Do Shower Filters Really Transform Hair and Skin? I Tried It For a Month and Won't Look Back

Have you ever thought about what’s in the water that you’re showering in? Me neither, until HELLO KLEAN’s Shower Filter ($113) landed on my doorstep. A sizeable 60 percent of Brits live in hard water areas, which means most of us are washing ourselves with water that is full of minerals and metals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and lead. All of these can contribute toward dry and damaged skin and hair. Our water is also treated with chlorine to kill bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that might make us sick. And while this is crucial for our health, chlorine is extremely damaging for hair and skin.

Sounds pretty frustrating, right? That’s where shower filters come into the picture. A shower filter is a handy device that you screw on to your shower in order to purify your water. The Hello Klean Shower Filter uses an ingredient called KDF to remove these water-soluble metals and chlorine from the shower stream and improve the quality of your water. The minerals and chlorine bond with KDF as the water passes through the filter and turns into new, harmless elements. Chlorine, for instance, shifts into chloride. This specific filter is proven to reduce chlorine by an impressive 90 percent. To figure out whether or not a shower filter really makes a difference to my beauty routine, I committed to using one for a month.

The Shower Filter Experience

The process of installing a shower filter is really easy. The filter fits on 1/2in taps, the standard for all international showers, so it should be compatible with your shower. You can also purchase an adapter to lengthen the distance between the wall and tap in case of awkward or tight spacing, but roughly only three percent of customers experience this problem. All you need to do is remove the hose or shower head from your shower and attach the shower filter. Then, screw the hose or head back on the other end of the filter. Once it is in place, you’ll need to replace the capsules inside the filter every four to six months.

Showering feels the exact same with the filter in place. You won’t notice it’s there, it doesn’t impact the water pressure, and it slotted into my bathroom discreetly.

The Shower Filter Verdict

It might not seem like much, but I can honestly say that I will continue to use a water filter for the foreseeable future. With my new knowledge about what unfiltered water does to hair and skin, I could never go back. And I’ve seen a significant change in the texture of both my skin and hair.

Prior to using a shower filter, my hair never felt truly clean – even when I washed it every day. I assumed that this was down to my oily scalp, but I now realise that this was due to a buildup of product and soap scum. “Installing a shower filter helps prevent unwanted minerals and chemicals from wreaking havoc on your hair. By reducing minerals in your water, a shower filter helps minimise soap scum, which leaves the hair feeling filmy, straw-like, and weighed down,” the brand’s founder Karlee Ozener explains to POPSUGAR.

I also spotted a difference in my hair colour. It looks fresher, and the brassy orange hues that I was plagued with have disappeared. Initially, I thought this was just a coincidence. It turns out that shower filters actually prevent bleached and coloured hair from washing out and changing colour. “Filtering your shower water can help maintain hair colour, as chlorine, iron, and copper exposure in domestic water can oxidise bleached and coloured hair, leading to faster fading,” Ozener says.

Even though I’m lucky enough not to suffer from any skin conditions or noticeable dryness, my skin does feel softer and smoother. This is because minerals and chlorine can “strip the skin of its protective oils”, causing the skin to feel dehydrated, red, and tight. Before using a shower filter, my skin often felt itchy after a hot and steamy shower. Ozener tells me that this could be a sign that chlorine was killing the good bacteria on my skin. “Bacteria called microbiome live on the skin, in the gut, and other parts of the body and play a major role in supporting digestive health, hormonal balance, and a healthy immune system. Repeated exposure to chlorine can strip the skin and scalp of its microbiome, leaving it dry and irritated,” she says. Using a shower filter can also benefit eczema and psoriasis patients and those who suffer with acne on their bodies, so it’s definitely worth trying as part of your treatment if this is you.

To sum it all up, I often find beauty technology to be laborious, expensive, and not worth the fuss. I’ve bought countless tools to beautify my skin and hair in the past – from $500 LED masks to $800 hair – and often regretted it. However, I’ve found the shower filter to be an affordable, long-lasting, and low-effort way to keep skin and hair healthy. It’s something that everyone could benefit from, and the sort of tool that you’ll never be able to go without once you’ve tried it.