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Are you going through a bad time with your hair despite doing everything for your hair? Have you ever heard ph level of scalp?
Is it dandruff? slow hair growth? oily scalp? Is it leaving behind a question in your mind? Well, the problem is not what you are looking at, but, what you are not looking at and that’s an imbalance in the pH levels in your scalp.
Stop blaming yourself for being negligent with your hair and understand the alkaline and acidic story of your scalp.
To relate better, just like pH levels are quintessential to keep up with a good skincare routine, the pH levels in your scalp need to be restored as well. Do it and you will get to feel a healthy scalp.
To get aware, read through this article that talks about the normal pH level in your hair, a method to test the pH level, how to maintain and balance the pH level, and many more minute details. Take your steps forward and learn it all!
How to Test the Ph Level of Scalp?
If you want to take your hair issues seriously you need to test its pH levels. Here is a procedure on how to do it. Take a look!
No 1 – Sharpen Your Basics
Go through the points listed below so that you have a fair idea of how the pH works, only if you know it you will be able to test pH levels the right way.
- pH – defines if your hair is alkaline or acidic.
- Low pH = High acidity.
- High pH = Alkalinity.
- Hair’s pH levels are from 1 to 14.
- Level 0-3 is highly acidic pH.
- The Level 8-14 is highly alkaline.
- Level 7 is neutral pH.
- Ph levels change based on the products we use on our hair.
- For the most part, the pH level on natural hair is between 4.5 – 5.5, this gives the hair and scalp the ability to fight against the problems with the hair, scalp and products. It restores your hair cuticles and keeps it soft and healthy.
- Hair products can be a barrier to the pH levels on your scalp.
- Signs that prove your hair is alkaline – bacterial infection, flaky or itchy.
- Signs that prove your hair is acidic – weakened hair.
- Slightly acidic scalp if you have curly hair.
- Balanced acidic scalp if you have straight hair.
- If cuticle gets enough moisture only then it can transfer that to your hair shaft. This moisture won’t come into your cuticle if your scalp or hair is acidic in nature.
If the nature of your scalp is alkaline it makes your hair and scalp excessively moisturized and this leads to opening of the hair cuticle.
No 2 – Study Your Hair
How will you know if your pH levels are too acidic, alkaline or good enough? You will know only after looking at the reaction of your hair to several situations.
Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself about your hair
No 1 – Is my hair clean or does it experience concerns such as dryness, greasiness or a flaky scalp? If yes, then you know it must be alkaline or acidic in nature.
No 2 – Have I applied a permanent dye on my hair and have there been changes made to neutralize the pH level on my hair? If yes, then this must be the reason for an imbalance in the pH levels.
No 3 – What type of hair do I have? Is it curly or straight? If it is curly then hair has to be brought to a balanced acidic pH level as curly hair tends to get more acidic in naure. If it is straight then the acidic level is just perfect.
No 3 – Use A Litmus Paper
A variation in colors on the litmus paper will show a difference in the pH levels.
If your hair is too acidic in nature the color will be orange and if it is alkaline in nature it will get purple. This litmus paper can be used to check the pH levels of products as well.
Here is what you need to do
- Press the litmus paper on your hair or scalp.
- Then dip the litmus paper in a solution and see the color it changes into.
- Make sure you keep strips ready from a range of 0-14 before you begin the test.
There are other ways of testing the pH on the hair and that is by using an electronic pH meter, the results derived are perfect and accurate.
Why To Balance Your Scalp’s pH – Know The Reasons!
Here are reasons that state the need to check pH level on the hair
- To be aware if your hair is healthy
- And To excatly know if your hair is acidic or alkaline
- While To be able to find solutions if your hair doesn’t have a natural pH level
- To save your hair and scalp from infections
- It is important to know if the moisture in your hair is sufficient
- Learning about the pH level helps in checking the elasticity in your hair
- Studying the pH levels helps in saving your hair from breakage and dandruff
- It is essential to balance the pH levels in your hair so that your hair cuticles don’t open. If they open, it gets tough for your hair to retain moisture in your scalp
- You get to know if products are working well on your hair or not
How Does pH Level Affect Hair?
Yes, pH balance is responsible in keeping your hair healthy. Talking of it further, the pH has the following effects on the hair and scalp
It will determine if a particular product has made the pH of your hair alkaline, neutral or acidic
The pH affects your hair cuticle (R) if the pH level on your hair is too alkaline it ends up opening the cuticle.
pH affects the level of water in your hair, which means it takes care of the amount of moisture in your hair.
5 Ways To Maintain Ph level of Hair
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Hifi to natural remedies always!
The best option to take care of the pH on your hair is by maintaining the pH levels of your hair naturally instead of relying on products to get it right, will you agree?
Here are ways to maintain the pH levels of your hair and scalp. Take a look!
No 1 – Eat The Right Food For Your Hair
Three things you have to do keep your hair follicles invigorated, stop your scalp from getting dry and improve the moisture in your hair and scalp.
How will you do this?
- Focus on eating foods rich in proteins and vitamins.
- The foods you can eat are egg, diary products, fish, citrus fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, soy bean, spinach and green peas.
No 2 – Shake Hands With Natural Remedies For Your Hair
Natural remedies have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties that keep the pH levels in control. Few of the best natural remedies to try are gelatin powder, yogurt, aloe-vera and apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider Vinegar will effectively work for your hair if you have an oily scalp.
How will you apply all of these natural remedies on your hair? Except for yogurt and aloevera, you will need to mix ACV and gelatin powder in water and only then use it on your hair.
Make the paste, leave it on your hair for 20 minutes and then wash it with luke warm water.
Try a natural home remedy four times a week on your hair and you will be able to maintain the ph level of scalp on your hair.
No 3 – Always Check For pH levels Before Using A Product
Since you know the pH levels less that 4 and more than 7 are either acidic or alkaline in nature and they causes the imbalance, you should avoid using those products.
Always look for products that have a pH balance that ranges in between 4.5 to 5.5.
No 4 – Stay Away From Dangers Of Hormonal Imbalance
If your hormones are disturbed because of your habits, you need to pull up your socks and work on your lifestyle to keep your hormones balanced.
At times, it isn’t your habits that is causing the imbalance in your hormones, it could be genetic or the natural mechanism of your body.
Here are things you can do to keep your hormones balanced
- Always sleep in time, don’t mess with your sleep routine
- Always find a way to de-stress yourself
- If you are eating too much junk and less healthy food it is time to reverse that habit and eat more of healthy food
- Avoid smoking and caffeine, these habits could ruin the pH balance in your scalp.
No 5 – Use pH Balancing Products
Stick to pH balancing shampoos and conditioners whenever you want to wash your hair. When you look up for its ingredients, you will see it mentioned as pH balanced on the bottle.
These products are different because their pH levels were identified while its being made. These shampoos have a neutral value, they won’t be acidic nor alkaline.
On the other hand you must keep in mind not to use products that have Sodium hydroxide and Triethanolamine.These chemicals will make your hair excessively alkaline in nature.
How Acid ph and Alkaline ph Affect the Hair Cuticle?
Here are a few questions and answers that will explain how acid ph and alkaline ph affects the hair cuticle. Take a look!
No 1 – Why does the Hair Cuticle Open?
If the product you use on your hair is alkaline in nature, it ends up opening your cuticle and this action can lighten the existing hair color. The presence of ammonia in color brings a difference in acid pH and alkaline pH levels.
No 2 – Why Does The Hair Cuticle Contract?
If the product you use on your hair is too acidic in nature, it ends up contracting your cuticle.
No 3 – Does pH Balance Affect Hair Growth?
Yes, the pH level on your scalp affects your hair growth through cuticles, if you don’t want your hair to break and grow well you must see to it that your hair cuticles are closed.
It is essential that it remains closed so that it seals moisture and save your hair strands from breaking.
No 4 – How to Balance Alkalinity and Acidic Aspects of The pH on Colored Hair?
Whenever you get a complete hair color, highlights or a balayage done, you are affecting the pH levels on your hair by making it alkaline or acidic and this leads to opening your cuticles.
Therefore, if you don’t want colored products affecting the pH level of your scalp or hair and if you want to restore the health of your cuticles and keep them closed. You need to do the following things
- It is necessary that you use color protection hair sprays whose pH is between 4.5-5.5.
- You can use a hair masque that sustains protein and balances the hydration levels in your hair, it is one kind of conditioning your hair. The pH level ofany hair masque you choose should be between 4.0-5.0.
- To protect your hair cuticles and keep it closed, you can use any leave-in spray whose pH is on a scale of 3.5-4.5.
What Happens?
By taking these steps the acid pH and alkaline pH will no more affect your hair cuticles, the protein in your hair will stay strong, your hair color will not fade quickly and your hair remains hydrated.
Thus, just check with the pH and use a few products to keep your hair in the safe zone.
Conclusion
Always take the help of litmus paper whenever you want to check if there is a problem with your hair or scalp. It is the pH level in your hair that makes all the difference.
Do a few simple things to balance the pH in your hair and scalp, such as, eat foods rich in protein and vitamins, rely on pH balancing products for your hair, live a healthy lifestyle so that it doesn’t affect your hormones, avoid using products that are naturally alkaline in nature and select a few home remedies that will control the sebum in your hair.
Neutral pH will always keep your hair healthy!
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