Maybe your grandmother told you time and again: baking soda is good for everything! What if she was right? Baking soda holds some truly remarkable properties… and it just might help you tackle that stubborn cellulite. A closer look at this all-purpose ingredient.
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What is baking soda?
First things first, you’re perfectly entitled to ask: what exactly is baking soda? Put on your chemist’s lab coat — here’s everything you need to know. Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium hydrogen carbonate are all one and the same: a white, crystalline, powdery ionic compound. It is an acid salt that reacts when it comes into contact with other chemicals, acting as a mild alkali.
There are three types of baking soda: technical (used in detergents and cleaning products), food-grade (“Baking Soda”, which helps bread and cakes rise!) and pharmaceutical-grade. The name is the same, but the fineness of the product differs. Medicinal-grade baking soda is finer and purer, but food-grade quality can be used for all purposes — it is identified by the FCC code.
What are the benefits of baking soda?
Grandma is right: baking soda is a wonder powder, equally useful for household care, health, and even beauty. Disinfectant, purifying, deodorising, cleaning, descaling… It cleans and freshens your home in no time. But it can also:
- Aid digestion of certain foods such as cabbage or legumes, when added to the cooking water
- Ease nausea (a pinch in a glass of lemon water does the trick!)
- Soothe acid reflux
- Relieve mouth ulcers and gingivitis
- Treat fungal infections
On the beauty front, baking soda can help you:
- Whiten your teeth: use it occasionally, diluted in water, as a mouthwash.
- Make a shampoo: sprinkle baking soda onto your pre-dampened scalp. Gently massage, then rinse with plain water or water with a splash of vinegar. Clean hair and brilliant shine guaranteed!
- Create a deodorant: if you’ve run out of deodorant but have baking soda at home, you’re sorted! Pat a little baking soda powder onto slightly damp underarms and let it dry… Freshness guaranteed!
- Soothe post-hair removal irritation: if you’ve been a little heavy-handed with the razor or wax, a baking soda poultice — simply mixed with a little warm water — will calm that burning sensation.
- Refresh your skin: baking soda can be used as a gentle facial scrub, helping you achieve a finer skin texture and a healthier complexion.
And if you’ve already welcomed baking soda into your bathroom routine, here’s another one of its remarkable properties: it may be effective against cellulite.
Three anti-cellulite recipes using baking soda
Baking soda is a valuable ingredient in DIY anti-cellulite treatments. As a gentle exfoliant, it works on skin texture by sloughing away dead cells. Once massaged and stimulated, skin becomes more receptive to anti-cellulite actives.
1- Anti-cellulite body mask
This body mask not only helps reduce the orange-peel appearance of cellulite, but also nourishes the skin for a soft, supple complexion. To prepare it, you will need:
- 1 tsp Manuka honey
- 2 tsp baking soda
- A little water
Pour the Manuka honey into a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix together until you get a smooth paste, then thin it out with a little water. Apply the mask to the area you wish to treat. You can also massage the area using small circular movements for 2 to 3 minutes. Baking soda is a gentle exfoliant that will rid the skin of dead cells. Honey, meanwhile, has countless benefits: it boosts microcirculation, decongests the skin and nourishes it deeply. Soft skin and a smooth finish, guaranteed!
2- Anti-cellulite scrub
This exfoliating baking soda poultice is highly effective at targeting stubborn dimples. To make it, mix the following in a bowl:
- 4 tsp coffee grounds
- 3 tsp green clay
- 2 tsp baking soda
- A little water
The mixture should be well blended. Apply it to your thighs, stomach or hips and massage the area vigorously. Rinse off with clean water. Repeat these toning massages every day before showering. After a few weeks, you should notice a difference in the dimpled appearance of your cellulite. The combined action of coffee grounds (rich in anti-cellulite caffeine), green clay and baking soda is highly effective!
If you’d rather skip the DIY, you can go straight for our Anti-Cellulite Scrub, which smooths and reduces dimples.
3- Anti-cellulite bath
Here is a recipe for a nourishing bath that will help you unwind while flushing out the toxins responsible for cellulite. Be careful not to run the bath too hot, as heat is not the best friend of venous tone. To prepare your bath, you will need ¼ of each:
- Raw sea salt
- Epsom Salt
- Baking soda
- 10–20 drops of essential oil of grapefruit or lemon
Mix the salts and baking soda with the essential oil — since essential oils don’t dissolve directly in water, they need a carrier. Salt and baking soda work perfectly for this. Once the salts are well infused, pour them into the bath water and soak for 20 minutes in this fragrant bath. Treat yourself to this little ritual once a week: it’s wonderful for both mind and body firmness!
What other solutions exist against cellulite?
Of course, there are other ways to tackle dimples.
1- Cosmetic treatments and massages
Alongside your baking soda home treatments, you can absolutely build a proper cosmetic routine! Our Express Anti-Cellulite Pack is the perfect solution for all women and all types of cellulite. It includes two cosmetic products and two highly effective accessories:
- The Cellulite Scrub, rich in anti-cellulite caffeine, encourages the breakdown of subcutaneous fat. Used 2 to 3 times a week in the shower, it gently exfoliates the skin for a smooth, soft complexion.
- The Stimulating Massage Oil, enriched with fruit actives, is an ideal massage base. Natural extracts of lemon, grapefruit and kiwi boost cell renewal and stimulate microcirculation for toned, revitalised skin.
- The Cupping Cup and the Orange Peel Massager work to suction, break down and drain cellulite, visibly reducing the orange-peel effect for noticeably firmer, smoother skin. From the very first week of use, 85% of women see a visible reduction in cellulite on their thighs and buttocks.
In just 21 days, our anti-cellulite routine promises a more toned silhouette and a clear reduction in the dimpled appearance of cellulite. The effectiveness of our routine is driven above all by the patented formulation of our products and the central role of massage (the cupping cup replicates the pinch-and-roll technique, while the massager gently drains the body).
So alongside your baking soda home treatments, you can confidently adopt a Cellublue routine!
2- Lifestyle habits
Lifestyle clearly has an impact on skin quality and body shape. Taking care of your daily habits — diet, sleep, physical activity — will naturally have a positive influence on cellulite.
When it comes to diet, opt for a varied and balanced diet, avoiding saturated fats, sugar, refined and processed foods, and excess salt (which is partly responsible for water retention). Focus on filling your plate with fruit and vegetables, wholegrains (with a low glycaemic index), lean proteins of good quality. Hydration is equally essential: say goodbye to fizzy drinks and hello to water, herbal teas, homemade juices and broths.
On the exercise front, aim for regular physical activity: a daily walk is highly recommended. Many sports are also particularly effective against cellulite, including endurance sports (running on soft surfaces, swimming, cycling), cardio, and deep stretching (Pilates, yoga, aqua aerobics). Avoid high-impact sports, especially if you have water-retention cellulite. Sports such as tennis, athletics or boxing can worsen venous and lymphatic insufficiency, which is detrimental to healthy microcirculation… and can make cellulite worse!
Finally, when it comes to general lifestyle, avoid all kinds of excess — alcohol, smoking, prolonged sun exposure, lack of sleep, and chronic stress. These factors can all affect skin quality and contribute to the formation of cellulite.
3- Food supplements
Food supplements can also give you a meaningful boost in the fight against cellulite. That said, they should be chosen with great care. The composition of any food supplement deserves close scrutiny — after all, you’re going to be ingesting it! Avoid supplements loaded with additives and chemical compounds, and opt instead for natural, plant-based ingredients. The format (tablets, capsules, drinkable solution) matters little and is largely a matter of personal preference.
Anti-cellulite food supplements generally contain “fat-burning” plants that promote lipolysis (caffeine from guarana, capsaicin from chilli, bromelain from pineapple) as well as draining actives (such as ivy, horse chestnut, hawkweed, orthosiphon), to help eliminate excess water and toxins trapped in the tissues. This is the case with our Cellulite Cure, which combines capsules and a drainer.
- Our Cellulite Capsules, formulated from 100% natural, vegan ingredients, target the two root causes of cellulite. Guarana and ascophyllum extracts encourage the emptying of fat cells, while cherry stem and red vine boost microcirculation. After 14 days, 70% of users notice a reduction in their dimples, for noticeably smoother skin.
- Our Cellulite Drainer, a drinkable solution to dilute in water, helps detoxify the body from within for a visible reduction in cellulite. Natural extracts of green tea and papaya tackle dimples on every front!
