The DOI matches its Crossref record; 25 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The shampoo pH can affect the hair: Myth or Reality?
Open accessAbstract
AIM: Dermatologists most frequently prescribe shampoos for the treatment of hair shed and scalp disorders. Prescription of hair care products is often focused on improving scalp hair density, whereas the over-the-counter products focus on hair damage prevention. Little is taught in medical schools about the hair cosmetics, so that the prescriptions are based only on the treatment of the scalp and usually disregards the hair fiber health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this work, we review the current literature about the mode of action of a low-pH shampoo regarding the hair shaft's health and analyze the pH of 123 shampoos of international brands. RESULTS: All shampoo pH values ranged from 3.5 to 9.0. 38.21% of all 123 shampoos presented a pH ≤ 5.5 (IC: 29.9-47%) and 61.78% presented a pH > 5.5. 26 anti-dandruff shampoos were analyzed. About 19.23% presented pH ≤ 5.5.(IC: 7.4-37.6%). 80.77% of all anti-dandruffs shampoos presented a pH > 5.5. The dermatological shampoo group (n = 19) presented 42.10% with pH ≤ 5.5 (IC: 21.8-64.6%), and 57.90% with pH > 5.5. Among the commercial (popular) products (n = 96), 34.37% presented pH ≤ 5.5 (IC: 25.4-44.3%) and 65.62% presented pH > 5.5. 15 professional products (used in hair salons) were analyzed, of which 75% had a pH ≤ 5.5 (IC: 18-65, 4%), and 25% had a pH > 5.5. 100% of the children's shampoos presented a pH > 5.5. CONCLUSIONS: Alkaline pH may increase the negative electrical charge of the hair fiber surface and, therefore, increase friction between the fibers. This may lead to cuticle damage and fiber breakage. It is a reality and not a myth that lower pH of shampoos may cause less frizzing for generating less negative static electricity on the fiber surface. Interestingly, only 38% of the popular brand shampoos against 75% of the salons shampoos presented a pH ≤ 5.0. Pediatric shampoos had the pH of 7.0 because of the "no-tear" concept. There is no standardized value for the final pH. The authors believe that it is important to reveal the pH value on the shampoo label, but studies are needed to establish the best pH range for both the scalp and the hair fiber's health.
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“The pH value of the scalp is around 5.5 and shampoos with a slightly acidic pH value are said to be gentler on the hair since the electrical charges are balanced, which seals the cuticles [43].”
From On the Path to Sustainable Cosmetics: Development of a Value-Added Formulation of Solid Shampoo Incorporating Mango Peel Extract (2023) · cites this paper as [43]
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“The pH value of the scalp is around 5.5 and shampoos with a slightly acidic pH value are said to be gentler on the hair since the electrical charges are balanced, which seals the cuticles [43].”
From On the Path to Sustainable Cosmetics: Development of a Value-Added Formulation of Solid Shampoo Incorporating Mango Peel Extract (2023) · cites this paper as [43]
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Citations
Cites
Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair
Robbins, C. R. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-25611-0 · Cited by 877
The role of 18-methyleicosanoic acid in the structure and formation of mammalian hair fibres
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Nanotribological characterization of human hair and skin using atomic force microscopy
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Sinclair, R. D. (2007) · Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings · doi:10.1038/sj.jidsymp.5650046 · Cited by 82
The Value of Hair Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals
Trüeb, R. M. (2001) · Dermatology · doi:10.1159/000051658 · Cited by 74
Essentials of hair care often neglected: Hair cleansing
Draelos, Z. D. (2010) · International Journal of Trichology · doi:10.4103/0974-7753.66909 · Cited by 70
Cuticle damage and the tensile properties of human hair
Robbins, C. R., & Crawford, R. J. (1991) · Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists · Cited by 63
Shampoos, Conditioners, and Camouflage Techniques
Draelos, Z. D. (2012) · Dermatologic Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.det.2012.08.004 · Cited by 52
A Comparison of Hair Quality and Cosmetic Acceptance Following the Use of Two Anti-Dandruff Shampoos
Draelos, Z. D., Kenneally, D., Hodges, L. T., Billhimer, W. L., Copas, M., & Margraf, C. (2005) · Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings · doi:10.1111/j.1087-0024.2005.10127.x · Cited by 49
A novel cosmetic approach to treat thinning hair
Davis, M. G., Thomas, J., van de Velde, S., Boissy, Y. L., Dawson, T. L., Iveson, R., & Sutton, K. (2011) · British Journal of Dermatology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10633.x · Cited by 46
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 26 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- Trüeb, 1998, Shampoos: Composition and clinical applications, Hautarzt, 895
- Abraham, 2009, Hair care: A medical overview (part 1), Surg Cosmet Dermatol, 130
- Abraham, 2009, Hair care: A medical overview (part 2), Surg Cosmet Dermatol, 178
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Layas, N. A. (2026) · Razi Medical Journal · doi:10.69667/rmj.26401
Hiranuma, T., Yamamoto, Y., & Nonomura, Y. (2026) · Journal of Oleo Science · doi:10.5650/jos.ess26077
Widyan, R., Ratulangi, W. R., Harni, & Purmafitriah, E. (2025) · Pharmaceutical and Traditional Medicine · doi:10.33651/ptm.v9i1.799
Plonsak, R. (2026) · Cosmoderma · doi:10.25259/csdm_144_2026
Metadata
- Authors
- Gavazzoni Dias, M. F., de Almeida, A., Cecato, P., Adriano, A., & Pichler, J.
- Venue
- International Journal of Trichology
- Published
- 2014
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 95
- ISSN
- 0974-7753 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4158629
- OpenAlex
- W1985386728
- Cited by
- 96
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 3.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- International Journal of Trichology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Hair Growth and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Contact Dermatitis and Allergies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior
- Keywords
- hair damage, static electricity, anti-dandruff shampoo, hair care products, hair salons, scalp disorders, hair loss
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