Low pH shampoo?! – Pyunkang Yul Shampoo Review

Over the years, I’ve tried many shampoos over the years trying to fix my hair loss problem and my oily scalp with dry ends. I tend to steer away from sulphates and silicones when it comes to shampoo, but sulphate-free shampoos are usually so drying that made my ends straw-like and exacerbated my hair loss problem. Pyunkang Yul Shampoo is the first non-sulphate shampoo I came across that doesn’t dry out my hair. In fact, it’s slightly conditioning that I skipped using a conditioner on most days.

Packaging

Pyunkang Yul Shampoo comes in a convenient plastic pump bottle with 500ml of product. I find the packaging more compact than most other products of the same volume. The bottle is in Pyunkang Yul’s signature blue with a white embossed label. It doesn’t feel cheap at all. I love how it sits elegantly against the white background of a bath.

Ingredients

Water, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Babassuamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauroyl Methylaminopropionate, Polyquaternium-10, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentasodium Pentetate, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Polyquaternium-67, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin

The five main ingredients after Water are all mild surfactants:

• Lauryl Glucoside is a very gentle plant based surfactant made from coconut oil or palm oil and glucose.
• Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate is an ultra mild amino acid based anionic surfactant derived from L-alanine and coconut fatty acid, delivers dense bubble and good creamy foam in weakly acidic or neutral conditions even in the presence of oil materials.
• Babassuamidopropyl Betaine is an ultra mild surfactant derived from Babassu Oil.
• Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate is one of the mildest amino acid based surfactant derived from coconut oil and fermented sugar.
• Sodium lauroyl methylaminopropionate is another mild amino acid based anionic surfactant.

You get the idea. This shampoo is not only sulphate-free but used surfactants that are ultra-mild. Amino acid based surfactants allow the shampoo to have a lower pH level compared with traditional shampoos. In fact, the overall pH of this shampoo is around 5~6, making it an acidic cleanser that’s gentle and non-stripping.

Colour

The shampoo is completely clear.

Scent

It has a slight refreshing scent. It’s different to the typical shampoo fragrance. The scent reminds me of cotton.

Texture

Pyunkang Yul Shampoo has a pretty thin and runny texture. It quickly lathers when added with water. The lather is not too rich but adequate to lubricate the hair. The bubbles are small and loosely packed. The bubbles do not disappear when in contact with water. Overall, I find it non-drying and pleasant to use compared with other sulphate-free shampoos.

Application

I normally pump once to my wet palm, then lather it up with some water before applying to my hair. The foam coats a thin layer around the hair making it easy to massage. I massage gently with my fingertips for around 1 minute then rinse off with water.

The shampoo is very pleasant to use. It’s non-drying, detangles my hair and I don’t need a tonne of product to cover all of my hair.

If my hair is extremely greasy or has a tonne of product in it, I would wash it twice.

Results

When rinsed off, my hair feels clean and conditioned. I normally don’t feel the need to apply a separate conditioner. My hair feels soft, smooth and light.

My hair loss problem has improved a lot since I switched to Pyunkang Yul Shampoo. I still get some fall outs, but not as much as I used to. My hair feels stronger and thicker, which made it less frizzy due to short strands of broken hair at the top. I also find it not as greasy on the second day or even the third day, which has a made a difference to my skin as well.

Price

Pyunkang Yul Shampoo retails for 17,000 Won (~$20 AUD) for 500ml of product. I feel it’s a very reasonable price for its type and quality.

Verdict

I love Pyunkang Yul Shampoo. It has truly saved my hair. I’m still amazed by how mild and non-stripping it is. If you’re looking for a sulphate-free gentle shampoo that cleanses well and leaves the hair soft and conditioned, give this one a go.

Where to purchase Pyunkang Yul Shampoo?