What is pH?
pH is the measurement of how alkaline or acidic a substance may be. The scale is numbered from 0-14, with 0 being highly acidic and 14 being highly alkaline. Pure water lands squarely in the middle of the scale at 7 - a neutral substance, neither acidic nor alkaline. It is important to note that the acidity and alkalinity increase exponentially as you move up and down the scale. This basically means, if a substance has an alkalinity of 10, a substance with an alkalinity of 11 is 10 times more alkaline. A substance with an alkalinity of 12 is 100 times more alkaline, and so on. Here are some common substances, and their rankings:
Battery
Acid 1.0
Lemon
juice 2.0 (very acidic)
Vinegar
2.2 (very acidic….it should be diluted 1tbs to 1 cup of water for rinsing)
Water 7 (neutral)
Human
Blood 8.3
Baking
Soda 8.3
Relaxer (10-14 varies depending on brand, lye vs. no-lye)
Ammonia
11.0
Lye
– 13.0
Why do I care?
Well my people, pH is critical for moisture retention in our kinky textured hair. Generally speaking, healthy human hair has a pH level between 4.5-5.5. Acidic hair products help seal the cuticles (scaley formations around each strand of hair). When the cuticle is closed, it seals in moisture, which allows the hair to thrive. Kinky hair is notoriously susceptible to dryness, which leads to breakage and is the enemy of length retention. Our friends over at www.luvnaturals.com have put together some rockin’ videos discussing the structure of hair, and the effects of pH on your hair. You can watch those videos here:
- YB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i3MC4d-HmY&feature=share&list=PL5532B6CD987E1D88
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