11 Best pH-Balanced Shampoos for Luscious Tresses

Probably the only time you have heard of pH has been in your Chemistry class in school so it must be quite a surprise when you read about the best pH-balanced shampoo. If you have found yourself spending on expensive shampoos or ones that claim that it contains no harsh chemicals, and still reaped no benefits, you’re in need of ph-balanced shampoos. It’s very important to use a shampoo with a low pH as your hair and scalp have a low acidic pH of around 4.5 to 5.5 if you want to avoid hair and scalp issues. If you use a shampoo with a high alkaline pH, it will emit negative electrical charges that cause friction between your tresses and leads to dryness, frizz, and hair breakage (1). 

Stating the effects of pH imbalance, our contributor Eliza Pineda, In-house hair expert at Mayraki Professional, says, “When the pH balance of the scalp is off, there are a multitude of problems that can arise. This includes dandruff, extreme oiliness, hair loss, inflammation, irritation, and skin diseases like eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and more.” So, choosing a pH-balanced shampoo that can maintain the right pH of your scalp is crucial.

Many salon or professional shampoos now come with a low pH, but it’s rare to find a shampoo that passes the litmus test to classify as a pH-balanced shampoo. Always remember to choose a neutral one rather than alkaline or acidic ones. After conducting experiments with them, we have selected the 11 best pH-balanced shampoos for soft, silky, and healthy hair.

What Does pH-balanced Mean?

The pH level basically refers to how acidic or alkaline a product is. It is always tested on a scale of 1 to 14 and if it reads anywhere between 0 to 6.9 it is acidic and if it reads anywhere between 7.1 and 14 it indicates that it is alkaline. A pH of 7 is considered to be neutral. Speaking about your hair, its pH is around 3.7 and that of the scalp is 5.5. As our hair is acidic, it’s important that our shampoo is not alkaline and should be pH balanced between 4.5 and 5.5 for the perfect hair care routine (2).

How does pH Balance in Shampoos Improve Hair Health?

A balanced pH level is extremely important for the health of your hair and scalp and stimulates hair growth. Our hair and scalp are acidic and if you use an alkaline shampoo that has a high pH it creates a negative electrical charge that causes friction between hair fibers causing brittle hair, hair damage and breakage.