Apart from common skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, there is another way to attain an unwanted itchy scalp and that’s using products with a high pH.

Why pH matters

pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being acidic and 14 alkaline. On this scale a pH value of 7 such as water is neutral.

The pH of the scalp is slightly acidic and sits at 5.5 therefore, products closest to this range will maintain a happier scalp.

Hair dye can cause an itchy scalp

During our younger years, before those annoying greys start to appear, many may be using temporary hair colour which has a pH between 7.0 to 8.0. Using this every six weeks or so will usually not disrupt the health of the scalp. It’s important if you’re using a box colour to only have the colour on for the subscribed amount of time and no longer.

It’s only later in life when those greys start to show up and we start to use permanent hair color that the pH of the scalp starts to become disrupted. The problem is that permanent hair colours usually contain pH levels of between 9.0 to 11 which is considered high but necessary.

Why do permanent hair dyes need such a high pH?

The high pH is necessary to open the hair cuticle to enable the colour to penetrate fully. During the processing phase you may feel a slight numbness of the scalp and experience itching for a couple of days after colouring.

Problems can really set in once people go from 6 weekly treatments to monthly treatments and at that time it can feel like the scalp is constantly itchy.

Why is it bad to wash hair with soap?

The pH of traditional soap is 9-10 and is suited to the body, not scalp and hair. Ever since shampoo was invented, we stopped doing this, and for good reason. The problem nowadays is that many shampoo bars are soap in disguise. That’s why it’s important to choose a shampoo bar which is described as “soap free”, “pH balanced”, or “syndet”. If the ingredients are a long list of oils, then you can guarantee it’s soap.

Remedies for an itchy scalp

Firstly, check to see if any shampoo bar you are using is not a soap. If you’ve been using soap on your hair, expect it to take 1-3 months before the scalp returns to normal.

Another obvious remedy here is to stop dying the hair, but for those who are not quite ready, here are some practical tips which may help:

• Attending your hair appointment with slightly greasy hair means there is already a protective layer on the scalp.
• Ask your hairdresser to be extra thorough with washing out the hair dye and ensure the water is not too hot.
• Wash your hair at home that night and go one step further by tipping some apple cider vinegar or 1L of warm water with 2 dessert spoons of citric acid dissolved into it over the scalp. Leave it for a few seconds before washing out thoroughly. Again, make sure the water is not too hot when rinsing as the scalp is already irritated.
• Dry hair with low heat on the scalp for the first time after dying hair.

Our Sensitive Soul shampoo bar is perfectly formulated for sensitive scalps. It can assist with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema and can also assist scalps which have been disrupted by the use of high pH products.