Did you know that the box of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda sitting in your cupboard or refrigerator is an essential ingredient in many do-it-yourself beauty recipes? Just like it absorbs odors in trashcans and cleans grime from barbecue grills, baking soda naturally absorbs oil from skin and cuts grease in your hair. The small grains gently exfoliate and, when added to a bath, can calm irritated, itchy skin. These five beauty recipes featuring baking soda will help you get smoother skin from head to toe.

Folks in the "no 'poo" movement routinely wash their hair with just baking soda and water. But you can get baking soda's hair cleansing benefits without having to ditch your favorite shampoo. Combine your regular shampoo with baking soda to make an easy and inexpensive clarifying shampoo that absorbs oil and removes product buildup. Add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to help eliminate dandruff.

• 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• 1 tablespoon shampoo
  

In a small bowl, or using your palm, combine the ingredients and apply to your hair. Shampoo normally, giving your scalp extra time and attention to remove any dead skin and residue from styling products. Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Repeat once a month for cleaner, softer and more manageable hair.

Time to flash those pearly whites and smile with confidence. Not only can baking soda help clean and whiten teeth, it'll give you fresh breath, too.

• 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Toothpaste
  

To clean your teeth, sprinkle baking soda into a small dish and dip your toothbrush in. (Be sure your toothbrush is slightly wet.) Add toothpaste, brush, and then rinse with water.

Add baking soda to your next at-home manicure to help rescue yellow or discolored nails.

• 2 tablespoons ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda

Add the baking soda to a small bowl. Gently massage the baking soda into your nails and nail beds, for 5 minutes and then rinse clean with warm water.

Next time you take a bath, be sure to include ARM & HAMMER™ baking soda — it's a simple way to soften and exfoliate your skin.

• ½ cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda

Draw a warm bath and add ½ cup of baking soda as the tub is filling with water. Relax in the bath and then after you dry off, generously apply a healing moisturizer.

Removing dead skin cells is an essential first step before tanning at home. Stick to an oil-free scrub that won't interfere with your tanning spray's ability to stick to and absorb into the skin. Baking soda offers gentle, yet invigorating, exfoliation.

• 1 ½ cups ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• ½ cup water

Combine the ingredients and apply the mixture directly to your skin, massaging in circular motions. Pay extra attention to areas like elbows and knees. Rinse with warm water in the shower, dry off, and then apply your tanner. You can also use the scrub on your hands after tanning to remove any extra color.