DIY Beauty: how to make pH level of water > acidic
Since going for my facial at Living Nature, I’ve been experimenting with water. Okay, more specifically, how to change the pH level of our water. I even went out to purchase different brands of mineral water just so to feed my curiosity. In the end, I found out that adding some ingredients in the water will change the pH level and these ingredients include vinegar, lemon and salt. The reason I wanted to change the pH level is to see how different water of a lower pH level can cleanse my skin and so I settled with using sea salt.
Sea salt for exfoliating
Sea salt is actually great for exfoliating. However, I only use it on my body but don’t use it for the face because I find the texture kind of coarse. Yet, I like the after effects of using salt on my skin and so mixing it with water will allow me to enjoy some of the benefits.
Easy recipe of salt + water
I use a brand of organic sea salt that is USDA organic certified for cooking and it’s actually quite fine. So when added into water, it dissolves very well too. I use quite a generous amount of sea salt for this experminent – one tablespoon to 50ml of water.
Slight smarting
So after washing my face of any traces of makeup and dirt, I pat some of the salty water onto my skin and start massaging. Sometimes I use my bare hands, other times I use a cotton pad. I’ll feel a stinging on my face after massaging for around 5 minutes and when the smarting sets in, I’ll wash my face again with water and then moisturize as per normal.
pH level of sea salt water is acidic
This is the result of the pH level testing I’ve done on normal mineral water and one added with the sea salt. I’ve also tested with normal tap water and the results are actually the same. Now a pH level below 7 is considered acidic and in this case, mineral water added with sea salt has a pH level of 5.5. According to my understanding, acidic water works as a natural astringent and removes dirt and oil on our skin quite well. Additionally, acidic water can also relieve dry and itchy skin, as well as expedite the healing process of cuts, scrapes, insect bites, rashes, and minor skin irritations. I was also surprised to find that many acne sufferers have been using salt water to wash their face, claiming that the water helps to calm down their acne.
Aside from providing a deeper level of cleansing, I can’t say for sure what other benefits this sea salt water has given me. But in this experiment, I was just being curious about changing the acidity of the water level and am thrilled I managed to do so with this simple salty ingredient.
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I remember a skincare line that was sold at home parties years ago. One of the steps was testing your own and their products for ph. I think I bought a cleanser, but it was too creamy for me.
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The pH of water is not something I even think about. I suppose I should think about it because I am using that water to wash my face and body.
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I tried using Dead Sea Salt skincare products a couple of years ago and I’ve never understood why it should be good for sensitive skin because in my case it didn’t work and as a result my skin (face!!) was irritated and red for a whole week!! Never again.
Even though DIY rarely works for me I still love to read articles about DIY beauty. lol
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salt water does exfoliate dead skin, but you will need to be careful with it. i recall some years back when i had the opportunity to stay in an atas hotel suite, they had bath salts so my friends and i soaked our feet in the tub with water that had the salts dissolved in it, and a few minutes later we could literally run dead skin off.
i m going to try his 2day..
http://megalivingwiseus.blogspot.com/
I have an alkaline water machine at home which it has a button to dispense acidic water for facial wash, or for disinfecting stuff. I never got around trying that, except to gargle my mouth. I have to try and see whether it helps.
Oh wow! You’re so fortunate. Try using acidic water to wash your face once a week…it’s supposed to provide deep cleanse. But you must balance it back with pH 7 water after.
Yes, that’s a good reminder. I think it’s best to keep this to once a week or so.
It might not suit all skin types. I know for a fact some pple had their skin burned with dead sea products. Actually natural ingredients doesn’t work for everyone.
I started thinking about it when I visited beauty salons that use “special” water. I realized it was the pH level of the water.
That’s interesting! But a pity the product still didn’t suit you. I guess pH level is one thing to consider but other factors are still important to think about.
I recalled in of my chemistry class, that water isn’t always at pH7. If you distillate it (let’s just say, boil it :P) and don’t put a lid over the distilled water, eventually, the CO2 in the air will dissolve in the water, turning the water slightly acid (around pH5-6). I haven’t tried it at home yet, but since it’s just water, I suppose we can “acidify” water without having to add anything more ? ?
Yes, I’ve also heard that acidic water is good for eczema and dry skin, but if it causes a stinging sensation on the face, yikes, I’m not sure I dare to try it… Sesame, you had a post recently about rice powder water too, would be interesting to know how acidic/alkaline rice water is – I have the impression rice is alkaline, don’t know why… (but could be just a wrong impression). Can I ask where you buy those pH strips, and are they expensive?
I just took a pH test strip to test boiled water and it turned out still looking like a pH 7. So I’ll be trying another experiment boiling some water without the lid and see what happens. This is very intriguing to me cos I have no idea as I’ve never taken chemistry. ?
I just tried testing rice water with my pH strips and the pH level is around 7. I didn’t add a lot of water…just enough to dissolve the rice powder. The strips are not expensive…about $11 – $14 from Guardian Pharmacy.
As for acidic water, if you have an ionizer, you can get acidic water without stinging sensation. The salt is supposed to help with some brightening, skin healing etc but I’ll say it’s not suitable for those with sensitive skin. My face turned a little red after using it.
I got plenty of sea salt at home. Now I got a new use for it ?
Just remember that salt is drying to your skin if left in contact with it for too long. Also, don’t get too hung up on the pH of rinse off products. The natural acid mantel of your skin which controls its pH restores itself in about 15 minutes after washing.
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Agree…I got caught up because I was fascinated with the difference in my skin tone when the beauty salons used water of different pH level to cleanse. But I’ll go with using a toner; older skin can take longer to restore pH level.
Nice! Where did you get the litmus paper/strips? I can’t seem to find them ?
This is so true! I suffered from a bad skin rashes a year ago on my thighs. It was so red and bumpy.. :[ My friend told me to use salt water. So i have been washing the infected area with it for 5 days. And it heals pretty fast! Of course, i do have to take care of scarring by exfoliating weekly~ ?
That’s great! I’m glad the salt water helped you with your skin rash…and speaking of which, I was supposed to experiment using salt water to wash my hair.
Our water was once a 4 ph and now 7. The water conditioner Co told me this damages hair. Is this correct information?
hi, to make water acidic, you add 1 tablespoon to 50 ml water? This is correct? Thank you.
also, I specifically want to treat my athlete’s foot with acidic water made naturally. A low pH is supposed to be good like around 2.5 or close to that. Thank you.
Sea salt makes water more alkaline.