Just read something wild about the pH of hair and it actually made sense

I was looking up why some color formulas just don't hold right on certain clients, and I stumbled on a study from a beauty school in Florida. It said the average pH of human hair is around 3.67, which is pretty acidic. I always knew hair was acidic, but I thought it was closer to 5. The article explained that this low pH helps keep the cuticle layer tight and healthy. It totally clicked for me why using a super alkaline shampoo or a high-pH treatment without a proper acidifier afterwards can leave hair feeling rough and dull. It's like we're fighting against its natural state. I've been way more careful about checking the pH of my finishing products since I read that. Has anyone else adjusted their routine after learning a specific fact like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hugo3mo agoMost Upvoted

Okay but is it really that big of a deal for daily life? Like sure, if you're a colorist doing chemical services all day, you need to know the science. But for the average person washing their hair, this feels like overthinking it. My shampoo probably has a weird pH and my hair is fine. People used bar soap on their hair for decades and survived. It seems like one of those facts that matters way more in theory than in actual practice.

dylanh813mo ago

Yeah, it's part of a bigger thing where we get sold on perfect science for basic stuff. Most of it just doesn't matter for getting through the day.

samf952mo ago

Man, that reminds me of when I found out the pH of skin is around 5.5 and I started checking everything I put on my face. I went down a rabbit hole of testing my cleansers with strips from the drugstore and realized half of them were way too harsh. It's funny how learning one tiny number can mess with your whole routine, right?