Facial wash: Which is better, mild acidic vs mild alkaline

Introduction

To begin with, both have pros and cons. Different skin types can use different strategies, and if you are not sensitive, there is no big problem using either.

But what you must understand is the concept of pH. To think about whether to use a mild acid cleanser or mild alkaline cleanser without understanding this concept of pH is like trying to write while not being able to read.

After reading this article, I hope you will be able to understand pH and think about which cleanser to use.

What is pH?

First, it is essential to understand the concept of pH before explaining everything. The wiki explained the pH in great detail. (Wiki Link)

If you read the link and understand this, your level of knowledge is already high, so you don't have to read the whole article, just read the last part of the article.

To put it simply, pH concentration exists in most substances that have moisture around us, such as water, blood, skin, and pizza.

The concentration was divided by very smart scientists on a scale of 0 to 14, and the closer it is to 0, it is called 'Acidic', and the closer it is to 14, it is called 'Alkaline'.
If the concentration is 7, it is called 'Neutral'.

It is easy to distinguish which are acidic and which are alkaline by knowing a few examples, 

• Hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, which melts the skin just by touching it, is between pH 0 and 1.
• The pH of a person's gastric juice is between 1 and 3.
• The pH of soda we usually drink is about 3.
• The purified water we drink is about 6.5.
• The pH of seawater is about 8.
• Ammonia water is about 11.
• Some detergents used to do laundry have a pH of 14.

A type of cleanser and their pH

Now, what about the pH of the type of cleanser we use often?

Usually, there are three types of cleanser: mild acidic, neutral, and mild alkaline, as expected. Many mild acid products prefer about pH of 5.5, and mild alkaline makes the product about a pH of 7.5.

It may be considered to be much lower or higher than 7, but in fact, most countries allow pH concentrations from minimum pH3 to maximum pH9, so it is not very low or high.

By the way, the pH of the soap we commonly use is about pH 8 (Dove, known as mild soap, is about pH 5.5 which is mildly acidic)

Best pH for cleanser

Then, what pH concentration is considered good for the facial skin?

It is easy to understand when measuring the pH concentration of our skin. At the age of 20, the average pH concentration is 5.5, and as you get older, the pH becomes more alkaline. And as I said earlier, mild acidic products prefer a pH of 5.5. Can you see the point?

Yes, many of the products we use are made with pH levels that fit our bodies. 

The pH level of our body fluids and blood is about 7.35, so it is recommended to consume mild alkaline water. The pH of our tears is mild alkaline, so artificial tears are mostly made of mild alkaline.

The reason why it is made like this is the isoelectric point.

"Isoelectric point is the pH at which a molecule carries no net electrical charge or is electrically neutral in the statistical mean."(Wiki Link)

Therefore, it is recommended to use products with the same pH as our skin if possible.
Then, is alkaline cleanser bad for our skin?

Is Alkaline cleanser bad for your skin?

To begin with, it is not.

When washing your face, the cleanser stays on your skin for only three minutes at the longest, and most of them are removed by rinsing with water.

Instead, alkaline cleansers are recommended for removing makeup because they have much better cleaning power than acidic cleansers.

Also, if you think alkaline products are bad for your skin, I recommend you not go to the sea and play in the water or surf because the pH of seawater is about pH 8.

However, the principle of the isoelectric point is still valid, so it is recommended to use mild alkaline products among alkaline products and to use skincare products immediately after washing your face.

For your reference, 99.9% of skincare products are all mild acidic, which is optimized for the skin. 

Finally, alkaline products can help oily or acne-prone skin, but users should be careful because they can react badly to sensitive skin.

Source

- Image by Seksak Kerdkanno from Pixabay