Citric acid rinse ratio?

[whiteisle]

I am interested in using a citric acid rinse after my shampoo bars because every one in my house detests vinegar of any variety. I've done several searches of past threads about citric acid and the ratios seem to be all over the map. I understand it can vary according to the hardness of water you have, but my main concern is that I don't want to make a solution too strong as to damage my hair in the long term. But I want it effective enough to combat any build up or soap scum on my hair.

I will probably start off with 1/4 tsp. to a gallon and see how that works and adjust as needed from there. But I guess I'd like to know what you think too much would be? Like, what's the line to not cross as far as how much CA:H2O? Any ideas?

I've done white vinegar that is 1 Tbs. in 1 cup of water and that seem to do a great job. I'd like to somehow mimic that with the CA if possible.

[MusicalSpoons]

You could buy pH strips and test any solution with those. Anything above pH 4.5 is okay for hair as a rinse-out, but you might want it closer to neutral than that.

Or, test the pH of your successful vinegar rinse and play around with citric acid until you get a pH that matches :)

(But as for actual ratios, I don't actually know, sorry!)

[lapushka]

I used to use lemon juice, about a teaspoon to 1L, of course I needed multiple L, but that seemed to be just right, for me. Still, there is often the same chelater in some shampoos (tetrasodium edta) and I just don't bother.

[whiteisle]

MusicalSpoons - Ph strips are a good idea! That would definitely help me mimic the vinegar rinse. Thank you!

lapushka - I've tried lemon juice in the past and my hair didn't seem to like it very much. Maybe based off your mix, the CA would need to be less as it's more concentrated than the lemon juice. Thank you for your input. :)

[whiteisle]

Just a quick update: I bought some ph strips from the fish section at walmart. They will only test the ph from 6.2-8.4 but they were the only ones I could find. So once I got home I tested my white vinegar mix which is 1 Tbs. per 1 cup distilled water. Then I tested my CA mix which is 1/4 tsp. to 1 gallon distilled water. Drum roll.....................the CA mix came out pretty much identical to the WV mix. These strips also test alkalinity, water hardness, and nitrogen and all those were the same as well. So the next time I wash I'll use the CA mix and see how it goes. :pray:

[Deborah]

I use about 2 or 3 teaspoons in 40 ounces of water. That works well for me. I don't rinse it out, and it leaves my hair very nice. I do have very hard water, so some folks might not need as much.

[whiteisle]

I use about 2 or 3 teaspoons in 40 ounces of water. That works well for me. I don't rinse it out, and it leaves my hair very nice. I do have very hard water, so some folks might not need as much.

hmm...that's about 2-3 tsp. per quart (almost lol). That's quite a bit more concentrated than the 1/4 tsp. per gallon which would be 1/16 tsp. per quart. If you're experiencing nice hair from that, it does ease my mind that I have a bit of wiggle room to add more if needed without worrying. Thanks!