diff --git a/context/readerioeither/http/request_test.go b/context/readerioeither/http/request_test.go
index 80b9af3..515a374 100644
--- a/context/readerioeither/http/request_test.go
+++ b/context/readerioeither/http/request_test.go
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	H "net/http"
+
+	R "github.com/IBM/fp-go/context/readerioeither"
+	E "github.com/IBM/fp-go/either"
+	"github.com/IBM/fp-go/errors"
+	F "github.com/IBM/fp-go/function"
+	IOE "github.com/IBM/fp-go/ioeither"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
 type PostItem struct {
@@ -30,6 +37,47 @@ type PostItem struct {
 	Body   string `json:"body"`
 }
 
+func getTitle(item PostItem) string {
+	return item.Title
+}
+
+type simpleRequestBuilder struct {
+	method  string
+	url     string
+	headers H.Header
+}
+
+func requestBuilder() simpleRequestBuilder {
+	return simpleRequestBuilder{method: "GET"}
+}
+
+func (b simpleRequestBuilder) WithURL(url string) simpleRequestBuilder {
+	b.url = url
+	return b
+}
+
+func (b simpleRequestBuilder) WithHeader(key, value string) simpleRequestBuilder {
+	if b.headers == nil {
+		b.headers = make(H.Header)
+	} else {
+		b.headers = b.headers.Clone()
+	}
+	b.headers.Set(key, value)
+	return b
+}
+
+func (b simpleRequestBuilder) Build() R.ReaderIOEither[*H.Request] {
+	return func(ctx context.Context) IOE.IOEither[error, *H.Request] {
+		return IOE.TryCatchError(func() (*H.Request, error) {
+			req, err := H.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, b.method, b.url, nil)
+			if err == nil {
+				req.Header = b.headers
+			}
+			return req, err
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSendSingleRequest(t *testing.T) {
 
 	client := MakeClient(H.DefaultClient)
@@ -40,7 +88,70 @@ func TestSendSingleRequest(t *testing.T) {
 
 	resp1 := readItem(req1)
 
-	resE := resp1(context.Background())()
+	resE := resp1(context.TODO())()
 
 	fmt.Println(resE)
 }
+
+// setHeaderUnsafe updates a header value in a request object by mutating the request object
+func setHeaderUnsafe(key, value string) func(*H.Request) *H.Request {
+	return func(req *H.Request) *H.Request {
+		req.Header.Set(key, value)
+		return req
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendSingleRequestWithHeaderUnsafe(t *testing.T) {
+
+	client := MakeClient(H.DefaultClient)
+
+	// this is not safe from a puristic perspective, because the map call mutates the request object
+	req1 := F.Pipe2(
+		"https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1",
+		MakeGetRequest,
+		R.Map(setHeaderUnsafe("Content-Type", "text/html")),
+	)
+
+	readItem := ReadJson[PostItem](client)
+
+	resp1 := F.Pipe2(
+		req1,
+		readItem,
+		R.Map(getTitle),
+	)
+
+	res := F.Pipe1(
+		resp1(context.TODO())(),
+		E.GetOrElse(errors.ToString),
+	)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit", res)
+}
+
+func TestSendSingleRequestWithHeaderSafe(t *testing.T) {
+
+	client := MakeClient(H.DefaultClient)
+
+	// the request builder assembles config values to construct
+	// the final http request. Each `With` step creates a copy of the settings
+	// so the flow is pure
+	request := requestBuilder().
+		WithURL("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1").
+		WithHeader("Content-Type", "text/html").
+		Build()
+
+	readItem := ReadJson[PostItem](client)
+
+	response := F.Pipe2(
+		request,
+		readItem,
+		R.Map(getTitle),
+	)
+
+	res := F.Pipe1(
+		response(context.TODO())(),
+		E.GetOrElse(errors.ToString),
+	)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit", res)
+}