Understanding the pH balance of your hair Part I

If you are having problems with dry and brittle hair with lack of moisture, you may want to consider learning and understanding the pH balance of your hair and products.  Knowing the pH of your hair and the products that you use are the most important steps to keep your hair healthy. I have attached an article from www.naturalhairwoman.com that will explain this concept better.

PH Balance and Natural Hair

If your goal for your hair is to be more resilient, stronger and lock in moisture then learning about the PH balance of your hair will help achieve that. Many manufactured products are too alkaline or sometimes too acidic and that can cause the health of your hair to deteriorate. Below is an easy ph scale chart to help you understand more on ph balance and your natural hair.

What is a PH SCALE?

A Ph scale is what is used to control the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.

Why is it critical to curly / kinky hair?

Let’s first explain about the cortex (which is the middle layer of the hair) and the cuticle (which is the outer layer of the hair) and needs to be taken care of. So the cuticle protects the cortex. The cuticle of a healthy hair lays flat and that locks moisture in your hair and protects it from any damage. You can learn how to keep the cuticles of your hair shut by learning about the Ph balance of the products you use.

What are the signs that my hair is not within the right Ph balance?

The hair will feel dry, looks dull and breaks easily.

How do I use the Ph balance to close the cuticles?

Look at the chart above to help you understand the next explanation. Acidic solutions are what shut the cuticles and keep your hair healthy, frizz free and keeps the moisture in. Alkaline solutions opens the cuticles and that causes so much damage to the cortex. Healthy curly hair has a Ph balance between 4.5 and 5.5. Maintaining this Ph balance will give your hair shine and keep it strong.

How do I check the Ph balance of hair products at home?

You can purchase a Ph balance kit which are sold in stores and online and they are packaged with an instruction kit so they are easy to use. This will help you test the Ph of homemade hair products and also store bought hair products that you are using on your natural hair.

Can water be damaging to my hair?

If you are using water on your hair that is contaminated with minerals like lead and calcium, then your hair will be damaged. Use distilled or purified water instead. It also good to note that water has a Ph balance of 7 so you want to lower that to fall between 4.5 and 5.5. Water is the number 1 hair moisturizer.

Which acidifiers can lower the alkaline in products?

If you want to lower the alkaline in your hair products try adding Lemon and lime juice, Aloe vera juice and apple cider vinegar. These are just a few examples.

*Article was abstracted from www.naturalhairwoman.com