# Low PH liquid soap



## redhead1226 (Jun 19, 2017)

Can someone help me with making a liquid soap with a lower PH then 9 or 10? Maybe around 6-8 

Ive always made castile but the PH is very high and I would like to lower it.  Any help is appreciated.


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## Kittish (Jun 19, 2017)

Neutral PH is 7. Anything lower than that and you have an acidic solution. I'm not sure it's even possible to get any kind of soap down to neutral, much less lower.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 19, 2017)

Soap made with lye cannot have a pH lower than around 9 or 11, possibly a bit lower than that, and still remain soap. If you deliberately add acid to force the pH lower than that, the soap breaks down into fatty acids. There is no way around this fact of soapy chemistry. If you must have a cleanser with a pH below 8, you will need to look at synthetic detergents instead.


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## Nao (Jun 19, 2017)

You can't. I was told any kind of soap can't go lower than 9 or around there before it separates, if I remember correctly. 

Is there something special you have in mind for the low pH soap?


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## Susie (Jun 19, 2017)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with properly made soap that has a pH of 12.  What you have to worry about is unreacted lye.  Which you can check with a zap test.

If you are trying to make dog/horse/people shampoo, use a synthetic detergent to get the pH down.


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## redhead1226 (Jun 20, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> Soap made with lye cannot have a pH lower than around 9 or 11, possibly a bit lower than that, and still remain soap. If you deliberately add acid to force the pH lower than that, the soap breaks down into fatty acids. There is no way around this fact of soapy chemistry. If you must have a cleanser with a pH below 8, you will need to look at synthetic detergents instead.




Thank you DeeAnna - No wonder I cant figure it out. I trying to make a shampoo for my dog. I didnt really want to use my castile on her. Thought the PH was too high. Its just for my use but I dont want to make her the tester lol

My castile soap is 9-10 always. Any ideas? Is it safe for her at that level?


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## shunt2011 (Jun 20, 2017)

redhead1226 said:


> Thank you DeeAnna - No wonder I cant figure it out. I trying to make a shampoo for my dog. I didnt really want to use my castile on her. Thought the PH was too high. Its just for my use but I dont want to make her the tester lol
> 
> My castile soap is 9-10 always. Any ideas? Is it safe for her at that level?


 
I can only speak personally.  My vet told me not to use regular soap on my dogs as their skin ph is different and more sensitive.   I know others have been told the same.  

You will get others saying they do use it with no issues.  I choose not to.


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## toxikon (Jun 20, 2017)

shunt2011 said:


> I can only speak personally.  My vet told me not to use regular soap on my dogs as their skin ph is different and more sensitive.   I know others have been told the same.
> 
> You will get others saying they do use it with no issues.  I choose not to.



A dog with itchy skin is no fun, so I too choose not to take the risk. I buy a gentle oatmeal dog shampoo for my girl and only bathe her when she absolutely needs it.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 20, 2017)

If I washed my dogs regularly, I would use a syndet shampoo formulated for animal use. But I don't. I wash my dogs only in the when they've rolled in something unbelievably stinky and Something Has To Be Done. It happens every couple-three months, so not very often. I usually use whatever soap is close to hand and will be effective in solving the problem. They all are healthy with no skin sensitivities nor allergies, by the way.

I don't think lye-based soap is good for human hair either -- I found that out the hard way and had to cut off a year's worth of growth and baby what was left for months until I could trim it off too. But I occasionally use normal soap to wash my hair rather than my usual syndet shampoo -- say when I'm traveling and run out of shampoo. Once in awhile isn't a disaster for human hair nor for dogs.


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## redhead1226 (Jun 20, 2017)

Thanks a bunch!  I guess Ill use store bought shampoo like I always have.


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## Dahila (Jun 20, 2017)

Deeanna,  I feel your pain.  what is strange it is usually females that rub themselves in something stinky, will not list what.  The more you wash them the more they will want to get rid of shampoo scent.  Even unscented are scented for them,  
The worst was my boxer that found a dead fish,  The stink was unbearable,  I bribed my hubby to wash her  
Dogs do the best in 4-6 ph redhead 1226.  Do not let people of fb to tell you otherwise


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## DeeAnna (Jun 20, 2017)

We live next to a hog farmer and he spreads hog manure on his cropland. The kids love to roll in it just after it's been newly spread on the land. I grew up with hogs -- my grandfather and my brothers were/are hog farmers -- so I'm not particularly squeamish, but four happy dogs romping around the house with a fresh coat of piggy poop ... well, the stench is indescribable even to me.


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## Dahila (Jun 20, 2017)

Yep this is what I had in mind , the poop  as we know it comes to them from the time they were hunting and covering their scent  I just hated when my dog did it


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## Persofit (Jun 26, 2017)

redhead1226 said:


> Thank you DeeAnna - No wonder I cant figure it out. I trying to make a shampoo for my dog. I didnt really want to use my castile on her. Thought the PH was too high. Its just for my use but I dont want to make her the tester lol
> 
> My castile soap is 9-10 always. Any ideas? Is it safe for her at that level?



I not a scientist but since lake water is around 7-7.5 PH and sea water is around 8.5 PH, dogs can swim in that for hours without having a problem with there skin and clay has a 9 PH and dogs do roll in the mud without rinsing off right away and thats also ok for there skin, I dont see why 8,5 or 9 PH rinse off soap would be such a problem.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jun 26, 2017)

And yet many dog owners report that it is


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## cmzaha (Jun 26, 2017)

Persofit said:


> I not a scientist but since lake water is around 7-7.5 PH and sea water is around 8.5 PH, dogs can swim in that for hours without having a problem with there skin and clay has a 9 PH and dogs do roll in the mud without rinsing off right away and thats also ok for there skin, I dont see why 8,5 or 9 PH rinse off soap would be such a problem.


I tend to agree. My daughters dog that has horrible skin does great with a soap I make for her. Granted it is not used weekly but at least once a month. I have know dogs in the harbor to swim daily to several times a day in the salt water, Pacific Ocean, with no problems at all.


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