Keep It Pure: The Health and Wellness Benefits of Shower Head Water Filters

Who would have thought that something as simple as a shower head could dramatically impact health and wellness? Yet the quality of water flowing from our showers can truly make or break the benefits we seek from bathing. Installing a water filter for your shower head provides the missing link for improving skin vitality, enhancing hair shine, and creating a therapeutic aromatherapy experience right in your own bathroom.

Water filters for shower heads offer a simple and affordable way to remove contaminants, soften hard water, and infuse purifying minerals into every shower you take. Read on to learn why filtered shower water can be transformative, how these ingenious devices work, key factors to consider when selecting the right model, and tips for seamless installation and maintenance.

Give yourself the gift of better living through water, and watch your showers become a cleansing oasis each and every day.

Why Consider a Shower Head Water Filter?

Installing a water filter on your shower head provides a broad range of benefits that enhance health, wellness, and enjoyment of daily bathing. As an easy upgrade that fits most showers, these devices create a purifying oasis to promote beauty, relaxation, and protection from the many unseen contaminants flowing from the tap.

Reasons to consider upgrading to a filtered shower system include:

Improved Skin Health:

Our body’s largest organ absorbs nearly 60 percent of impurities lingering in shower water through absorption. This leads to dryness, irritation, inflammation, and premature aging.

Shower filters remove chlorine, minerals, bacteria, and other skin-damaging compounds, allowing moisturizing natural oils to properly absorb instead. Softer water and infusion of beautifying minerals transform daily showers into a spa-like skin treatment.

Enhanced Hair Care:

Chlorine and excess minerals attach to hair follicles, causing brittleness, tangling, split ends, and accelerated aging. As we shampoo, water sets the tone for our tresses. It filters out harsh chemicals and dissolved solids for bounce, shine, and smooth locks from root to tip. Infused vitamins also nourish for salon-beautiful style every day.

Reduced Exposure to Contaminants:

Municipal water sources contain over 300 different potential contaminants, including chemical pollution, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals. Shower filters selectively adsorb these health hazards to minimize bodily exposure as you wash. This helps reduce side effects like respiratory illness, organ stress, and a weakened immune system.

Aromatherapy Benefits:

Look for shower head models with built-in vitamin or essential oil diffusers that naturally scent water. Your own soothing aromas like soothing lavender, uplifting citrus, energizing eucalyptus, or clarifying tea tree oil. Turn each shower into a therapeutic aromatherapy ritual right at home.

Improved Shower Experience:

The benefits of a filtered shower extend beyond the physical to enhance enjoyment, too. The removal of chlorine eliminates stinging eyes and the rotten-egg odor permeating bathroom air. Softened water prevents mineral scale buildup on showerheads to maintain full pressure. And knowing your family bathes in purified water adds peace of mind.

How Do Shower Head Water Filters Work?

Shower head water filters typically utilize a multi-stage filtration process to remove impurities and improve water quality. Here’s a breakdown of the common filtration stages:

1. Sediment Filtration: The first line of defense is a mesh screen that traps particulate matter like dirt, rust, and silt. This extends the lifespan of subsequent filter components.
2. Chlorine Reduction: The shower water passes through a filtration medium like KDF or activated carbon to selectively adsorb chlorine and other chemicals.
3. Hard Water Mineral Removal: Water softening components reduce calcium and magnesium, the minerals that make water “hard.” This prevents scale buildup that clogs plumbing and dries skin and hair.
4. Additional Filtration Stages: Certain models feature beyond these basics with extra media for removing heavy metals, microorganisms, fluoride, etc. Others infuse beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium into the filtered water.

Filtration Technologies Explained

Advanced water filters combine multiple purification technologies to extract the widest array of contaminants:

Multi-Stage Filtration:

This whole-house approach uses 5+ sequential filters to refine shower water by specific functions. Common components include:

· Sediment Filters: Eliminate particulate matter through mechanical straining

· KDF Media: Utilizes oxidation-reduction reactions to eradicate chlorine and heavy metals

· Activated Carbon: Highly adsorbent pores grab pesticides, VOCs, bad tastes/odors

· Calcium Sulfite: Transforms dissolved minerals into harmless particulates

Beyond these basics, additional stages provide heightened contaminant control or mineral infusion for customized performance.

Vitamin C Filtration:

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) works as a natural water purifier, especially for chlorine removal. Some filters have vitamin C embedded right into the media.

Ionic Filtration:

Ionic exchange resins substitute undesirable minerals in the water for beneficial ones like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Ionic filtration produces healthier, alkalized water.

Choosing the Right Shower Head Water Filter: Factors to Consider

With so many models on the market, it helps to assess a few key factors when selecting a new showerhead filter:

• Filtration Needs: Consider your water quality. Are you trying to remove chlorine, control lime scale, or filter out heavy metals? Match the filter to your personal water purification goals.
• Showerhead Compatibility: Purchase a filter designed specifically to integrate with your existing showerhead, preferring units that don’t require permanent mounting.
• Replacement Cartridges: Filter cartridges need regular changing, so factor cost/frequency into long-term use. Units with visual replacement reminders take the guesswork out.
• Water Pressure Impact: Some filters may reduce pressure. If water pressure is already low, seek high-flow models or consider a booster pump to counteract pressure loss.

Installation and Maintenance Tips for Shower Head Water Filters

Installing and caring for your new shower filter ensures it works effectively over its full lifespan. Follow this advice for optimal performance:

• Turn off the water supply: Always turn off the main shower valve prior to installation to release pressure and avoid splashing.
• Clean threads properly: Use Teflon tape on shower arm/head threads to prevent connection leaks.
• Hand tighten only: Tighten connections by hand using the filter or showerhead itself. Tools can easily crack the housing.
• Pre-rinse the cartridge: Flush new cartridges for 5 minutes to rinse away loose media particles before actual use.
• Maintain pressure: Periodically clean the showerhead jets and filter inlet to prevent clogs, which reduce flow.
• Change cartridges regularly: Mark calendars to swap cartridges based on capacity, typically every 6-9 months.

Conclusion

Enjoying filtered water for just a few minutes each morning can profoundly impact wellness over time. The right water filter for your shower head removes impurities, injects minerals, and turns daily bathing into a therapeutic escape. Consider trying one to experience the benefits firsthand – healthier skin, shinier hair, protection from toxins, and a more relaxing shower await!