Why I pH test my Products

 
Two months ago, I went in search for the Giovanni 50:50 clarifying Shampoo and could not find it. When I saw the 1 liter bottle of the Giovanni Tea Tree Invigorating Shampoo, I was like JACKPOT! Maybe I can just use this and it will work as great as the clarifying shampoo.

Was I wrong!!

I did not pH test it to see if it was in the best pH range that it will not affect the girls' hair. After using this product, their hair was stripped, it took 2 deep conditioning sessions to get the moisture back into their hair. What happened? I looked at the ingredient list for sulfates and did not see any.

 
 
Then it occurred to me to pH test it. 
 
pH 101
  Anything between 0 and 6.9 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and anything between 7.1 and 14 is alkaline. Human hair and scalp oil, sebum, has a pH balance of between 4.5 and 5.5. A substance that is too alkaline will cause the hair cuticle to open, while a substance that is too acidic will cause the cuticle to contract.
 
A shampoo that has a high pH above 7 can strip your hair even if it does not contain sulfates.
 
(CurlyNikki)
Shampoos that have a pH higher than 5.5 can cause a pH imbalance and affect the cuticle. If it contains harsh surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate the hair can be stripped of its natural oils located in the epicuticle, or the outermost cuticle layer. This can result in mechanical damage due to combing and styling. In addition, the intercellular “glue” which binds the fibers of the cortex together can be dissolved by repeated shampoos with a high pH and harsh detergents. This can lead to damage to the cortex (which accounts for the hair’s strength).
 
When I was finally able to buy the Giovanni clarifying shampoo, I tested it and was pleased it was below 7.1 and also the label says "Leaves hair perfectly pH balanced and clean"
 
Moral of this blog post:
Get yourself some test strips and test your products.
 


Comments

  1. nappy headed black girlMarch 10, 2014 at 6:43 AM

    Where do you buy the strips? I've always wanted to try this but it seems like such a hassle. But it sure does beat wasting money on products.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Baby Girls CurlsMarch 10, 2014 at 10:30 PM

    You know I LOVE me some pH strips, I don't know what I would do without them!!! Its sad b/c I have gotten rid of "decent" products b/c of their pH...oh well!!! Better safe than sorry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DiscoveringNaturalMarch 11, 2014 at 4:42 PM

      You know that if the pH is too high or too low, there are ways that you can normalize them?

      Delete
  3. My Baby Girls CurlsMarch 22, 2014 at 7:06 AM

    Yeah, but I don't want to always have to "fix" a product, after awhile it becomes tedious...you know?

    ReplyDelete

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