Who can test pH? (has the equipment) for hair products.

[tiny_teesha]

I have a fish water pH test kit but it only goes down to 6.

I am curious as i learned that hair should be at 3-3.5 for it to be most shiney and happy (after the wash likey)

I know the hair swells when wet, but also that alkaline solutions (bi carb) opens up the cuticle and continual opening and shuting can be damageing and they just won't go down as good as before.

Even WO ( pH of 7) would open the hair to a degree.
If the pH is less then 2.5 it can also be damaging.

Now i am wondering is the recommended 2-3 tbsp per cup of ACV are actually the correct proportions? Does anyone want to try to test it?

I was also toying with the idea of mixing bicarb and vinegar and useing the bubbles to clean hair with. At what ratio would that be used to keep it acidic?

What acidity is lemon juice and water to what proportions?

What acidity is herbs (shikakai, amla, etc). Since i started useing them i have experienced more tangles. I think it may be the pH of it.

Also the oils we put on our hair last. what pH are those?

If anyone has the resources it would be really great if they could work this out!

Thank you! ( in advance)

[Iylivarae]

I don't have pH-Test strips here, but you should be able to buy them at a pharmacy. I use one that looks like a long, yellow ribbon. You can just cut a bit off and test the stuff you like with it. It is possible to test from pH 1-14 with it. It may not be as accurate as your strips, but I don't think that this is is necessary for the tests you'd like to do.

[nappywomyn]

*nod* You can buy pH strips, and do the testing yourself. :nod: I actually plan on buying some, as I want to do some experiments with various acids, and I want to see what pH makes the best result....

[sybarite]

If the pH is less then 2.5 it can also be damaging.

Yes! No one would want a shampoo as acidic as a lemon!

I would recommend the pH tape that an above poster mentioned. It comes on a roll and you break off a bit and test it against a range of colors and correlated pHs. It is better to dip a clean stirring rod (glass) into the solution/shampoo/etc. and touch it onto the tape instead of dipping the tape directly in. Holding it in front of a white sheet of paper works too. There are many charts online of pHs of regular household ingredients/cleaners.

You are asking a lot of questions about the pH of solid substances (herbs, etc) but what one needs to remember is that pH is a measure of hydrogen atoms in a solution (usually water), so many of your questions depend on what you're mixing it with.

I would not recommend mixing baking soda and vinegar to clean your hair. The reaction is used by "green" people to clean drains and would probably scour your scalp to bad results.

Also, a very high pH can be as damaging as a very low one. Extremely basic solutions can burn you just like extremely acidic ones. Keep that in mind when experimenting.

[doodlesmart]

Also remember that pH is a log scale, so the difference between pH of 2 and a pH of 3 is a factor of ten.

[tiny_teesha]

Thanks guys, i was unaware of this tape, i will go see if it is here in Australia!!!!
Thanks!
sybarite - by herbs i mean i make a tea with them and use that to wash my hair.

yep doodlesmart- i remember that too!

Yes i do want to avoid alkaline solutions as they effect the hair badly. They open it. I think i also read hair is 4.5-4.5 roughly i can't remember exactly. So anything higher then that (tap water at 7) also apparently damages it. I at least want to ensure the teas/herbs i wash with is not alkaline!

I will go check out that tape though

[tiny_teesha]

The ever so kind Mira-Chan has started testing YAY, Isn't she awesome!? Many thanks to her!

Here are some of her results.
"My water - 6
Soapwart gravy - 6
ACV I have - 2, 2.5 or so
Dilutions of ACV table spoons per cup
1tbsp - 5
2 tbsp - 4
3 tbsp - 3.5 ish
4 tbsp - 3"

[mira-chan]

The ever so kind Mira-Chan has started testing YAY, Isn't she awesome!? Many thanks to her!

Here are some of her results.
"My water - 6
Soapwart gravy - 6
ACV I have - 2, 2.5 or so
Dilutions of ACV table spoons per cup
1tbsp - 5
2 tbsp - 4
3 tbsp - 3.5 ish
4 tbsp - 3"

Glad to help! ^_^ I have the pH strips laying around without use. I don't have any lemon juice available (I don't use it on hair and prefer actual lemons in food.) so someone else would have to test that. The herbs on the other hand I'll test when I get some time to, likely later this week or the week after at the earliest. Unless someone else wants to join in with testing that.

The baking soda/ ACV reaction amount is concentration dependant. To use them on drain you combine the two full concentration together. For hair washing you apply dilute baking soda, then rinse well, then apply dilute ACV. Any reaction there from the left over baking soda is just enough to remove the build up. If you use too much, yea, that will take off build up and hair together.

[tiny_teesha]

Don't rush, you are already going out of your way for us!
WHAT so if i mix bicarb and vinegar on my hair it will pull out my hair???

Your a gem!

[mira-chan]

Don't rush, you are already going out of your way for us!
WHAT so if i mix bicarb and vinegar on my hair it will pull out my hair???

Your a gem!

If you mix them both full strength, the amount of cleaning will start to dissolve the hair. A couple of times of that and you hair most likely will snap at a touch. Low concentrations I've used no problem.