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pH for a Shampoo Bar
Has there been an established pH range for a shampoo bar? I see a target of pH 5.5 for liquid shampoo.
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7 Replies
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They should be the same pH as liquid shampoo in the acidic range.
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Thank you. I pH tested all the shampoo bars on the market I could find and they are all pH 8 - 9 and none of them contain citric acid. By the ingredients, they appear to simply be ‘soap with castor oil’.
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KellyMoonValley said:Thank you. I pH tested all the shampoo bars on the market I could find and they are all pH 8 - 9 and none of them contain citric acid. By the ingredients, they appear to simply be ‘soap with castor oil’.
“Shampoo bar” soaps will be alkaline. Syndet shampoo bars, if properly formulated, should be acidic. If you formulate with acidic surfactants, you don’t need to alter the pH if it’s in right range.
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I wonder why there are bars of soap in the above list with pH OVER 10? My soaps (saponified fats) are 9.5 or so (I use pH strips. Yes, yes, I know, not as accurate as a pH meter but I can’t afford a real one, a lab-grade pH meter over $800).
The syndet bars that are pH 10 and over have a superscript, but we can’t read what that means from this chart. Hmmmm….
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I don’t think you have to spend $800 to get a ph meter. There are several options between strips and a lab-grade meter. I have good luck with my Apera Instruments ph pen. It calibrates easily and accurately. My current shampoo bar is at 6.4 (I’m hoping to bring that under 6 on my next attempt). My liquid castile soap is at ph 10, which I would never use on my hair.
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Thank you for the chart Dr. Mike Thair as that validated what I was seeing in house.
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