Salon water Testing Using pH testing strips

Clorox Spa 5-way test strips can be purchased for around $11.00 USD for a 50 strips container from Walmart stores in the swimming pool section.  When I was at the ISSE Long Beach Hair show earlier this year, one of the instructors mentioned that our tap water in our shampoo bowls may not be 7.0 pH because of the additives in "city water." I have been curious about my salon water pH ever since then.

The strips test for bromine, alkanity, pH, chlorine, and hardness.

The strip on the left is the results after the salon testing.  The strip on the right is the unused test strip.  My salon water is soft as I was already informed about the city water.  However, the pH of my salon water seems to be elevated into a more alkaline pH.  It is not a toxic alkalinity but low pH conditioners are going to very important to every hairstyle to keep the hair cuticle sealed.  I hope to publish my 2015 Favorite products soon!!!

It is strange that people are buying more and more alkaline water to balance their acidic nature when the tap water appears to be alkaline already.

Minerals in Tap Water Alters Hair color?

 Do you remember seeing pinkish residue around your shower head in the bathroom?  Do you feel like your hair pulls warm or red gradually?  Well, the "soft tap water" in this area seems to be the culprit.  I had another hairstylist swear that this Malibu Color Wellness shampoo prevents those pinkish water minerals from collecting in your hair.

My water line shows some pinkish discoloration.  So there is probably some truth to countering the color changes in the hair especially if you have blonde or other lighter color hair.

Using plain water as a conditioner

I made an incredible discovery last week. I got extremely off schedule with my client timing. My natural client had to sit room temperature with a plastic cap on for about 45 minutes. I had shampooed her with Pureology Nanoworks shampoo a few times then skipped conditioning. Amazingly, the water alone seemed to soften her natural tresses without any conditioner being applied.

We were purposely skipping the conditioning step because we found if the hair is too soft that it would not hold the curls. So her hair ended up soft from the "tap" water. I also have to admit that our city has "soft water" running through our tap versus hard water in other states.

If you live in a "soft water" area, then consider just sitting with a wet head in a plastic cap for about an hour while you complete household chores. You might save on having to buy so much conditioner.