Do Shower Head Filters Actually Work? (And How To Know If You Need One)

Do you hop out of the shower to find that your hair looks dull? Or does your skin look dry, flaky, and tight? If you've tried virtually every cream, lotion, oil, and leave-in-conditioner with no relief, a new shower head might be able to solve your problems. That's the solution offered by many shower head filter companies. But can it really be that easy to solve skin and hair problems?

Many American households live with hard water, and many U.S. cities could have lead contamination. And adding chlorine to drinking water, which is a common water purification process in the U.S., is viewed with suspicion by skincare enthusiasts and the health-conscious alike. With a reputation like that, it's easy to see why the unfiltered water coming from the shower head could be viewed as the cause for skin and hair problems.

Shower head filters claim to remove contaminants like heavy metals and chlorine, and some can remove other contaminants like sediment or bacteria. They do it by using one or more filtration systems: A copper-zinc medium like KDF 55, activated carbon, and/or calcium sulfite. Each shower head filter company uses a different combination of these filters, so it's important to research what filter will work best for your needs based on your water quality.

However, from a scientific perspective, shower head filtration systems may potentially be a scam. Furthermore, choosing the best filtration system can be challenging because it's not easy or cheap to find out what contaminants may exist in your water supply. Reliable water testing systems can cost hundreds of dollars. Beyond that, if these filters do actually work, purified shower water may not deliver all the promised skin and hair benefits anyway.

It's important to acknowledge that not everyone needs a shower filter. Some U.S. cities, like New York, are known for having superior water quality. If you already use a full-home water filtration or reverse osmosis system, you definitely don't need to add a shower head water filter — it's just overkill.

Speaking of overkill, some shower head water filters could completely undo your budget. The best filtered shower heads can cost anywhere between $35-$165 for the initial shower head and the filter kit. You will need to replace the filters regularly to continue to enjoy the benefits of filtered water. Over time, these costs can add up.

Furthermore, there's a chance that your skin and hair issues have nothing to do with the quality of your water. Something as simple as a hot shower can damage your skin and irritate pre-existing conditions. In short, if you haven't consulted with a dermatologist, don't assume that a water filter will fix all your skin issues. But, if you have your heart set on a new shower head filter, it's unlikely that it will hurt anything aside from your wallet.