3 Reasons You Should Use a Shower Filter

With so many contaminants in tap water, filtering drinking water is extremely important to our health. But, is drinking water the only water we should be filtering?

Even though it’s not being ingested, shower water is a much bigger source of toxins than you might think. Surprisingly, showering in unfiltered water can expose you to more toxins than drinking unfiltered water.

The good news is that a shower water filter is usually much more affordable than a drinking water filter. The one I use in my house is under $40. With so many health benefits at such a low price, investing in a shower filter is a no-brainer.

Here are the most important reasons you should always use a shower filter:

1. Reduces Chlorine Exposure

Chlorine is effective at killing parasites, bacteria, and viruses, but it damages skin, hair, and airways. Constantly bathing in chlorinated water is particularly damaging because you are both in direct contact with chlorine and also breathing it in.

Direct contact with chlorine can have negative effects, but the biggest concern in the shower is airborne chlorine. Chlorine is present in the steam from a hot shower, and even though it is a low concentration, it can have negative effects both in the short term and over time.

Low concentrations of airborne chlorine can cause:

• Difficulty Breathing
• Wheezing
• Sore throat
• Chest Tightness
• Nasal Irritation
• Coughing
• Eye Irritation

A shower filter greatly reduces the amount of chlorine in the water, so this reason alone makes it an important investment.

2. Reduces DBP Exposure

Chlorine exposure isn’t the only problem with shower water. When chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water, it produces disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which can be extremely harmful to human health.

DBPs are divided into two groups: Trihalomethanes (THMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAAs). HAAs are only slightly absorbed through the skin and do not vaporize easily, so they are not of much concern for showers or baths.

THMs, on the other hand, easily vaporize in hot water and absorb easily through the skin, making showers a primary source of THM exposure. Out of the four primary THMs, two (Chloroform and Bromodichloromethane) are classified as possible human carcinogens.

When it comes to reducing THM exposure, filtering shower water is more important than filtering drinking water.

Household uses of hot tap water such as showering and dish washing result in greater THM absorption than simply drinking the water.

Hood E. (2005). Tap Water and Trihalomethanes: Flow of Concerns Continues. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(7), A474.

Using a shower filter will not completely eliminate all DBPs, but it will greatly reduce your exposure to them.

3. Improves Hair and Skin

Shower water not only has potential negative health effects, but it also has negative cosmetic effects, particularly on the skin and hair.

Most of this damage comes from the chlorine in shower water, and because shower filters are good at filtering chlorine, this damage can easily be avoided with a shower filter.

How Chlorine Affects Hair:

• Chlorine strips hair of its natural oils, which drys it out and causes split ends.
• Chlorine can change the color of your hair, particularly colored hair. Chlorine dulls natural hair and leaves blonde hair looking green.

How Chlorine Affects Skin:

• Like with hair, chlorine also strips skin of its natural oils and moisturizers, leaving you with dry, cracked skin.
• Chlorine’s oxidation processes produce damaging free radicals, which can accentuate fine lines and wrinkles.
• Chlorine can worsen existing skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

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