

It actually does stem from its 'ant-acid' or 'buffering' attitude towards life.  What do muscles make when pushed hard to work?  Lactic Acid!  and that's what causes the soreness and apparently fatigue.  So basically, baking soda raises the pH of the blood and buffers the effects of this acid in the body, albeit in very small amounts and it is only really helpful it you are really working hard, not just a stroll around the block! 

This was taken from an article that i thought was funny, yet still informative, as they were worrying about baking soda doping for the Beijing Olympics:

"For optimum effects it should be taken with water, ideally before exercise, on an empty stomach. Most people take about 20g, although it can cause problems."
 
This idea also went further in explaining why baking soda is good for the teeth, and not just because of its soft abrasion quality, but also in the neutralization of the acid causing bacteria that contribute to tooth decay.

 
Ok, now the pH factor has been introduced and i am jumping down the rabbit hole…this is one of my favorite mysterious subjects!  One that can be so simple in the imagining and so complex to try to explain.  hwaa hwaa hwaa (villainous laugh)..