The Benefits of Using a Shower Filter
When you get out of the shower, does your skin feel dry? Does your hair feel lifeless? Maybe your showerhead and walls are perpetually covered in soap scum and residue no matter how many times you wipe them down. If any of these problems are the case for you, it’s time to find a solution! If you want a quick fix for water problems in your shower, it’s easy to install a shower water filter. If this type of DIY project is not for you, then you can also look into a more permanent solution and have a shower filter professionally installed.
How Does a Shower Filter Work?
A shower filter for your showerhead can come in a variety of sizes and styles that will fit directly onto your existing fixture. Using a shower filter helps reduce the presence of chlorine, scale, sulfur, chlorine, and other impurities, which can in turn help prevent dry skin and damage to color-treated hair.
After you install a shower filter, you will quickly notice your skin feeling less dry, your hair will have more volume, and there will be less scale buildup in your shower. Another way a shower filter will work for your home is as an almost instant relief from hard water and almost any other problem that may arise with your water supply. Check out Advanced Water Solutions' blog on hard water for more information.
There are filter cartridges that need to be replaced on these shower filters, but that is a small expense compared to dry skin and water scale buildup in your shower. Based on your use, these cartridges need to be replaced about every six months.
Why Would I Need a Shower Filter?
Here are several more serious reasons, other than the feeling of your skin and hair, that may make you want to use a shower filter:
Chlorine can enter your body. The use of chlorine by water treatment facilities helps reduce bacteria in our water. However, the byproducts of that can be hazardous to your health. When you shower, your pores open up and you can have more absorption of toxic substances into your body. By taking a shower without a shower filter, you make yourself more susceptible to chlorine and its byproducts than by simply drinking a glass of unfiltered tap water.
Showering can cause cancer. Simply inhaling vaporized chlorine can do damage to your lungs. The CDC has confirmed that people who take hot showers are more exposed to chlorine than those who drink unfiltered tap water. This is due to the unfiltered water being heated, which helps turn the chlorine into a gas that is then absorbed into the skin or inhaled.
Chlorinated showers may be risky for pregnant women. Having a shower filter is vital to pregnant women, as it will help reduce chlorine exposure and lessen the risk to the mother and the unborn child. A study conducted in England showed that pregnant women who drank or showered in unfiltered tap water were more likely to suffer from various complications with the pregnancy. This included stillbirth, premature delivery, low birth weight, and other birth defects. There are no concrete conclusions, since these are limited studies, but considering the other health hazards as well, it's better to be safe than sorry.
What are the Benefits of a Shower Filter?
You will look younger. The trace amounts of chlorine and other contaminants coming out through your shower water can wreak havoc on your skin, causing issues from age spots to dry itchy skin. Same goes for your hair. Having a shower filter helps neutralize those chemicals, which in turn helps soften your skin and stop the damage to your hair.
You will save money. Think of all the money you spend trying to find the right products to reduce your itchy skin and your dry, flat hair. By simply installing a shower filter, there is no longer the need to spend money on all those creams and conditioners to help you solve the problem. Clean, filtered shower water will do that for you!
It will make you feel fitter. Seriously. Having that exposure to chemicals during your shower can sometimes lead to physical fatigue, depression, and lowered autoimmune function. This makes it harder for your body to fight off infectious diseases. A shower filter will help get rid of those harsh vapors and will help strengthen your immune system, which will help you feel better when you step out of the shower.
Are Shower Filters Necessary for Everyone?
Whether or not you need a shower filter will depend on your water supply. If your water is filtered by a facility that uses a chloramine to clean the water, then there is a chance that it can release ammonia into the air, which is dangerous for you to breath in.
The best way to know if you need a shower filter due to this type of contaminant is to simply call your local water company or check their website to find out what is in the water. There is no shower filter that will completely remove the chloramine, but it will reduce it to a very low level.
Looking at the benefits, installing a shower filter is a great idea for most households. Whether you are trying to cure dry skin ailments or simply want cleaner water for your shower, installing a shower filter is a quick fix that will come with nothing but benefits for those who use one.