Relaxer ph info

beana said:

due to my recent urge to switch to lye, ive had to do some ph homework, below is a small list. Please feel free to add

Mizani relaxers: was not given a breakdown for each but their ph range is from 11.5-14 (the lowest ends of the range are the no-lye and fine /color treated formulas)

Design Essentials
Sensitive scalp (no lye) 11.5-12.5
Lo-lye 12.2
Time release (mild) 12.5-13
Regular 13-13.5
Super 13-13.5 same as the regular!

Phyto relaxer: ph range from 9-12

Affirm: was told i had to be a licensed stylist to get this info

no word back on ORS lye yet

surprisingly the no-lye formulas all have lower ph levels than their lye counterparts.

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lana said:

What PH should our hair be? What do you do to lower or raise the PH to where it should be?

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CAPlush said:

Thanks, I am very interested in the pH values of ORS lye formulas. I hope they get back to you soon.

There should be some standardization or labeling of pH ranges for relaxers so consumers can make better informed choices.

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CAPlush said:

Your hair (and the rest of your entire body) should be slightly acidic, maybe around 5.5-6.5.

You can lower and raise the pH by using various different products that have lower or higher pH's. For instance, when you want to relax your hair, you must raise the pH for the chemicals to work from slightly acidic(5.5) to alkaline (8-9 or so), so you use a relaxer with the appropriate pH for you. When you want to bring the pH down, add neutralizer (something acidic) to get it back closer to your body's pH. This is why water (pH 7)will stop the action of the chemicals but will not get your hair back to it's acidic state. You need good acidic shampoo and conditioner to get your hair back to your body's acidic range.

A stylist told me that Phyto does not work at an alkaline range, it works around 6-7, that seems to be true since it seems the mild version only has a pH of 9.

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