Ph tester? Making lotion

[dmcgee5034]

@AliOop @Misschief and anyone else…

Reading and preparing to give lotion making a go using the DIY recipe. My question is about this mysterious Ph testing. Do you have a Ph tester, if so, any recommendations? Wondering if I need to invest in this? Also, any advice or reading source on process to adjust Ph besides what I’ve read in the ebooklet?

 

[not_ally]

@dmcgee5034, I am wondering about this as well. I have only used PH testers when making cheese, the good ones are expensive, and the cheaper ones tend not to work very well. I've had the DIY B&B pourable shampoo recipe for a while but have not done it because of the need to test PH and to try and find a reasonable inexpensive but good PH meter.

This link says that if you have a swiftcraftymonkey membership (I don't) her blog has PH meter reviews: are there any effective digital ph testers?

On this link @Tammyfarms linked to a PH meter, but I'm not sure if she used it in soap. I still haven't bought a PH meter and would like to do so because it is an issue which arises not infrequently in B&B. DIY B&B (Etsy) 40% off sale

Does anyone else have a recommendation for a PH meter or a membership to the SCM blog to see the meter she recommends? I have her lotionmaking book and did a search but could not find a recommendation for a PH meter there.

ETA: This is an interesting lay-person-friendly discussion about PH meters in cosmetics from reddit. They actually use (good) PH strips in combination with meters. In addition, they discuss how the meters actually work, which was enlightening and could help with choosing a meter, I think.

 

[Misschief]

@AliOop @Misschief and anyone else…

Reading and preparing to give lotion making a go using the DIY recipe. My question is about this mysterious Ph testing. Do you have a Ph tester, if so, any recommendations? Wondering if I need to invest in this? Also, any advice or reading source on process to adjust Ph besides what I’ve read in the ebooklet?

I do have a pH tester but, after testing several lotion batches and being consistently in an acceptable range, I no longer test my lotions made with the DIY recipe. I got this one: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B088LPLRMD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop @Misschief and anyone else…

Reading and preparing to give lotion making a go using the DIY recipe. My question is about this mysterious Ph testing. Do you have a Ph tester, if so, any recommendations? Wondering if I need to invest in this? Also, any advice or reading source on process to adjust Ph besides what I’ve read in the ebooklet?

I do have a pH tester that another SMF member passed along to me. It was great to have in the beginning, while I was learning. I think you can get any basic model from Amazon or the likes, and that is good enough for home use.

But like @Misschief, I rarely test anymore since I know my recipe (the same one she uses). I will test if I add a new ingredient that is known to have a different pH range than my lotion.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Thank you all

 

[not_ally]

@Misschief and @AliOop, my thanks as well. Based on what you said and the storage/calibration/dilution issues with meters I think I'm just going to go with the Machery-Nagel strips they talk about in the reddit post. They are not cheap, but I don't see myself going through 100 strips that quickly, so I think for me this will work and I can reassess later. @dmcgee5034, here they are for easy reference in case you want to check them out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S1ULX8Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A16HFTI7QCGYOB&psc=1

 

[Savage Daughter]

I do have a pH tester but, after testing several lotion batches and being consistently in an acceptable range, I no longer test my lotions made with the DIY recipe. I got this one: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B088LPLRMD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am very surprised that this model is so cheap, and apparently works well ??

I have been looking at one which is triple the price for the past year but have not yet purchased as I'm not sure.

 

[Misschief]

I am very surprised that this model is so cheap, and apparently works well ??

I have been looking at one which is triple the price for the past year but have not yet purchased as I'm not sure.

Seems to work fine. Honestly, I don't use it a lot but, when I do, the results of the meter and the strips are fairly close. I'll admit, though, I find it awkward/confusing to use.

 

[maxine289]

my question is why does pH matter in the first place? how does the lotion feel different, or how does your skin feel different if the pH is not within acceptable range? any why does the DIY base make a lotion that seems to be consistently within acceptable pH range? i've considered buying a pH meter, but the good ones seem to be over $200. i've made lotions (not using the DIY base) and have not pH tested them and they feel fine on my skin. in some recipes, it seems like the addition of certain ingredients can change the pH. the entire topic is confusing.

 

[AliOop]

my question is why does pH matter in the first place? how does the lotion feel different, or how does your skin feel different if the pH is not within acceptable range? any why does the DIY base make a lotion that seems to be consistently within acceptable pH range? i've considered buying a pH meter, but the good ones seem to be over $200. i've made lotions (not using the DIY base) and have not pH tested them and they feel fine on my skin. in some recipes, it seems like the addition of certain ingredients can change the pH. the entire topic is confusing.

The pH matters for several reasons:

1. You don't want to end up with a product that will burn or otherwise damage your skin. That's an extreme issue and probably unlikely with most recipes you find - IF you make them as written. But people tweak recipes all the time by using new and different additives.

2. Most preservatives do best within a specific pH range. If you include an additive that causes your lotion to land outside that range, now your preservative may be less effective, or not work at all.

3. Some emulsifiers only work within a specific pH range. If you include an additive that causes your lotion to land outside that range, now your emulsion may break, meaning that your lotion will separate.

 

[maxine289]

thanks, AliOop for that explanation.

 

[justjacqui]

A pH meter is definitely better than pH strips. There are pH meters that are reasonably priced on Amazon. Look for one that has 0.01 resolution and preferably a 2 or 3 point calibration. Calibrate it regularly or before every use if using infrequently.

If you are using a preservative that requires a specific pH to function correctly then you need to accurately measure pH.

If you are selling your products the pH of every batch should be checked. This is basic quality control.

 

[kirsten.]

I love my little kitchen ph meter! I use it for lotions, conditioners, shampoos.... and canning!

 

[Gaisy59]

Definitely need a meter for shampoos.

I have one it’s pretty decent but calibrating and using it is confusing because it’s many months between uses

 

[dmcgee5034]

I love my little kitchen ph meter! I use it for lotions, conditioners, shampoos.... and canning!

Which one do you have @kirsten. ?

 

[VikingChick]

For those that have a pH meter….do you have to buy separate calibrator solutions? If so, what is their shelf life? I don’t currently pH test my lotions (even though I know I should) but I’m thinking I should start. I don’t sell but I do give away, plus my family and coworkers use the lotions I have around the house, at my desk, etc. If I harm myself, then that’s just my own fault for not being more careful. But if I harm someone else I’d feel terrible.

 

[Kcryss]

I just use a cheap one I found on Amazon.
I do make sure to calibrate it before each use and I've tested it on various items. It seems to be fairly accurate. It's always within .1 or .2 which I'm fine with.
I use solutions from Amazon for calibration.

I don't know how important it is to test the ph of lotions. I think it's more important to test for microbial growth. I haven't really used a challenge test facility, but I use these test strips from LotionCrafter. I also never make lotion without using Euxyl PE 9010.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Sorry, I am just seeing this post. We are traveling and I haven’t been good about checking SMF.
I do have a PH meter that my husband has used to test and adjust fertilizer. He said it seems to work well and the seedlings seem to agree. I have not yet used it for cosmetics. Unfortunately, the model I have is no longer sold on Amazon. It’s this one pH Meter, Jellas High Accuracy... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071V8BT5J?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share. I don’t know if this link will work so here’s a picture.

I am probably going to try the DIY pourable shampoo bar recipe and will need to test that so I better check my meter when I get home.
I found a SCM post where she pictured a meter she uses. It is this one.
HM Digital PH-200 Waterproof pH Meter, 0-14.00 pH Range, 0.01 pH Resolution, +/- 0.02 pH Readout Accuracy
https://a.co/d/6wbMj7C
She also uses this one, and says is a good budget model. It’s not waterproof so if that’s a concern you may want to spend a bit more.
PH Meter with Automatic Calibration, 7Pros High Accuracy Pen Type Water Quality Tester, 6 pH Buffer Packets , Pocket Size Tool for Testing Alkalinity of Drinking, Pool and Aquarium Water, Testing Range 0.00-14.00 pH
https://a.co/d/ftheoRa
The more I read the more confused I became about how to properly use these meters. I definitely need to spend more time reading and playing around with my meter.

 

[nadsnads]

If you're making basic lotion with your typical oils/butters, water, and a generic emulsifier like Ewax NF then you probably don't need to measure the pH of your lotion. Yeah our skin has a certain pH that it prefers (~ 4.5- 5.5), but if your lotion ends up anywhere between 4 and 7 you won't really notice it unless you have very sensitive skin. Also the popular emulsifiers that everybody uses are kind of designed to not need a lot of tweaking.

If you're making face cream or serum with actives, that's where you'll need to pay attention and check which pH range is needed so that your active ingredient can work its magic. If you're making shampoo, pH needs to be at ~5 and it makes a big difference in how the hair feels. If you're working with acids, you definitely need to check that your pH doesn't drop too low and cause irritation.

pH is a pain to measure though. If you want to be precise and measure with the pH meter, you first have to calibrate it. Then you meed to make a dilution of 10% of your product in distilled water so that your meter can be submerged in it. So the first time if your pH isn't right, you throw away a tiny part of your batch. Now you adjust the pH by adding an acid or base. Now you have to take another part of your product and dilute it again and rinse your pH meter and measure again. Rinse and repeat until you get the pH you need. Every time I have to adjust the pH I probably end up measuring like 10 times. So personally, I just use pH strips (the ones that go by 0.5 increments), and live happily with the imperfect measurements.

The best way is probably to use pH strips at first and then when you're very close to the desired pH to measure with the pH meter, that way you can adjust quickly but also not have to make the dilution every time.

 

[kirsten.]

Which one do you have @kirsten. ?

Sorry, I've been offline I have a Vivosun TDs/temperature/pH combination meter. I got from Amazon a couple of years ago. I calibrate it from time to time and it's going strong.