PH PH PH Should I Really Care for My Hair

Think of pH for your hair as a way to understand how acidic or alkaline your scalp and hair are. Keeping it a little on the acidic side helps your hair stay strong, shiny, and healthy. We are taught this in beauty school.  When that balance gets out of whack, your hair can become more fragile, frizzy, and dry, while your scalp might get irritated or flaky.

• pH is a scale from 0–14 that measures acidity (0–6), neutrality (7), and alkalinity (8–14).​
• Hair and scalp each have their own natural pH range that helps keep the cuticle smooth and the scalp microbiome healthy.​
• Healthy hair is naturally slightly acidic, with an optimal range around 4.0–5.5.​
• The scalp sits around pH 5.5, which supports a balanced mix of microbes and helps prevent dandruff, itchiness, and infection.​

Why pH  matters

When hair becomes too alkaline (higher pH), the cuticle lifts, making hair more porous, frizzy, dry, prone to breakage and color fading.​

• If the scalp pH is off, you can see oiliness or dryness, irritation, flakes, and even issues with hair growth over time.​

pH and your products

• Shampoos and conditioners that are slightly acidic (around 4.5–5.5) help keep the cuticle laying flat,  protect color and moisture.​
• Strong chemical services (bleach, relaxers, some permanent dyes) use highly alkaline formulas and must be followed by acidic shampoos and conditioners to lower pH and close the cuticle.​
•  You can test if your shampoo and conditioners pH sit between 4.-5.5 with pH strips.