…or the one where Kat nearly burned her face off.

So I was going about my usual nightly routine (brush teeth, remove makeup, inspect mug in mirror and apply necessary product to ward off wrinkles/acne/vampires) when I noticed my skin was a little flaky. “Needs some exfoliant,” I sagely noted and I grabbed my exfoliating cleanser of choice. But alas it was empty, nary a drop to be had. Not to be dissuaded from the task at hand, I hunted for another product. My eyes alighted upon the little jar of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda, bread soda) I keep in my bathroom, for teeth whitening every so often. I had used this in the past as an exfoliant and had good results, so a la The Beauty Brains‘ instructions I mixed in a bit with a non-exfoliating cleanser and set to work.

I left it to sit for a minute or two as I brushed my teeth, so the chemical exfoliant could work its magic, when I noticed a whiff of something odd. I casually glanced around for the culprit (the other half’s smelly socks, a pongy towel) when I realised what the stink reminded me of – hair dye. Then it occurred to me that the smell was getting stronger… and it was coming from right under my nose. Read on »