What are the pH levels of your beauty products?
When you put a product on your hair or body, you don't want it to be too acidic or basic. Either way, it could be extremely uncomfortable! In chemistry, pH measures the concentration of hydrogen ions. The pH scale is numbered from 0 to 14. If a substance’s pH is less than 7, it is an acid. If the pH measure is 7 it’s neutral. If it’s higher than 7, it’s a base. One common example of a base is soap.
- What does soap feel like?
- What does soap taste like when it accidentally gets into your mouth?
- Based off of what you have just determined, what do you think are some other examples of bases? Based on these examples, what might be some properties of bases?
- What is a test you can do to determine whether something is a base or an acid?
- Is grocery store brand shampoo a base or an acid?
- Our hair is actually slightly acidic and has a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. How does the pH of shampoo affect your hair?
- What do you think the perfect pH for your shampoo is?