Why a Shower Filter Should Be Part of Your Wellness Routine

Who doesn’t enjoy a long, warm shower at the end of a long day? But your regular shower head is not as harmless and innocent as it seems – it sprays chlorine-treated water all over you every time you shower.

Find out how this affects your health and why getting a shower filter might be the better option.  

What unfiltered shower water does to your body

Showering with hard water – or water with high mineral content – can worsen existing skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. And even if you don’t suffer from these skin ailments, hard water can leave your skin feeling dry and looking scaly after each shower.

It can also be bad for your hair – aside from minerals, hard water also contains oxidisers that can leave your scalp feeling. The residue from hard water blocks out moisture, making your hair turn dry and causing your scalp to become itchy and flaky.

Chlorine and its consequences

But there’s more bad news. Municipal water is often treated with chlorine to eliminate microorganisms like bacteria. Although chlorine is widely used to disinfect water, it combines with organic matter in the supply and forms a byproduct called trihalomethanes (THMs), a group of chemicals.

Chloroform – a known carcinogen – is among the most common of these THM byproducts.  

Other THMs like dichloramines and trichloramines, which are byproducts of chloramines, can be toxic when inhaled, ingested, or absorbed by the skin.

The effects of drinking water that has either been chlorinated or chloraminated are well-studied – a meta-analysis of existing scientific literature found a positive association between the ingestion of chlorination byproducts in water and rectal and bladder cancer in humans.

However, exposure to chlorination byproducts each time you shower ought to be cause for greater concern – it actually puts you in contact with more chlorine and chlorination byproducts compared to drinking treated water.

Though the body does a good job of filtering much of the chlorine we ingest from drinking water, THMs and other byproducts that we inhale as chlorine gas during showers enter the blood stream directly and are therefore potentially more harmful.

These toxins can also be absorbed by the skin – studies suggest that the chloroform dose from a 10-minute shower is equal to, if not greater than, that of drinking about two liters of chlorine-treated water on a daily basis.

The benefits of using a shower filter

A shower filter is more than just a bathroom fixture – it might just help protect you and your family from the harmful effects of chlorinated water. Here’s why it’s worth installing one in your bathroom:

• Eliminates chemical impurities – A good shower head filters can remove chlorine from municipal water. Waters Co’s Therapy Shower Deluxe uses Vitamin C, which interacts with chlorine in water by consuming it.

• Improves hair and skin health – Frequent washing is essential to maintaining proper hygiene and promoting hair and skin health. However, bathing in chlorine-treated water can make your hair and skin appear dry, dull, and lifeless, which defeats the whole purpose.

Using a shower filter can improve hair and skin appearance as filtered water gives you the benefit of a good cleanse and none of the negative effects of chlorine or hard minerals, such as hives or rashes.

The Therapy Shower Deluxe incorporates collagen into your daily shower. Collagen can make your hair and skin look younger, smoother, and more even.

• Improves respiratory health – Chlorine is a halogen and inhaling chlorine fumes in the shower can irritate the respiratory lining. Studies have found that low-level exposure to chlorine fumes can cause mucus membrane inflammation in humans. Exposure to high concentrations of chlorine can cause coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

A shower filter can eliminate chlorine in your shower water, preventing you from inhaling toxic fumes that cause irritation and other respiratory issues.

• Improves air quality – It turns out humans can detect the odour of chlorine gas at low levels (between 0.1 - 0.3 ppm) in the environment. And as previously mentioned, chlorine is a halogen, and chlorine fumes in the shower can affect air quality in the enclosed space of your bathroom.

So if you find that your bathroom is starting to smell like a chlorinated swimming pool, installing a shower head filter can make it go away. Our shower filters also come with lemon and lavender scents to get your bathroom smelling like a luxury spa. 

Making small changes to your household – such as installing a shower filter – can go a long way in improving wellness and protecting your family from harmful chemicals. Shop Waters Co today and feel the difference.