For example, if you were suffering from dandruff and an itchy scalp, I would recommend a shampoo or product that was pH-balanced between , no higher—this applies to color-treated hair as well. For those of us who color our hair, maintaining your hair's hue is likely the main focus, but keeping the hair pH-balanced is critical to not just preventing your beauty investment from fading, but it is a must for keeping your coils from breaking.
Evans explains, "During the coloring process, the hair's cuticle has been opened with a dominant alkaline product, so closing the cuticle and keeping it contracted is best for color longevity and preventing the hair from dryness.
Balance seems to be the ongoing theme of this story, but that's why we're here—to understand the science and importance of maintaining our hair's natural balance. If you have ever wondered why your hair feels less dry and seemingly retains moisture when it's silk-pressed or relaxed , here's why: "Curly hair is naturally more dry than straight hair," says Evans, "meaning curly hair has a higher pH level than straight hair does.
That being said, finding a product to contract the cuticle—to partially close it—would be beneficial. A product or shampoo that is more acidic-dominant would help to neutralize or balance the existing alkalinity in the hair. Since these shampoos are a must for our wash days, how often should we be using a pH-balancing shampoo?
I personally opt not to cleanse my hair too frequently with anything other than a co-wash because I find that it keeps my hair from drying out, but in the event my scalp is itchy, I focus cleansing only on that problem area. Branch co-signed my preference recommending shampooing natural coily hair bi-weekly with a pH-balancing shampoo. Evans adds, "A pH-balanced shampoo can help to keep your hair looking cleaner for a longer period of time.
An improperly balanced shampoo will strip away too much of your hair's natural oils. Your scalp will then overproduce oil to compensate, creating your hair to be oily and possibly getting dirty quicker.
Most conditioners have acidity regulators in them to maintain a balanced acidity level. Although we are unable to penetrate the hair at level C the cortex and drive moisture into it from a co-wash, we are able to reseal the cuticle just in case it has been opened from alkaline-high styling products.
Pyrithione zinc is a chemical element that effectively treats seborrheic dermatitis, acne, and scalp psoriasis. This ingredient appears in Solimo 2-in-1, making it the best cure for dandruff. The set is formatted with magnesium carbonate hydroxide and citric acid to help maintain a pH level at 5. This balance reduces frizz and itchy scalp. In real life, the products help soothe your itchy scalp.
Your hair will also feel soft and not greasy. Incubating hair with scalp care shampoo for 10 minutes before rinsing helps relieve itching and eliminates dandruff after just one application. But this item is not a moisturizer. You will have to deal with dry hair that requires extra conditioning. Please be aware that Zinc pyrithione getting into the eyes, mouth, or nose poses a serious risk.
If you swallow this chemical, consult your doctor immediately. In case this shortcoming turns you off, you may want to consider vegan and plant-based products. For example, Ethique Dandruff Shampoo Bar is a friendly product because it does not contain Zinc pyrithione. In particular, its concentration of palmitoleic acid makes it a popular ingredient in cosmetic products with a hair-smoothing effect — a crucial characteristic in curly hair care.
This ingredient is a source of organic acids that naturally balance the pH level. The botanical formula is great when dealing with dry and broken curls. The fatty acids nourish the hair follicles to help restore their health from within. If you have natural curls, this set is all that you are looking for. It makes your hair soft and bouncy but not heavy and greasy like the common results of other moisturized products. This combo has a strong smell, making it not suitable for people who are allergic to scents.
You might consider Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner for a fragrance-free alternative. The final suggestion on this list is a product highly recommended for sensitive scalps. This scalp care shampoo and conditioner are pH balanced to help prevent scalp irritation. This formula is paraben-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and vegan.
They add vitamin B5 to stimulate hair health. This item works on irritated scalps and dry hair by helping soothe the itch and reduce hair loss. The only complaint is that the DR.
Thus, it will make your natural curls unmanageably voluminous. Solimo 2-in-1 is an itch-free but non-volumizing alternative. Note: You should note that this product has a gentle formula. If you have sensitive skin, it is necessary to research each ingredient before use. The pH of hair and scalp is between 3. Thus, if the pH of a hair care product is between 4. Human hair is acidic in nature. While hair cosmetics usually have a pH higher than 7.
Regular use of these products is one of the causes of pH imbalance. When the alkalinity is high, it causes itching, dandruff, eczema, and psoriasis. It also stimulates excessive shedding of oil, causing the scalp to lose moisture, leading to dry and frizzy hair.
The Redken Color Mantra. What I learned from this research is that hair accepts color differently in different zones as some parts are more sensitive than others. The key takeaway from this is that pH plays a vital role in both adding and maintaining color integrity in your hair. A pH balanced toning shampoo for blonde hair will lock in the toner to allow your hair to hold tone for longer. If your blonde hair is darker and starting to reveal orange tones, you need a blue shampoo to cancel the orange.
Bleaching is an intensive high pH alkaline hair treatment which increases the pH value of your hair to When you bleach your hair, chemicals have to penetrate deep into the cortex to incinerate melanin and make them colorless. The more you leave that bleach in your hair, the more the oxidation changes the chemical composition of each hair fiber.
And to make it worse, bleach works by separating the cuticles to allow its oxidizing reaction to pass through. Whoever your hairstylist is, needs to be highly qualified to understand the importance of restoring pH balance after such an intensive treatment. Your hairstylist should also understand the texture and health of your hair to decide how long bleach is left in.
If not done correctly, or left for longer than needed, you will be leaving the hair salon with highly porous hair that is prone to damage.
To seal the cuticles and even out hair porosity. A pH higher than 5. Soap, shampoos, foaming washes, and even hair sprays are often more alkaline, which makes it harder for the skin to restore back its pH range of 4.
Although the rainbow-colored testing strips are popular, they work better when you are testing shampoos and liquids. This device gives you reliable and accurate measurements for flat surface pH testing, such as skin, paper, and fabrics. With built-in microsensors, you just have to touch your skin for a few seconds, and it gives you a digital pH reading. Another great scalp cleansing and stimulation product I recommend is the Aveda Scalp Remedy which contains the perfect blend of ingredients for a happy scalp:.
The best place to start is to use a pH balanced antibacterial hair shampoo first to disinfect your scalp. Dandruff, also known as Seborrheic Dermatitis is an inflammatory skin condition similar to Eczema which affects the scalp. Read: The good bacteria that protect our skin ».
A slight disbalance on either the skin or the concentration of bacteria can cause skin inflammation and infections. Fungus is one type of bacteria that forms part of this ecosystem.
They work to metabolize host proteins and lipids on the skin layer to produce bioactive molecules like free fatty acids. The acidic environment on your skin prevents any bacteria from growing and multiplying at a rapid rate. As a metabolic by-product, Fungi produce something called Oleic Acid, which in turn accelerates the turnover of skin cells.
A clarifying shampoo helps remove all the loose flakes from your mask treatment to purify your scalp. Not from your scalp! The common culprits are products with alcohol, sulfates, or even washing with hard water. All of which leave your locks brittle, and thirsty. While nutritious hair masks like Shea Moisture butter are excellent treatments to nurse your crunchy strands back to life temporarily, you should invest in long term hair care routines like using low pH hair products.
And when you have too much sebum on your scalp, it does more than just making you look like an oil slick. Remember, oil attracts dirt. Therefore, the oiler your scalp gets, the more likely things like dust and dead skin cells will stick to it making your scalp feel gross.
While most of us see sebum as gross, keeping the right amount on your head is essential. The best thing to do is to lay off the shampoos and stretch your hair washing routine for a bit longer. Check out our No Poo Greasy hair transitioning guide for how to do this. And learn to use the sebum coating method.
A shampoo which is more in line with the natural balance of your scalp to keep things ticking at the right pH. Try this: Homemade shampoo for oily hair with dandruff ». Dry scalp, oily scalp, dandruff, and any conditions that affect the health of the scalp have a direct impact on the hair follicles. Excess bacteria in the scalp will eat up the roots, excess skin cells from Oleic acids will suffocate the surface of the scalp, thus clogging the pores and depriving them of oxygen.
The recommended shampoo for thinning hair and hair loss. Click to see the reviews. To sum it all up, pH balance is the first line of defense when nothing seems to be working in your hair care routine.
What you need to look for is a shampoo with pH level 3. Which to be honest, is not easy at all to find. According to a study published in the International Journal of Biotechnology, out of shampoos tested:.
Check it out here: Shampoos pH testing results. While salon products are formulated with the correct pH levels to give the best results, for us ordinary consumers, we are left to figure it out by ourselves. Ever since the first shampoo came out in the early s , people used to wash their hair with laundry soap which was pretty harsh, alkaline and very bad for the hair and scalp.
Hence the reason why people were warned only to wash their hair once a week so that the scalp would have enough time to recover from the effects of alkaline soap. After almost 20 years of research, the first pH balanced shampoo finally came out in the late s which tipped at 7. From then on, Salon professional brand Redken Clairol revolutionized the professional hair care industry with the introduction of pH 6. Read: How Paula Kent revolutionized the professional haircare industry with the first pH shampoos for sensitive hair.
From onwards, most shampoos were formulated to sit in the range 4. To better understand the actual pH of your shampoos, I have done an illustration to show you at which ranges shampoos are considered low, balanced, and neutral. Acids have lots of Hydrogen ions. Therefore, a shampoo that has a lower pH contains more Hydrogen. Washing your hair with acidic shampoos and conditioners also create Hydrogen bondings that push the cuticles down, and prevent them from overlapping. When your hair cuticles are correctly aligned and sealed, you immediately notice the improved texture.
Just run your hands through your hair and notice the difference. The more your shampoo can keep this moisture tightly locked into your tendrils, the better your curls will look. The best curl shampoos are in fact, low pH cleansers that do not stretch and loosen your curls. Shampoos with acidic pH work to flatten the cuticles and keep them tight, thus preventing humidity frizz, and moisture loss.
Because conditioners are low pH products that make your hair supple and soft to balance out the pH raised by water. Clinical results prove that hair color fades 5X faster in the first week after your treatment.
And this is directly related to your hair cuticles being still open, not properly conditioned, and balanced after your treatment. Minerals from hard water, polluted air, UV rays, and dirt can all add unwanted cool tones to blonde hair which cause brassiness.
When your hair cuticles are flat, they reflect more light. Therefore giving your hair envious shine and a glowy glossy finish. Low pH hair washes are proven to stop electrostatics from affecting your hair, therefore, eliminating frizz. When the skin barrier struggles to keep bacteria out, it ends up with inflammation and dry, flaky layers. An acidic environment on the scalp helps maintain sebum at the optimum level, keeping lactic acid, amino acids, fatty acids, and various secretions in perfect harmony.
Both types of shampoos are equally good at protecting the scalp and strengthening the outer layers of the hair. Note: Neutral shampoos, although with a slightly higher pH range, are still alkaline-free shampoos.
Read: What is pH, and how does baby skin pH vary? The reason baby skin pH varies so much after birth is that the metabolites in the skin cells, the good bacterial flora, and other skin regulating mechanisms are still building up, and adjusting as the baby grows.
Follow us. Instagram us. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Customer Service: Understanding pH is great overall, but what is the best pH for hair? Scientific Proof for pH-Balanced Hair Products In a study published in the International Journal of Trichology , researchers concluded that an alkaline pH high pH level increases the negative electrical charge within the hair, which increases friction between hair fibers.
Determining pH Levels of Hair Products Good shampoo and conditioner are vital to maintaining a clean scalp, adequate moisture levels, and protecting strands from tangles and breakage.
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