What is pH and what does it do to your hair? The effect of pH on Hair

Myth vs. Fact:

I LOVE HAIR. For real. Call it a passion. I love my job and I take it seriously. We are 'splitting-hairs' with this stuff. Maybe we are getting TOO deep here.

This article is not for everyone, let's just be honest. There is only a certain type of person that will find this type of stuff interesting so feel free to skip this post if you are not the kind of person that wants to know the HOWs, WHATs, and WHYs about HAIR.

The kind of person that will appreciate this info is the kind of person that pays attention to detail and wants to feel like they are really great at what they do. OR, this article is for the kind of person who really cares about what happens to their hair. My friend Dave Holland says that if you want to make as much money as a doctor, you need to work as hard and study as hard as a doctor. To the stylist that wants to be the best or the consumer who wants to make informed decisions about their hair care... read on.
What is pH? It stands for Potential Hydrogen. It measures to what extent a solution is an ACID or a BASE. The pH scale goes from 0-14. On the scale, 7 is neutral. Anything less than 7 is ACIDIC and anything over 7 is a BASE. In terms of hair and beauty, we talk about ALKALINITY instead of bases. ALKALINITY and BASES are definitely related but they are NOT the same thing. While the pH of a solution may be lowered (basicity) it's alkalinity can in fact remain the same. ALKALINITY is the ability to neutralize acids. Bases are the chemical opposite of acids.

From what I understand: Substances that can neutralize acids are bases. A base that will dissolve in water is an alkali. So, while all alkaline solutions are basic, not all bases are alkaline. Haha! Whatever.

FUN FACT: Hair does not have a pH. For a while now, I have had several talks about the pH of hair and such. But hair in fact does not have a pH. To have a pH, something must be water-soluble or dissolved in water. What does have pH is the ACID MANTLE that is on your hair and skin. The acid mantle is an acid film that is found on hair and skin. It serves as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. We often say that hair has a pH of 4.5-5.5 but really that is the pH of the ACID MANTLE found ON the hair. Doing what we can to maintain or restore the natural pH of the acid mantle on the hair is what helps keep hair healthy and youthful.

The Effect of pH on Hair: Basically, acids help to close-down the hair or seal it shut. This adds natural shine, increases elasticity, detangles hair and locks in moisture and strength. Keep in mind though, that it's not just because it's an acid, but because the solution has pH equal to, or lower than 4.5-5.5 that creates this effect. To be even more specific, solutions with pH LOWER than 4.5-5.5 have the previously mentioned effects. Yet, even pure water (pH of 7 or Neutral) has the ability to swell the hair as a base or alkali would, simply because it is 'less acidic' than the hair.

Bases, or Alkaline solutions have basically the opposite effect on hair. Keep in mind, that even some acids that have a higher pH (over 5.5 but lower than 7) can also have similar effects. These solutions serve to swell the hair cuticle or hair shaft. This is important when you are trying to permanently color or lighten the hair, clarify or deep clean the hair, or even to add texture/volume/body to the hair.

This type of stuff is more common than you think. pH-balanced shampoo is a shampoo that has a pH close to that of the hair. Conditioners and detanglers are most likely acidic. Hair Color and lighteners are alkaline in order to actually penetrate the hair. Clarifying shampoo or volumizing products products may not be basic, but simply less acidic or more alkaline than the hair's natural acid mantle. Wet hair is much easier to cut and can be set in rollers to make curl because water is less acidic than hair and actually has the ability to soften and swell the hair.

It's late... That's enough for now.