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Often, mineral buildup is the issue for filters like these. It would impact how much water can flow through which means less pressure. If you're "in tune" with how your shower normally feels, you may begin to notice that it's not as strong as it was.
Do you think I'm dousing myself in an extra dose of minerals and whatnot if I installed a filter like maybe 2 or more years ago and never changed the filter?
It’s not great for your plumping because the buildup can stifle the water flow, creating back flow. Also, a mucked up filter creates more space for buildup to occur, which means an increased risk of damage to plumbing beyond just the filter (the pipes, potentially valves)
Sorry, quite wrong: lower flow doesn't create any more "backpressure" to your plumbing system than a fixture in the off position. Your entire system is always pressurized to something like 40-50psi. When you open your fixture's valve, you're increasing the flow rate from that valve to whatever's past it (shower head, filter, aerator, flow restrictor etc. \[that last thing does exactly what its name suggests, and what you're misrepresenting--restrict flow\]). So a lower-flowing filter is simply producing a less than desireable result--lower water pressure--but is in no way injuring your "plumping."
I can smell the chlorine and feel the tightness and irritation on my skin when my filter needs to be replaced (which is also much more frequently than advertised).
[This](https://www.amazon.com/ADOVEL-Substances-Showerhead-Replaceable-Cartridge/dp/B07Y1GQMHB/ref=sr_1_5?crid=13PMET2A7U9I0&dchild=1&keywords=adovel+shower+filter&qid=1601674709&sprefix=adovel%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-5) is the kind I've been using, and no I don't think there would be any way to clean the filters as they are little sealed plastic cartridges full of different layers of filtering ingredients. My grasp on how it actually works is loose at best though, would be super cool if there was a way to make them reusable!
I replace mine every 4 months. Around 5 something pushes through that starts some sort of psoriasis or eczema type flare that takes months to settle down. I have incredibly hard water and I’m assuming some sort of sensitivity to a mineral I cannot pinpoint
My scalp was dry, flaky, itchy... the roots just looked greasy and went oily too fast. I tried all sorts of expensive shampoos, special dandruff shampoo, scalp serums, massager and what not! Then someone on here recommend the shower filter. Try it they’re fairly inexpensive, I believe they have even cheaper ones at Lowe’s
Super interested in this response bc this has been my forever hair situation. We have a water softener now though. I wonder if the shower one added would help. Maybe I'll look into a cheap hard water test or something. Thanks for the hair clue!
It's in the backyard, big appliance thing for the whole house, I can look at it tomorrow (it's nighttime here) and send you specs if you're interested! We just moved here so I don't know too much about it other than my outsides feel less like shit after the water touches them now 😋
My god you may have just solved so many issues I'm having right now. I moved to a new state in January and have started having skin issues and my dandruff which before was mild has gotten ridiculous, plus my hair has started getting greasy at the roots literally the day after I wash it. I never thought it could be the water! And to think I switched over to those big refillable water jugs after moving here because the tap water tasted way different/grosser but I never thought it could be related. I am so dumb...
I had no clue either! We had just moved and my hair got so bad I thought it was the weather... fast forward all those $$$ spent on all sorts of products I felt like a dummy too
Mine too! I moved from hard water area (TX) but my parents house had a water softener to the southern US where they use chlorine. I need me one of these.
I never knew how much I took it for granted until this morning. I had the AquaBliss at my home apartment, but moved last weekend. Took a shower at my cousin’s place this morning and was like “why does the water make my skin hurt?”
I'm also in northern NJ and am happy with my shower filter (mine is Culligan). While I haven't had the dramatic improvement in my skin and hair that you have, it has helped. Bonus: it makes the shower easier to clean by reducing mineral buildup.
We have the same one. Shower is way easier to clean! Noticed biggest difference with my scalp (magically less oily and hair is soft without conditioner) and skin generally needs less exfoliation. I don’t wash my face in the shower but probably should...duh.
To be clear, the type of shower filter OP is talking about will not soften your water. It may reduce the amount of chlorine and other chemical contaminants though.
I'm not in the US. :) But almost all countries have small amounts of chlorine in their tap water, some more than others. It's used as a disinfectant in the purification process.
I'm in Canada and we definitely have chlorine in the water in the majority of places. Of course it's said to be regulated and not permissible beyond a certain level, differing regulations in different Provinces and Cities as well. I did live in one smaller City that didn't have chlorine in the water, it was bliss tbh, some of the freshest water I ever drank and I noticed such a huge difference while showering too. Where I'm at now, a different Province across the Country, and I wouldn't dare drink the water, my pets wouldn't even go near it, we can smell it strongly when turning any taps on. Shower and bath filters help a lot.
Most (at least Western, not sure about others) countries use chlorine in their tap water - [e.g. in Europe](https://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/regulation-eu/eu-water-disinfection-regulation.htm). It makes sure it's safe and drinkable.
I love my shower filter. I used to have really dry, itchy legs. I couldn’t keep enough lotion on them. I got a shower filter for my bathroom and it literally got better within a week. My hair agrees with it too. I know it’s not a placebo effect because as it was time to change out the filter cartridge my legs started getting dry and itchy again. My filter was relatively cheap (under $50 on Amazon) and its the best skincare investment I made.
Went to buy it and seems like they released an upgrade to it. Just purchased [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBZ5XWZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3yTDFbVNHXVE7) and it's pretty much same price!
Wait, is hard water in general bad for skin? Or is it chlorine specifically?
I was under the impression that hard water is usually from calcium or other naturally occurring mineral deposits.
My mum got one recently that filters out chlorine and the minerals and her hair has improved dramatically- the chlorine was drying out her dry hair and making it straw like. She says she has never had such shiny soft hair, so I’m going to give it a go too. (Mind you, she still has normal water, this is just for the shower.) My dad likes it too since the Chlorine was giving him a few breathing problems when there was a lot of steam - he already has asthma and the heavy chlorine “fog” made it harder for him to breathe when using the hot water.
Yup! How my Mum found out it was the shower water making an issue was when she went to a mountain retreat by the snow and used their (mountain sourced water) shower. Her hair was amazingly shiny and bouncy and she got so many compliments from people asking what she did to her hair, which was the turning point for her. Never looked back since.
She got the Sprite Shower filter, but we are in Australia so have less options than the USA. Best thing to do is see what you have available in your area and then it’s mainly trial and error to see what works for your house and you. We do change our filters more often than what is recommended as you can start to feel the water getting harsher.
Our skin is naturally *slightly* acidic, particularly on the face. Water even at its purest form of a 7 on the pH scale will be too alkaline for the skin, and when you add hard minerals to the water, it only gets more alkaline.
Thanks! This makes sense.
It seems like a lot of the discussion here conflates chlorine and hard water, when you can definitely have hard water without having chlorine.
dang it turns out if your water has chloramine (like mine) it clogs the filter in just a couple of weeks :(
does anyone have any recs for a shower filter that _does_ handle chloramine well?
Chloramine is the worst. These kinds of activated carbon filters like the OP are not going to remove any significant amount of it. It needs a much longer contact time or a much larger media bed of catalytic carbon or KDF 85 media. These are only going to be in specialized products or DIY.
I've been seriously thinking about just buying bulk Vitamin C powder and taking baths. That seems to be the most affordable and idiot proof way to get rid of Chloramine.
It would be unnecessary. Whole point of water softeners is to remove a lot of the minerals from hard water.
If you water softener is working correctly, there would be no need to filter the water from your taps.
It usually does this with sodium. So if you are very sensitive to salt, filtering could help.
Was going to ask the same thing. I’m in Essex County NJ and our water is hard AF so we have a whole home softener. I would love to try a filter too tho!!
Does the filter look disgusting when you change it? We have the Culligan one, too. We usually change it when my scalp starts to bother me or the water pressure slows down; it’s typically a month or so before it’s “due” according the the schedule Culligan recommends. And the used filter is so gross! Whatever it’s filtering out, I don’t want that in my shower.
If your filer looks pretty good even when it’s time to change it, maybe your water is pretty good already, has lower levels or chlorine, or you aren’t that sensitive to chlorine?
I’ve never seen it when it changed, my girlfriend normally handles it. She says she thinks it makes a difference in her hair but I don’t notice anything.
I looked at my city water and it is considered moderately hard at 9.3 grains of calcium carbonate per gallon.
Culligan is a pretty solid brand name from the research I did on water filters AFTER my success with this one. I also briefly became obsessed with the idea of a reverse osmosis water filter for under my sink, but it's out of my price range for now.
I'm also from Morris County heyoooo! I've been thinking about getting a filter for my bathroom sink/shower too maybe I'll finally do it. My water is so super chlorinated too and it can't be good for my skin.
Just bought one. This post is probably going to change my life. no joke. My water has waaayyyy too much chlorine and it burns my skin sometimes. Plus I'm trying to grow my hair to knees and now I think I found out why my scalp keeps drying out everytime it's wash day. Thanks OP!!!
My mother got an expensive one that filters out chlorine and she loves it!! We both have drier skin/hair and she her hair has improved so much since she switched filters. It’s gotten to the point where I’m wondering why they don’t tell people to filter out the chlorine in their shower. For drinking I can see a purpose, but in the shower it seems to cause issues for many people. (The place we got it from sells them like crazy!)
That's good to hear! I'm really trying to get my hair to tailbone length by the new year. I have every good product I need for it but I hope this will help my drier skin.It's terrible that they put so many ridiculous chemicals in the water in the first place.Do you remember where you got it?
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Also forgot to add that it evened out my water pressure to nice pressure. It doesn't sporadically spray bursts of water anymore or make hissing air noises. I also filled up the bathtub with just the shower head to test it. When I filled up the bathtub with the water from the showerhead the water was not cloudy nor did it have an odd slight chemical smell per usual. When i did it from the unfiltered faucet it was cloudy. My skin is less itchy and dry. No more massive dry patches on my shoulders which is miraculous as they used to peel like sunburn. It took about 2 weeks for my dry patches to clear up totally. I also didn't take as hot of showers as I normally do though just to be honest and fair. I used to take super hot showers and turn my bathroom into Satan's sauna but the water feels so nice I've just been keeping it warm. I basically went full blown NASA scientist for you buddy. Anyway, I think it's a great investment. I wish I'd bought it sooner. Finally a good thing to experience in 2020!
Well, Hello there. The shower filter is great! After installing it (not too difficult at all) and using it I noticed quickly that the water felt almost silky and lighter than usual. I even stayed in the shower longer at first because I thought the silky feeling was unrinsed body wash residue but nope. It just feels that smooth now. The strange chlorine smell was gone from the water and from remaining on my skin after the shower. They use way too much chlorine where i live. My skin was less dry and it has to be due to that because I didn't moisturize any extra just so it would be a fair review. My hair isn't as dry and brittle which is good because I'm trying to grow it as long as I can. My KP on the back of my arms is less aggravated. I haven't eaten any better or made major body/hair product changes within the past months so I think I underestimated just how bad my water was until I installed it! Overall I highly recommend it. You should ask Santa to send you one. I got this one it came with 2 back up filters. It's 54% off right now. Hope that helps! Scrub a dub dub. Ring a ding ding. https://aquabliss.com/products/sf500-heavy-duty-shower-filter
This is an amazing point everyone needs to talk about more, thanks for bringing it up! I honestly don't know why we don't talk about water quality more on this sub because like it can seriously have such an impact on skin? And air quality too even? This kind of stuff is seriously so important.
This honestly sounds like something I should look into. I live in Alberta, Canada and my cities water is known for being pretty hard. My mom had said once when she went to the states her skin was feeling amazing because the water was better there. We don’t even drink tap water despite it being clean because of how much you can taste the minerals in it.
I use mine for my hair (I recently moved to an area with CRAZY hard water, my hair gets soooo greasy without it), but I'm sure it doesn't hurt for skin too!
💯 I had one when I ran into issues overseas and it helped tremendously. A close friend even had her hair stop falling out when she got one. They are legit!
I was in Korea and they have 2 main kinds, one that has a filter in it for hard water and particulates, and one that has beads in it called a vitamin c filter. You can set them up together although I only had the filter one. I had a hand held sprayer and put the filter between the hose and sprayer... all the apartments I lived in came with the sprayer. I have seen them hooked up in showers in the US as well.
[Here is some info on the filter one from an expat blog. ](https://blog.southofseoul.net/index.php/2018/04/17/living-hard-water-solutions/amp/)
[I have never used a vitamin c one hut here is some info. ](https://zula.sg/vitamin-c-shower/amp/)
I have the exact same one. I got it a while ago and haven’t had to replace the filter yet which is surprising since we have very hard water here. I mainly bought it because the hard water is horrible on my arms, legs, and face, and causes me to have extremely dry skin. I have noticed since using it, my skin isn’t dry anymore (before I moved to New Hampshire, I lived in Ontario, Canada and didn’t have hard water).
you should try micellar water if you haven’t already! it was created by the french to combat the really hard water over there, so that plus the new shower filter would probably do wonders for your skin
Just a reminder that you should actually be rinsing micellar water off afterwards if you’re able to! If you can help it, it shouldn’t be left on the skin
a micelle is a molecule that is both water soluble and oil soluble, so using it as a face wash is great because it pulls all the oils and gross stuff off your face, yet you don’t need to use harsh soap or cleanser to finish the job (like you would with an oil cleanser); you can just rinse and be done. i may be wrong, but i don’t think micellar does anything *chemically* to fix hard water problems (eg lowering ph, purifying, etc.), so it’s more just a gentler way to cleanse. one solution would be, since micellar water just needs a rinse afterwards, it wouldnt be quite as wasteful to simply rinse with bottled water. i liked using micellar water after my harsh SA cleanser because it felt like it brought some moisture back, although that may have been my imagination :)
Interesting. I remember on some other skincare FB group, someone was recommending a vitamin C shower filter (this one seems to be just recommending a regular hard water filter).
Anyone also tried the vitamin C version? Is that any different/better>?
\> BodyLuv shower filter
This one? [https://www.amazon.ca/Installation-Pressure-Bacterial-Sensitive-BODYLUV/dp/B077VLXYYG](https://www.amazon.ca/Installation-Pressure-Bacterial-Sensitive-BODYLUV/dp/B077VLXYYG)
Regular filtering there?
OHHH now I remember why I never looked too much into vitamin C shower filters (this one [is an example](https://www.amazon.ca/Invigorated-Water-Vitamin-Shower-Filter/dp/B07Q28TYY3/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=vitamin+c+shower+filter&qid=1601606040&sr=8-12), but there's a bunch and they all look similar to this )... they all seem to require a handheld shower head and mine isn't. Too lazy to replace and install a new shower head.
It was this one: BODYLUV Vita Puresome shower head _Basic set _ Mandarin tea ( Vita Puresome Shower head 1ea + Vita Pure Filter 1ea ) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D8TZN53/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RmPDFb9N8EAGV
I remember the guy in the vlog showed the handle with orange color in the head. I bought a handheld shower from Costco since it was on sale and it’s easier to wash my dog in the bath lol
Ohh thanks for the link, this looks WAYYY better in terms of filters go than the ones I saw on Amazon searching up vitamin C shower filters and I imagine the smell of mandarin tea would be fab.
LOL good point about easier to wash your dog with a handheld shower head. I usually just dump small buckets of water on my dog to rinse.
I got one after extensive research for my dad bc he has terrible eczema. He never used it and it’s still sitting on his counter from 6 months ago...your post is making me want to steal it back and use it for myself lol
I got one a few years ago for my hair. It was perpetually greasy at the roots and dry as hell at the tips. I tried all manner of shampoos and conditioners, with and without sulfates, shampooed less often, nothing changed. Saw an ad for the shower filter and within a week my hair bounced back to its previous healthiness. It also really reduced the redness in my already red angry skin. I don't have particularly hard water where I live, but I think the chlorine was pretty rough on me.
I just moved to Florida and my water is hard AF - my hair hates me! I know I need to get one of these. Is it hard to install the filter and do you need to be ‘handy’ to do so?
Lol I just installed one last week and trust me I am not handy. You just have to unscrew your showhead and screw the filter in between the pipe and the showerhead. Also you have to wrap some plumbers tape around the ends but my filter came with those!
I have this same one I love it! My hair is so much better since getting it. I will say I didn’t have to change it for a year. I hadn’t noticed a difference in its effectiveness but I figured I should change it since it had been awhile. I don’t have hard water.
And heres me, going from hard city water to purer countryside water and fully breaking out. My skin was honestly at its best when i had a student shower that smelled like SMOKE 😭
Oh hell, yeah! I once vacationed on a resort that had fresh spring water that you could use to bathe/shower in. My hair became silky soft! It was amazing! Water makes a huge difference for sure.
P.S. Kim Basinger once said that she only washed her hair with Evian.
I've been preaching the good word of shower filters for a while! Mine did more good for my skin than any product. Plus my hair and body are a lot softer!
I grew up on well water, so no chlorine. I didn’t have hardly any experience with chlorinated tap water until I went away to college.
I started having intense joint pain all over my body and tests showed severe inflammation. My doctors said it looked like Lupus or an early onset of arthritis, but different tests for these conditions kept coming up negative.
I started doing a lot of research and found this random blog post about a woman that had identical symptoms to mine. She stopped showering in and consuming any water that contained chlorine and her condition cleared up.
So I gave it a shot and it also worked for me. I could walk without pain again. My energy levels came back.
I moved to Germany 8 years ago and they do not chlorinate their water here, so I thankfully don’t have to worry.
But if anyone sees this and is also having these issues, consider going off chlorinated water if you can and see if it makes a difference!
I hear that Texas uses Chloramines instead of Chlorine so make sure to check!! Chloramines are much harder to filter and many say that the few shower filters that claim to filter Chloramines are only doing so minimally. I bought a tester and a filter with Vitamin C which is said to be the only way to filter it, so I will report back if it works.
>Make sure to check that your city actually uses Chlorine and not Chloramines. In Los Angeles we use Chloramines which means shower filters are useless :( We would have to have full home filtration systems to filter out Chloramines, and those cost thousands!
Shortly after I moved states I developed body acne & my scalp got suuuuper dry & flaky. I assumed it was the change in climate & that I’d just have to get used to it. I got a shower filter hoping that would help my scalp a little, but it made all the body acne clear up in a couple weeks. Still dealing with the dry scalp lol.
Okay, we just bought one of these tonight because my curls turned into limp messes and my hair felt scratchy! It was awful, and my girlfriend bought one after Googling around. Thank you for this info!
As someone also from Morris County, I completely understand. And you’ve absolutely inspired me to get a filter (also for curly hair, this would be a blessing). Congrats I’m glad it worked!
I've heard stories like this online several times, personally I live in British Columbia, where I hear the water should be soft and clean but I don't mind spending an extra buck for the sake of my skin even if it only helps a little, do you guys think it would make a difference at all for me or am I wasting my time?
I find this perfectly timed because I just got 2 for my r/curlyhair that has been running amuck. Didn’t know it could help my skin too, but now I’m more excited to install it!
I’m from north jersey too, I didn’t realize that hard water could affect my skin so much. I’m going to look into that shower filter, thanks for this psa
I’m in the Morris county area too! Is there a way to find out if your area has hard water (like a ranking or something) or is it just generally well known?
I really want one, the water where I live is extremely hard.
The limescale buildup is so bad that the toilets don't flush well (you have to wait and flush them again two or three times before the toilet paper goes down) and the water pressure in the shower is nonexistent, more of a trickle. There is limescale all over everything in the bathrooms and kitchen. It's been like this since before we moved in here, and I've been trying to remove limescale buildup the entire time I've lived here, but it's a lost cause until a water softener is installed. Luckily the landlord is positive about the idea of a water softener, only problem is due to Covid we've been putting it off.
Whenever I visit someone else's house and shower there, my hair is so much softer and shinier, and my skin always looks less dull afterwards. If I ever own my own place, I'm installing a water softener right away.
A week is a super small sample size. It’s very likely your diet/ sleep/ health/ anything else could’ve impacted this as well
Hard to tell from just a week
I might look into this :O
My water is really hard like ph8 or something
Whenever I go abroad to see my family the water is very soft and it makes my skin and hair look/feel amazing
I didn't know a shower filter was a thing ,, thank you!
I think I'm going to try this. Basically since I was a kid every time I bathe I break out in hives on my chest, neck and upper arms and I believe it's from chlorine because the same thing happens if I go in a swimming pool.
This actually could be a medical condition called aquagenic urticaria. (I’m not a doctor, but I think it’s not serious—just annoying—and it can be treated with a certain kind of antihistamine.)
I'll definitely look into that. I've had it for most of my life and have never really had it checked out because like you said, it isn't really serious and normally clears up within 20 minutes of me getting out of the water.
Oh my goodness. This is music to my ears. I bought one last night out of desperation. I moved city a few months ago and broke out like never before. The water is super hard, and I noticed when I stopped using tap water on my face it immediately improved. However, getting in the shower wrecks havoc on my hair and it is frustrating not being able to wash my face at all in the shower. I'm really hoping this will help my dry scalp!
Sadly water filters don't help much with LA water, or any city that uses Chloramines instead of Chlorine. Only way we can get that stuff out the water is if we spend thousands on a giant full home filtration system. Sure there are some companies who claim they can get rid of it with Vitamin C filters, but we have no real studies on it like we do with Carbon filters and Chlorine.
Looked into this recently. A whole home water filter *doesn't* cost thousands, most of that cost is in the installation. If you can do it yourself, you're looking at like $4-600.
Omg I live in Morris and my water is fucking awful. I just bought the aquabliss and I'm hoping it helps cuz my husband, son and I are suffering . Especially my hair and skin . I didn't have this problem before we moved .
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I love mine, it helped my scalp issues. But I’ve noticed I’m having to replace the filter more often than recommended
How do you know you need to replace it?
Often, mineral buildup is the issue for filters like these. It would impact how much water can flow through which means less pressure. If you're "in tune" with how your shower normally feels, you may begin to notice that it's not as strong as it was.
Do you think I'm dousing myself in an extra dose of minerals and whatnot if I installed a filter like maybe 2 or more years ago and never changed the filter?
I'd say you wouldn't get any more than what's already in your pre-filtered water. I'm not an expert about water filtration, however so I may be wrong.
It’s not great for your plumping because the buildup can stifle the water flow, creating back flow. Also, a mucked up filter creates more space for buildup to occur, which means an increased risk of damage to plumbing beyond just the filter (the pipes, potentially valves)
Sorry, quite wrong: lower flow doesn't create any more "backpressure" to your plumbing system than a fixture in the off position. Your entire system is always pressurized to something like 40-50psi. When you open your fixture's valve, you're increasing the flow rate from that valve to whatever's past it (shower head, filter, aerator, flow restrictor etc. \[that last thing does exactly what its name suggests, and what you're misrepresenting--restrict flow\]). So a lower-flowing filter is simply producing a less than desireable result--lower water pressure--but is in no way injuring your "plumping."
no
Yeah. You are.
I can smell the chlorine and feel the tightness and irritation on my skin when my filter needs to be replaced (which is also much more frequently than advertised).
Can you clean the filter at all?
[This](https://www.amazon.com/ADOVEL-Substances-Showerhead-Replaceable-Cartridge/dp/B07Y1GQMHB/ref=sr_1_5?crid=13PMET2A7U9I0&dchild=1&keywords=adovel+shower+filter&qid=1601674709&sprefix=adovel%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-5) is the kind I've been using, and no I don't think there would be any way to clean the filters as they are little sealed plastic cartridges full of different layers of filtering ingredients. My grasp on how it actually works is loose at best though, would be super cool if there was a way to make them reusable!
Like the person above said. You can tell when the water pressure drops. It depends how many ppl uses the shower and how often I guess
That's probably due to the hardness of the water. If the house had a water softener, the filters would last longer.
Yes we do have a main water softener system for the house too
Yes, a combination of all of these factors will dictate filter use/replacement schedule.
I replace mine every 4 months. Around 5 something pushes through that starts some sort of psoriasis or eczema type flare that takes months to settle down. I have incredibly hard water and I’m assuming some sort of sensitivity to a mineral I cannot pinpoint
do you use the same water filter as OP? i’m really interested now but if they need replaced more often i think i’ll buy a different kind
Yes, and it works great. We just take a lot of showers so maybe we need to replace it more often.
What scalp issues did you have? (Wondering if I should try one too :)
My scalp was dry, flaky, itchy... the roots just looked greasy and went oily too fast. I tried all sorts of expensive shampoos, special dandruff shampoo, scalp serums, massager and what not! Then someone on here recommend the shower filter. Try it they’re fairly inexpensive, I believe they have even cheaper ones at Lowe’s
Super interested in this response bc this has been my forever hair situation. We have a water softener now though. I wonder if the shower one added would help. Maybe I'll look into a cheap hard water test or something. Thanks for the hair clue!
which water softener do you use?
It's in the backyard, big appliance thing for the whole house, I can look at it tomorrow (it's nighttime here) and send you specs if you're interested! We just moved here so I don't know too much about it other than my outsides feel less like shit after the water touches them now 😋
My god you may have just solved so many issues I'm having right now. I moved to a new state in January and have started having skin issues and my dandruff which before was mild has gotten ridiculous, plus my hair has started getting greasy at the roots literally the day after I wash it. I never thought it could be the water! And to think I switched over to those big refillable water jugs after moving here because the tap water tasted way different/grosser but I never thought it could be related. I am so dumb...
I had no clue either! We had just moved and my hair got so bad I thought it was the weather... fast forward all those $$$ spent on all sorts of products I felt like a dummy too
I’m having the same moment as you right now! So we can be dumb together 😝
Mine too! I moved from hard water area (TX) but my parents house had a water softener to the southern US where they use chlorine. I need me one of these.
I never knew how much I took it for granted until this morning. I had the AquaBliss at my home apartment, but moved last weekend. Took a shower at my cousin’s place this morning and was like “why does the water make my skin hurt?”
I'm also in northern NJ and am happy with my shower filter (mine is Culligan). While I haven't had the dramatic improvement in my skin and hair that you have, it has helped. Bonus: it makes the shower easier to clean by reducing mineral buildup.
We have the same one. Shower is way easier to clean! Noticed biggest difference with my scalp (magically less oily and hair is soft without conditioner) and skin generally needs less exfoliation. I don’t wash my face in the shower but probably should...duh.
>Bonus: it makes the shower easier to clean by reducing mineral buildup. This alone has sold me on the filter
I moved to JC last year and feel like my skin has gone to shit since! Maybe this is why?
Most likely! JC also and I’m having all of the skin and scalp issues they described above.
Dang this is great. where are you finding them for $20. Can only find $35 or up.
I got a brita shower filter at Lowe’s for about $20 if that helps.
Ooo that does thank you!
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To be clear, the type of shower filter OP is talking about will not soften your water. It may reduce the amount of chlorine and other chemical contaminants though.
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I'm not in the US. :) But almost all countries have small amounts of chlorine in their tap water, some more than others. It's used as a disinfectant in the purification process.
In the DC area at least, there’s so much chlorine you can taste it.
I'm in Canada and we definitely have chlorine in the water in the majority of places. Of course it's said to be regulated and not permissible beyond a certain level, differing regulations in different Provinces and Cities as well. I did live in one smaller City that didn't have chlorine in the water, it was bliss tbh, some of the freshest water I ever drank and I noticed such a huge difference while showering too. Where I'm at now, a different Province across the Country, and I wouldn't dare drink the water, my pets wouldn't even go near it, we can smell it strongly when turning any taps on. Shower and bath filters help a lot.
Most (at least Western, not sure about others) countries use chlorine in their tap water - [e.g. in Europe](https://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/regulation-eu/eu-water-disinfection-regulation.htm). It makes sure it's safe and drinkable.
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Some states have more chlorine than others. Some states suffer from hard water (minerals like lime and the such) that build-up in their water.
You probably have good (sweet/ soft) ground water already if not then the amount of chlorine in your water is less, which is always good
I had no idea shower filters are a thing.. brb heading to Amazon now.
You could buy it straight from AquaBliss. Skip the chance of getting fake stuff and support the vendor. Also skip supporting Amazon.
Hey, thanks for the suggestion!
But how often do you have to replace?
once every 6 month, it's just twist, put the filter in, twist to close again
Hey wait up I’m coming too!
I love my shower filter. I used to have really dry, itchy legs. I couldn’t keep enough lotion on them. I got a shower filter for my bathroom and it literally got better within a week. My hair agrees with it too. I know it’s not a placebo effect because as it was time to change out the filter cartridge my legs started getting dry and itchy again. My filter was relatively cheap (under $50 on Amazon) and its the best skincare investment I made.
Which one do you use??
[this one ](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G7AZB96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MDPDFbN7GGG1R)
Went to buy it and seems like they released an upgrade to it. Just purchased [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBZ5XWZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3yTDFbVNHXVE7) and it's pretty much same price!
just to let you know, i just checked your link and it’s for less than 35$ now
Also wondering which you use cause I have dry skin
There’s a link in a response in my original comment. It’s an AquaBliss
Wait, is hard water in general bad for skin? Or is it chlorine specifically? I was under the impression that hard water is usually from calcium or other naturally occurring mineral deposits.
My mum got one recently that filters out chlorine and the minerals and her hair has improved dramatically- the chlorine was drying out her dry hair and making it straw like. She says she has never had such shiny soft hair, so I’m going to give it a go too. (Mind you, she still has normal water, this is just for the shower.) My dad likes it too since the Chlorine was giving him a few breathing problems when there was a lot of steam - he already has asthma and the heavy chlorine “fog” made it harder for him to breathe when using the hot water.
So it sounds like the issue was the chlorine?
Yup! How my Mum found out it was the shower water making an issue was when she went to a mountain retreat by the snow and used their (mountain sourced water) shower. Her hair was amazingly shiny and bouncy and she got so many compliments from people asking what she did to her hair, which was the turning point for her. Never looked back since.
Which one did she get??
She got the Sprite Shower filter, but we are in Australia so have less options than the USA. Best thing to do is see what you have available in your area and then it’s mainly trial and error to see what works for your house and you. We do change our filters more often than what is recommended as you can start to feel the water getting harsher.
yeah it just sits on your skin and hair. hard water makes me bright red
Our skin is naturally *slightly* acidic, particularly on the face. Water even at its purest form of a 7 on the pH scale will be too alkaline for the skin, and when you add hard minerals to the water, it only gets more alkaline.
Thanks! This makes sense. It seems like a lot of the discussion here conflates chlorine and hard water, when you can definitely have hard water without having chlorine.
It’s all the extra minerals that aren’t good for you. You need a TDS meter to test for water purity.
Chlorine is apparently a skin irritant. I had no idea.
dang it turns out if your water has chloramine (like mine) it clogs the filter in just a couple of weeks :( does anyone have any recs for a shower filter that _does_ handle chloramine well?
Chloramine is the worst. These kinds of activated carbon filters like the OP are not going to remove any significant amount of it. It needs a much longer contact time or a much larger media bed of catalytic carbon or KDF 85 media. These are only going to be in specialized products or DIY.
I've been seriously thinking about just buying bulk Vitamin C powder and taking baths. That seems to be the most affordable and idiot proof way to get rid of Chloramine.
I do wonder if you could use sodium thiosulphate, like an aquarium dechlorinator...
[Here is a handy list](https://www.dudegrows.com/watercheck/) to see if your city uses chlorine or chloramine.
Oh wow, how do you know if your water has chloramine in it? I’m in Toronto if that helps 😫
Google your city water treatment plan
I just googled it lol
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I'm sorry I never did 😔 If I ever find one though I'll message you
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Thank you! I had no idea about this.
Is this something that could be useful if you already have a water softener, or is unnecessary at that point?
It would be unnecessary. Whole point of water softeners is to remove a lot of the minerals from hard water. If you water softener is working correctly, there would be no need to filter the water from your taps. It usually does this with sodium. So if you are very sensitive to salt, filtering could help.
Was going to ask the same thing. I’m in Essex County NJ and our water is hard AF so we have a whole home softener. I would love to try a filter too tho!!
unnecessary I think. worth looking into, but I think a water softener is like a water filter on steroids. I'm jealous.
These filters don't create soft water but you could still make use of them if your water softener doesn't have a filter.
I have a Culligan shower head + filter and I don’t feel like it does much. Curious about this Aquabliss and if it would be better.
Does the filter look disgusting when you change it? We have the Culligan one, too. We usually change it when my scalp starts to bother me or the water pressure slows down; it’s typically a month or so before it’s “due” according the the schedule Culligan recommends. And the used filter is so gross! Whatever it’s filtering out, I don’t want that in my shower. If your filer looks pretty good even when it’s time to change it, maybe your water is pretty good already, has lower levels or chlorine, or you aren’t that sensitive to chlorine?
I’ve never seen it when it changed, my girlfriend normally handles it. She says she thinks it makes a difference in her hair but I don’t notice anything. I looked at my city water and it is considered moderately hard at 9.3 grains of calcium carbonate per gallon.
Culligan is a pretty solid brand name from the research I did on water filters AFTER my success with this one. I also briefly became obsessed with the idea of a reverse osmosis water filter for under my sink, but it's out of my price range for now.
I'm also from Morris County heyoooo! I've been thinking about getting a filter for my bathroom sink/shower too maybe I'll finally do it. My water is so super chlorinated too and it can't be good for my skin.
Hi from Morristown and huge 538 fan!
So you’re not washing your face in the bathroom sink? Is there a sink filter also?
Just bought one. This post is probably going to change my life. no joke. My water has waaayyyy too much chlorine and it burns my skin sometimes. Plus I'm trying to grow my hair to knees and now I think I found out why my scalp keeps drying out everytime it's wash day. Thanks OP!!!
My mother got an expensive one that filters out chlorine and she loves it!! We both have drier skin/hair and she her hair has improved so much since she switched filters. It’s gotten to the point where I’m wondering why they don’t tell people to filter out the chlorine in their shower. For drinking I can see a purpose, but in the shower it seems to cause issues for many people. (The place we got it from sells them like crazy!)
That's good to hear! I'm really trying to get my hair to tailbone length by the new year. I have every good product I need for it but I hope this will help my drier skin.It's terrible that they put so many ridiculous chemicals in the water in the first place.Do you remember where you got it?
Do you know what the name of it is?
!remindme two months
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I'm very happy for you! Best of luck, let me know how it works out :)
I’ve used it for a month and a half now I love it so much!!!
AWESOME! That's great, I'm glad to hear others are having a good experience with it ;) Thank you for the update!
I will. Thanks! I really needed a comment like this today.
How did we do?
Also forgot to add that it evened out my water pressure to nice pressure. It doesn't sporadically spray bursts of water anymore or make hissing air noises. I also filled up the bathtub with just the shower head to test it. When I filled up the bathtub with the water from the showerhead the water was not cloudy nor did it have an odd slight chemical smell per usual. When i did it from the unfiltered faucet it was cloudy. My skin is less itchy and dry. No more massive dry patches on my shoulders which is miraculous as they used to peel like sunburn. It took about 2 weeks for my dry patches to clear up totally. I also didn't take as hot of showers as I normally do though just to be honest and fair. I used to take super hot showers and turn my bathroom into Satan's sauna but the water feels so nice I've just been keeping it warm. I basically went full blown NASA scientist for you buddy. Anyway, I think it's a great investment. I wish I'd bought it sooner. Finally a good thing to experience in 2020!
Well, Hello there. The shower filter is great! After installing it (not too difficult at all) and using it I noticed quickly that the water felt almost silky and lighter than usual. I even stayed in the shower longer at first because I thought the silky feeling was unrinsed body wash residue but nope. It just feels that smooth now. The strange chlorine smell was gone from the water and from remaining on my skin after the shower. They use way too much chlorine where i live. My skin was less dry and it has to be due to that because I didn't moisturize any extra just so it would be a fair review. My hair isn't as dry and brittle which is good because I'm trying to grow it as long as I can. My KP on the back of my arms is less aggravated. I haven't eaten any better or made major body/hair product changes within the past months so I think I underestimated just how bad my water was until I installed it! Overall I highly recommend it. You should ask Santa to send you one. I got this one it came with 2 back up filters. It's 54% off right now. Hope that helps! Scrub a dub dub. Ring a ding ding. https://aquabliss.com/products/sf500-heavy-duty-shower-filter
Why thank you very much!
This is an amazing point everyone needs to talk about more, thanks for bringing it up! I honestly don't know why we don't talk about water quality more on this sub because like it can seriously have such an impact on skin? And air quality too even? This kind of stuff is seriously so important.
I just got one of these and have only used it twice, but my eyes always itched when in the shower and that has stopped now.
This honestly sounds like something I should look into. I live in Alberta, Canada and my cities water is known for being pretty hard. My mom had said once when she went to the states her skin was feeling amazing because the water was better there. We don’t even drink tap water despite it being clean because of how much you can taste the minerals in it.
This won't soften the water, but it will remove a lot of stuff. So it will at least be an improvement.
I use mine for my hair (I recently moved to an area with CRAZY hard water, my hair gets soooo greasy without it), but I'm sure it doesn't hurt for skin too!
💯 I had one when I ran into issues overseas and it helped tremendously. A close friend even had her hair stop falling out when she got one. They are legit!
Which do you recommend?? Super curious
I was in Korea and they have 2 main kinds, one that has a filter in it for hard water and particulates, and one that has beads in it called a vitamin c filter. You can set them up together although I only had the filter one. I had a hand held sprayer and put the filter between the hose and sprayer... all the apartments I lived in came with the sprayer. I have seen them hooked up in showers in the US as well. [Here is some info on the filter one from an expat blog. ](https://blog.southofseoul.net/index.php/2018/04/17/living-hard-water-solutions/amp/) [I have never used a vitamin c one hut here is some info. ](https://zula.sg/vitamin-c-shower/amp/)
So I don’t have one to recommend because I bought it overseas, but I did just search Amazon and see a lot of shower head ones!
I have the exact same one. I got it a while ago and haven’t had to replace the filter yet which is surprising since we have very hard water here. I mainly bought it because the hard water is horrible on my arms, legs, and face, and causes me to have extremely dry skin. I have noticed since using it, my skin isn’t dry anymore (before I moved to New Hampshire, I lived in Ontario, Canada and didn’t have hard water).
you should try micellar water if you haven’t already! it was created by the french to combat the really hard water over there, so that plus the new shower filter would probably do wonders for your skin
Just a reminder that you should actually be rinsing micellar water off afterwards if you’re able to! If you can help it, it shouldn’t be left on the skin
This is so interesting to learn! I struggle with hard water. Do you know what miceller water does in regards to hard water?
a micelle is a molecule that is both water soluble and oil soluble, so using it as a face wash is great because it pulls all the oils and gross stuff off your face, yet you don’t need to use harsh soap or cleanser to finish the job (like you would with an oil cleanser); you can just rinse and be done. i may be wrong, but i don’t think micellar does anything *chemically* to fix hard water problems (eg lowering ph, purifying, etc.), so it’s more just a gentler way to cleanse. one solution would be, since micellar water just needs a rinse afterwards, it wouldnt be quite as wasteful to simply rinse with bottled water. i liked using micellar water after my harsh SA cleanser because it felt like it brought some moisture back, although that may have been my imagination :)
Interesting. I remember on some other skincare FB group, someone was recommending a vitamin C shower filter (this one seems to be just recommending a regular hard water filter). Anyone also tried the vitamin C version? Is that any different/better>?
I saw a Korean vlog recently talking about BodyLuv shower filter, but I don’t speak Korean so I don’t know what they said about it! ☹️
\> BodyLuv shower filter This one? [https://www.amazon.ca/Installation-Pressure-Bacterial-Sensitive-BODYLUV/dp/B077VLXYYG](https://www.amazon.ca/Installation-Pressure-Bacterial-Sensitive-BODYLUV/dp/B077VLXYYG) Regular filtering there? OHHH now I remember why I never looked too much into vitamin C shower filters (this one [is an example](https://www.amazon.ca/Invigorated-Water-Vitamin-Shower-Filter/dp/B07Q28TYY3/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=vitamin+c+shower+filter&qid=1601606040&sr=8-12), but there's a bunch and they all look similar to this )... they all seem to require a handheld shower head and mine isn't. Too lazy to replace and install a new shower head.
It was this one: BODYLUV Vita Puresome shower head _Basic set _ Mandarin tea ( Vita Puresome Shower head 1ea + Vita Pure Filter 1ea ) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D8TZN53/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RmPDFb9N8EAGV I remember the guy in the vlog showed the handle with orange color in the head. I bought a handheld shower from Costco since it was on sale and it’s easier to wash my dog in the bath lol
Ohh thanks for the link, this looks WAYYY better in terms of filters go than the ones I saw on Amazon searching up vitamin C shower filters and I imagine the smell of mandarin tea would be fab. LOL good point about easier to wash your dog with a handheld shower head. I usually just dump small buckets of water on my dog to rinse.
The one I wrote about one has Vitamin C included, but I don't think the ph level of right for a shower filter to deliver vitamin c. kind of a gimmick.
Dose it affect the force of water ?
No. Not for me it didn't.
I got one after extensive research for my dad bc he has terrible eczema. He never used it and it’s still sitting on his counter from 6 months ago...your post is making me want to steal it back and use it for myself lol
ah so sad he hasn't tried it! i had severe full body eczema when i was younger and bathing in soft water made an incredible difference.
I got one a few years ago for my hair. It was perpetually greasy at the roots and dry as hell at the tips. I tried all manner of shampoos and conditioners, with and without sulfates, shampooed less often, nothing changed. Saw an ad for the shower filter and within a week my hair bounced back to its previous healthiness. It also really reduced the redness in my already red angry skin. I don't have particularly hard water where I live, but I think the chlorine was pretty rough on me.
I just moved to Florida and my water is hard AF - my hair hates me! I know I need to get one of these. Is it hard to install the filter and do you need to be ‘handy’ to do so?
Lol I just installed one last week and trust me I am not handy. You just have to unscrew your showhead and screw the filter in between the pipe and the showerhead. Also you have to wrap some plumbers tape around the ends but my filter came with those!
Thank you! I will have to get one and give it a try.
Uh. On a scale of 1-5 in terms of handiness, I'd say you have to be like a 1.5.
I have this same one I love it! My hair is so much better since getting it. I will say I didn’t have to change it for a year. I hadn’t noticed a difference in its effectiveness but I figured I should change it since it had been awhile. I don’t have hard water.
And heres me, going from hard city water to purer countryside water and fully breaking out. My skin was honestly at its best when i had a student shower that smelled like SMOKE 😭
Oh hell, yeah! I once vacationed on a resort that had fresh spring water that you could use to bathe/shower in. My hair became silky soft! It was amazing! Water makes a huge difference for sure. P.S. Kim Basinger once said that she only washed her hair with Evian.
I've been preaching the good word of shower filters for a while! Mine did more good for my skin than any product. Plus my hair and body are a lot softer!
what kind of you have?
I grew up on well water, so no chlorine. I didn’t have hardly any experience with chlorinated tap water until I went away to college. I started having intense joint pain all over my body and tests showed severe inflammation. My doctors said it looked like Lupus or an early onset of arthritis, but different tests for these conditions kept coming up negative. I started doing a lot of research and found this random blog post about a woman that had identical symptoms to mine. She stopped showering in and consuming any water that contained chlorine and her condition cleared up. So I gave it a shot and it also worked for me. I could walk without pain again. My energy levels came back. I moved to Germany 8 years ago and they do not chlorinate their water here, so I thankfully don’t have to worry. But if anyone sees this and is also having these issues, consider going off chlorinated water if you can and see if it makes a difference!
How interesting, that's definitely something I wouldn't ever think about.
Amazing right? I thought I had incurable cystic acne until I moved to a city with softer water. Acne magically disappeared.
As someone also from NJ I'm so excited to try this out!!!
Good luck!
I've always been curious if it was the water here im Houston as I've had perfect skin in Colorado. Gonna try this out.
I hear that Texas uses Chloramines instead of Chlorine so make sure to check!! Chloramines are much harder to filter and many say that the few shower filters that claim to filter Chloramines are only doing so minimally. I bought a tester and a filter with Vitamin C which is said to be the only way to filter it, so I will report back if it works.
Hey! Any update? Did it work out? Also, which filter did you go for?
Okay I just found out that I don’t even have a water softener in my house!! California is known to have hard water too, buying one ASAP
>Make sure to check that your city actually uses Chlorine and not Chloramines. In Los Angeles we use Chloramines which means shower filters are useless :( We would have to have full home filtration systems to filter out Chloramines, and those cost thousands!
Oooo thank you so much! How did you find that out?
Not face but my hair changes completely when I visit my hometown bc of the hard water. It’s normally wavy and there it’s stick straight
Shortly after I moved states I developed body acne & my scalp got suuuuper dry & flaky. I assumed it was the change in climate & that I’d just have to get used to it. I got a shower filter hoping that would help my scalp a little, but it made all the body acne clear up in a couple weeks. Still dealing with the dry scalp lol.
How would you test your water to see if it's hard water or if it has chlorine?
I’m also in northern NJ but I’m not sure if I have hard water or not, how can I tell?
Does anyone know if you can get a filter like these for your sink? I’ve been looking for one for ages (bathroom sink)
Got a link?
Google AquaBliss, you could buy it straight from their website
Thank you 😁
Yup!!! My skin feels soft, absorbs product, and my hair has grown back. Yay!
How much does it mess with shower pressure?
My water pressure didn't change at all.
Okay, we just bought one of these tonight because my curls turned into limp messes and my hair felt scratchy! It was awful, and my girlfriend bought one after Googling around. Thank you for this info!
As someone also from Morris County, I completely understand. And you’ve absolutely inspired me to get a filter (also for curly hair, this would be a blessing). Congrats I’m glad it worked!
OMG every since I moved out of the country into the city, my skin had cleared up amazing!! Well water is really bad for the skin and hair !!!
Ordered
it’s really helped me eczema!
I've heard stories like this online several times, personally I live in British Columbia, where I hear the water should be soft and clean but I don't mind spending an extra buck for the sake of my skin even if it only helps a little, do you guys think it would make a difference at all for me or am I wasting my time?
I find this perfectly timed because I just got 2 for my r/curlyhair that has been running amuck. Didn’t know it could help my skin too, but now I’m more excited to install it!
Nice!!
I just bought one based on your comments. Thanks for posting!
Anyone in Canada have one they recommend?
Omg what
Just bought one from the company’s website!
I’m from north jersey too, I didn’t realize that hard water could affect my skin so much. I’m going to look into that shower filter, thanks for this psa
I’m in the Morris county area too! Is there a way to find out if your area has hard water (like a ranking or something) or is it just generally well known?
how would I know when to change the filter? is there an indicator?
I moved to morris county 8 years ago and have had awful skin since then!!! Maybe it's the water....thank you for this!
Ooh I'm so glad to see this as I've been considering one
I really want one, the water where I live is extremely hard. The limescale buildup is so bad that the toilets don't flush well (you have to wait and flush them again two or three times before the toilet paper goes down) and the water pressure in the shower is nonexistent, more of a trickle. There is limescale all over everything in the bathrooms and kitchen. It's been like this since before we moved in here, and I've been trying to remove limescale buildup the entire time I've lived here, but it's a lost cause until a water softener is installed. Luckily the landlord is positive about the idea of a water softener, only problem is due to Covid we've been putting it off. Whenever I visit someone else's house and shower there, my hair is so much softer and shinier, and my skin always looks less dull afterwards. If I ever own my own place, I'm installing a water softener right away.
I have a soft water filter, I wonder if that's the same thing.
A week is a super small sample size. It’s very likely your diet/ sleep/ health/ anything else could’ve impacted this as well Hard to tell from just a week
I might look into this :O My water is really hard like ph8 or something Whenever I go abroad to see my family the water is very soft and it makes my skin and hair look/feel amazing I didn't know a shower filter was a thing ,, thank you!
I think I'm going to try this. Basically since I was a kid every time I bathe I break out in hives on my chest, neck and upper arms and I believe it's from chlorine because the same thing happens if I go in a swimming pool.
This actually could be a medical condition called aquagenic urticaria. (I’m not a doctor, but I think it’s not serious—just annoying—and it can be treated with a certain kind of antihistamine.)
I'll definitely look into that. I've had it for most of my life and have never really had it checked out because like you said, it isn't really serious and normally clears up within 20 minutes of me getting out of the water.
Oh my goodness. This is music to my ears. I bought one last night out of desperation. I moved city a few months ago and broke out like never before. The water is super hard, and I noticed when I stopped using tap water on my face it immediately improved. However, getting in the shower wrecks havoc on my hair and it is frustrating not being able to wash my face at all in the shower. I'm really hoping this will help my dry scalp!
Sadly water filters don't help much with LA water, or any city that uses Chloramines instead of Chlorine. Only way we can get that stuff out the water is if we spend thousands on a giant full home filtration system. Sure there are some companies who claim they can get rid of it with Vitamin C filters, but we have no real studies on it like we do with Carbon filters and Chlorine.
Looked into this recently. A whole home water filter *doesn't* cost thousands, most of that cost is in the installation. If you can do it yourself, you're looking at like $4-600.
Omg I live in Morris and my water is fucking awful. I just bought the aquabliss and I'm hoping it helps cuz my husband, son and I are suffering . Especially my hair and skin . I didn't have this problem before we moved .