Ionized - Acid Water?

[freykr]

Anybody have an opinion or knowledge about shaving with, or rinsing with "Acid Water"?

What do I mean by "acid water" you ask?... I drink Alkaline water produced with a water Ionizer machine, commonly referred to as Kangen water. I am a fan and believer of drinking Alkaline water. I can testify to it's health benefits. Alkaline water neutralizes the acid and raises the PH level in water. A byproduct of ionized alkaline water is "acid water" The manufacturers recommend using acid water [sometimes called "Beauty Water"] as an astringent. At higher acidic levels it is used as a disinfectant and cleaner. I had never used an astringent or toner before, but since I own a machine that produces acid water I tried it and it feels great on your skin and makes hair shiny and very manageable.

A friend of mine is a licensed esthetician, she was using acid water on her face also but she suggested we not use it everyday because it could cause an imbalance to the PH levels of skin if used everyday. The mfr of the ionizer machine mentions nothing about this, in fact it advocates using daily on face and hair.

I've been using acid water to rinse my face after shaving, There does not seem to be any ill effects so far. I recently had a "Royal Shave" at Art of Shaving, one of the products they used was a toner. I asked the barber... "what does toner do?" he wasn't exactly sure but said it is an astringent and helps your skin keep a healthy look.

Anybody know anything about using acid water daily or have any opinion that may [or may not] be helpful?

 

[fijiblue]

Just out of curiosity, what PH level does the machine advertise, and have you tested it against standard untreated water?

I'm also a bit confused by the terminology. Acidic and Alkaline [basic] solutions are opposite. So how can you have an "acid water" with a high PH?

 

[freykr]

Just out of curiosity, what PH level does the machine advertise, and have you tested it against standard untreated water?

I'm also a bit confused by the terminology. Acidic and Alkaline [basic] solutions are opposite. So how can you have an "acid water" with a high PH?

Fijiblue

Sorry about any confusion. I only mentioned the Alkaline water as a source of the machine and what I originally bought it for. I bought it to drink Alkaline water. The highest level of alkaline water it produces is 9.0 total alkalinity. Yes I've tested it vs untreated water with regent test fluid. Originally I used the test material that came with the unit, but after I ran out I realized that since I also have a pool, I use my swimming pool test kit to test the PH levels.

Yes, acid and alkaline are opposites, the machine separates the two with ions. You have the choice to produce higher PH [Alkaline] thus removing acid, or the opposite, produce acidic water which has very low alkaline content for cleaning purposes, skin astringent, gardening etc.

Again, I've been producing acidic water [which I've tested] to use on face and hair. I produce a higher acidity for cleaning and sometimes water some of our plants.

I'm curious if everyday use is good or bad?

 

[mblakele]

Skin naturally develops a coat of slightly acid sebum that also protects the hair. Shaving soaps and creams are mostly alkaline. The idea is to neutralize that acidity so that water can more easily penetrate the hair, softening it and reducing the cutting force needed for shaving. I doubt that slightly acid water would entirely neutralize a good lather, but it might reduce the effectiveness of the lather as beard prep.

 

[SiBurning]

I'm going to bite my lip on the kanger thing, but acidic skin washing solutions are used for legitimate and illegitimate purposes. Many facial cleansers, and even plain detergents (liquid soaps) for normal skin have a pH of about 5.5, which is what average skin is supposed to be. Salycilic acid is used for acne, and Glycolic acid is typical for cleaning seriously oily skin. I have no idea what the pH levels are for these conditions, but you can consider anything close to pH 5.5 or a little lower basically neutral for your face, and probably a very good idea (to help restore the normal acid mantle) after the harsh treatment you get from shaving with all the washing, soap, scrubbing, alcohol, etc. Of course, all you need for that is a bit of lemon juice or vinegar.

 

[freykr]

Skin naturally develops a coat of slightly acid sebum that also protects the hair. Shaving soaps and creams are mostly alkaline. The idea is to neutralize that acidity so that water can more easily penetrate the hair, softening it and reducing the cutting force needed for shaving. I doubt that slightly acid water would entirely neutralize a good lather, but it might reduce the effectiveness of the lather as beard prep.

I'm not a chemist nor do I even remeber basic high school science. Speaking purely from experience I would venture to say that the acid water I am using on face and hair actually could neutralize a good lather. I haven't tried it for lather, I use it basically to rinse. However, I have tested dish soap in acid water and it barely suds. On the other hand a drop of dish soap in high PH alkaline water suds well with the soap mixing in water easily. Another example is tea, I've let a bag of green tea seep in cold alkaline water and it brews quickly, it emulsifies easily in alkaline water by simply stirring gently, however put the same tea bag in a cup of hot or cold acidic water and it takes quite a long time to brew [if any at all] So I could see it neutralizing a good lather for sure. Again I dont intend to make lather with acid water, just splash on face after shaving.

 

[freykr]

Thanks Si

 

[dcobranchi]

Demin or distilled water is generally in the low sixes. Yes, neutral pH is 7, but water absorbs CO2 from the air, forming carbonic acid.

To the OP: What is the counter ion in the base? What is its source? Do you have to add any chemical (other than pure water) to the machine?

 

[dcobranchi]

I've let a bag of green tea seep in cold alkaline water and it brews quickly, it emulsifies easily in alkaline water by simply stirring gently, however put the same tea bag in a cup of hot or cold acidic water and it takes quite a long time to brew

You may have fooled yourself with this one. Tea contains a naturally occurring acid-base indicator. It changes from pale yellow (in the acid form) to almost black (in the basic form). Putting a tea bag in alkaline water would, indeed, make the tea appear stronger.

You can prove this to yourself by brewing up a normal cup of tea (which is a bit acidic) and then adding a pinch of baking soda. The bicarb will raise the pH and turn the tea black.

 

[fccexpert]

Pure water is neutral (pH=7.0). When exposed to air, water will absorb CO2 a become mildly acidic. Bottled water (either spring water or filtered tap water) will contain various ions and these may make the water either slightly acidic or slightly alkaline the actual results will depend on the source. So called ionizers (which are actually electrolysis devices) separate these ions into acidic and alkaline streams based on charge.

Your skin is naturally acidic. Gastric secreations in your stomach are very acidic (hydrochloric acid). If you dring alkaline water, it will be neutralized when it comes in contact with the acid in your stomach.

Personally, it sounds line snake oil to me.

 

[barrycv]

Personally, it sounds line snake oil to me.

Yeah that kangen stuff is bs.