When you think of showering, you will automatically think about getting clean. This is not always the case, especially if you live in an area that has hard water. Impurities and harsh chemicals such as chlorine can end up leaving you with adverse health problems. You can find that you develop your skin, dandruff, and you may even become allergic to things. In order to fix this problem, you could purchase a shower filter.
Below, you will find some of the best shower filters around, which we have helpfully reviewed for you so that you can see at a glance what their best features are. You will be able to use these reviews to compare the best shower filters on the market so that you can choose the one that is best for you. We have also included a useful buying guide so that you can find even more ways of narrowing it down your search results.
See The Quick Comparison Chart
Do Shower Filters Really Work?
Water filters have been growing in popularity for a while now. Filtering your bathing water is also a growing trend that many people claim to see the benefits from. Shower filters work and are worth it. But the more important question is – do you need one?
It depends on what water you have. If you have hard water, then a shower filter will not help you. They do not soften the water. Such units only remove contaminants from it.
But if your water has chlorine or chloramines, sulfur, lead, and scale, a shower filter will be great for you. What is more, bacteria will build up in your shower head after extended use. Using a shower filter will prevent this process and will protect your skin and hair.
These filters are an inexpensive way to get cleaner water for your daily showers. If you know you have problems with the water, then you may want to consider investing in such a product.
That being said, you should research all of the types, the benefits, and, most importantly – know your water.
Why You Need a Shower Head Water Filter
Just like filtering your drinking water, filtering your shower water has a number of benefits. Some you’ll feel after the second or third, if not the first time you shower with filtered water. After the contaminants and chlorine are removed from the water, you will feel your skin and hair to be softer.
- Overall, your hair and skin will feel and look better.
- Filtered water will reduce dryness in your scalp and skin, and will help with frizzy hair.
- It reduces chlorine in the water. Chlorine causes fatigue and removing it from your daily routine might increase your energy levels.
- Filtered water will prolong your shower head’s life. By eliminating contaminants and preventing limescale, the showerhead won’t get blocked.
- Using a filter on your shower head also means less limescale or hard water circles buildup on tiles, tub, and faucet. This also means less cleaning for you.
- The water filtration system removes bacteria that otherwise would get on you.
- The filters are cost-effective, low-maintenance, and easy to replace. There are different price ranges for shower filters, most are affordable, but you can find pricier ones.
Did you know that when you shower, most of the chlorine and chloramine compounds are in the steam that you breathe? It goes straight into your lungs. Having a shower filter will eliminate this problem, as well. Consider this if you are into relaxing steam showers.
Fact: Chlorine is bad for colored hair. Shower filters are thus beneficial for all colored hairs as they remove the chlorine from the water.
Other contaminants that a shower filter will get rid of are lead, iron, mercury, and hydrogen sulfides. Your skin is your largest organ, and it is exposed the most when you’re in the shower. Your skin absorbs everything from the water. Removing most of the contaminants and chlorine will protect you from their harmful effects.
Best Shower Filters Comparison Chart
PRODUCT | DETAILS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Barclay’s Buy’s Shower Head with Shower Filter Included |
| View On Amazon | ||
Sprite HO2-WH-M Universal Shower Filter |
| View On Amazon | ||
Berkey KDSF-HEAD KDF Shower Filter with Massaging Shower Head |
| View On Amazon | ||
Culligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mount Filtered Showerhead |
| View On Amazon | ||
Aquasana Premium Shower Filter without Shower Head |
| View On Amazon | ||
Rainshow’r CQ-1000-MS Shower Filter with Massaging Shower Head |
| View On Amazon |
Best Shower Filter Reviews (Updated List)
1. Barclay’s Buy’s Shower Head with Shower Filter Included
When you want super clean water, your best choice is the clearly pure showerhead. You can deliver completely clean water to your family thanks to this water filter. It can effectively remove 80 to 90% of the chlorine that is in the water, In addition to many dissolved solids, for example, lead which can be harmful to the user.
This water filter comprises of three main parts. These parts are an ion box, a sponged to filter the water, and sulfite stones. You will need to replace the cartridge at around 8 to 10 months.
This showerhead has a modern appearance that will add to the look of your bathroom. You can choose from three separate water flow settings including the brain, massage, and a combination of the two.
This showerhead can save you water thanks to the flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute. Even though the flow is restricted, the technology that is used in the showerhead will ensure that the water pressure still feels high when it comes out of the shower.
This is a luxurious shower head that will look great in your bathroom. You can use it for a relaxing and spa-like experience whilst you can be sure that the water that comes out of it is completely clean. Thanks to the water filter, which only needs to be replaced every 8 to 10 months, you can have clean water that is safe for the whole family to use. The 3-inch faceplate of this showerhead ensures that you get good coverage from the water flow as well as high-pressure thanks to the showerhead’s design.
2. Sprite HO2-WH-M Universal Shower Filter
Your water may be making you ill. This Sprite universal shower filter can safely and efficiently remove the chemicals and minerals out of your water supply to leave you with clear and refreshing water to bathe in. The great thing about this water filter that sets it aside from other filters out there is that this one is reversible. Instead of giving you just a few months when it comes to the lifetime of the filter cartridge, this one gives you up to a year. This will save you money and will also mean that you don’t need to worry about replacing the filter for a good while.
This filter has a high output so you can be sure that you can enjoy the best possible pressure. Even under higher pressure, this filter will effectively and efficiently remove the chlorine out of the water, which is usually quite harmful to hair and skin. It will also remove the other impurities in the water. This is quite simply the strongest filter that is available.
The 3 setting showerhead that comes with this water filter is of high quality and durable. It will allow you to choose the water flow setting that you want to use and you can select from a high-pressure jet and a drenching and relaxing rainfall, or a combination of the two for an effective showering experience.
This shower filter with head allows you to replace your existing showerhead with a smarter appliance that will give you clean water for a long time.
3. Berkey KDSF-HEAD KDF Shower Filter with Massaging Shower Head
If you’ve had enough of your showerhead becoming clogged or looking dirty, you can take advantage of this high-quality Berkey shower filter which is effective and affordable. It is capable of reducing the amount of chlorine in your water by up to 95%, which means that you have reduced chemical absorption in your skin and you will inhale fewer vapors as a result.
You will not need to do so much work to keep this shower filter shower head clean, as the filter is able to take all the impurities out of even the hardest of water. That means less limescale, less mold and no fungus in the shower. You won’t see white powdery mineral buildups and the nozzles will not become clogged as they can in showerheads without a filter.
The reduction-oxidation or redox reaction that happens with the water that passes through this water filter ensures that any chlorine in the water will be turned into chloride, which is harmless to us and our bodies. The KDF filter that is used in this showerhead requires a cartridge to work, and this will need to be replaced every few months in order to ensure that it continues to protect you against the harmful chemicals and substances that are in your water supply.
The showerhead that comes with this water filter is high quality and will provide you with a spa-like massaging function. It is made from durable materials and has an elegant finish to ensure that it will fit well into your bathroom with its existing furniture.
4. Culligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mount Filtered Showerhead
Culligan is a great brand that you can rely on when it comes to high-quality bathroom accessories. This filtered shower head is one of the best that you can find on the market and it can deliver you clean and safe water every time.
The filter is such good quality that it can reduce 99% of the chlorine in your water supply, meaning that you can enjoy a safer showering experience as well as ensure that your hair and skin can be as soft as possible. The sulfur odors and limescale will be removed through the filter so that your water will actually smell cleaner as well as having fewer minerals in. If you have minerals in your water supply, you will experience mineral buildup, which can make your showerhead look unsightly and can cause it to clog.
This showerhead has a stationary design. This means that you will need to install it onto a bracket that does not move around. This may not be suitable for those who are looking for a handheld showerhead.
The filter itself offers you up to 10,000 gallons of use. This is not as much as some of the other shower filters on the market, but it will still mean that you will be able to use the shower filter for a few months before you need to replace it.
The showerhead that comes with this water filter can offer you 5 different spray settings including a massaging feature. It has a wide spray face so that you can get maximum coverage and the nozzles are made of rubber so that they will not clog over time.
5. Aquasana Premium Shower Filter without Shower Head
This Aquasana shower filter comes without a showerhead. If you would like to simply add a shower filter to your shower, you can do so with this filter. Make sure that you take care when removing your existing showerhead if you intend to use it again on this filter.
This shower filter is just what you need in order to improve your health and beauty. It can remove over 90% of the chlorine in your water supply so that you can enjoy the benefits of purer water. This can leave you with softer skin, silkier hair, and an overall healthier look about you.
The reason why this shower filter is able to purify your water so well is that of the dual-stage filtration that is built into it. The filter does not simply filter the shower water once, but there are two different filters to ensure that the water is as clean as it possibly can be.
This shower filter not only purifies the water by removing sediments and chemicals, but it can also alter the pH of the water to leave you with optimized water.
Although this shower filter does not come with a showerhead, you will be able to fit one with ease. The filter has been designed to fit with most shower head attachments, which means that you can either save money and simply re-use your old showerhead, or you could find a brand new shower head that you like and install that when you install this filter.
You will get a one year warranty with this showerhead, which protects your purchase against manufacturer’s defects in the first year.
6. Rainshow’r CQ-1000-MS Shower Filter with Massaging Shower Head
Have you ever wondered why your skin seems to need a lot of additional products to keep it looking young? Maybe it’s your water supply. Using Rainshow’r CQ-1000-MS Shower Filter will give you the chance to get younger-looking skin that will be healthier as well as softer hair that is easier to style and look after.
This shower filter uses an NSF certified KDF filter. This ensures that more than 90% of the chlorine in your shower’s water supply will be removed as you shower so that you can enjoy the better water. This will leave your color-treated hair looking brighter for longer and any dryness that you may have on your skin and scalp will quickly clear up.
The cartridge that is used in this shower filter can handle up to 25,000 gallons. This translates to around 6-9 months, depending on the amount of use that your shower gets. This time, the frame is based on the use of a family of four, which means that you can have high expectations of this shower filter.
As long as you take care of the showerhead and keep up with regular cleaning, you can be sure that this high-quality shower filter head will last for many years.
This shower filter comes with high quality, brand name shower filter. This has an Amcor massage head and it is suitable for replacing the showerhead on a handheld shower assembly. You won’t need any special tools in order to install this shower filter and it can be installed by anyone in just a couple of simple steps.
How Does a Shower Filter Work?
Filters for showerheads come in different styles and sizes, just like shower heads do. They are convenient because they are installed directly onto the showerhead and filter the water as it runs. This eliminates any waiting periods or unused filtered water.
There are different types of filters, but which one is the best for you would depend on the water in your home. The three most used are:
- Carbon filter – this is the most common type and is used in various filtration systems for the house. But the carbon isn’t very durable when used with hot water. This makes it a bit useless for people who shower with very hot water. This filter is the cheapest option however and is the least effective of the three filter types. In case you enjoy hot baths, we recommend that you read our direct vent water heater reviews.
- Vitamin C filter – this type is considered to be the best method to filter shower water. It filters out up to 99% of the chlorine and chloramines from the water. These filters use pure Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) to interact with water contaminants and neutralize them. This makes these shower filters the most expensive of the three;
- KDF (kinetic degradation fluxion) filtration system – these filters use two metals – zinc and copper in equal parts. They are dissimilar and create an electrical charge which affects other metals and minerals found in the water. The downside is that these filters do not eliminate chloramines and aren’t much effective with low-pressure showers.
If you are suffering from low or high water pressure at home, consider getting either an effective low-flow showerhead or a top-notch high-pressure showerhead.
Most shower filters use a chemical reaction to eliminate most of the water contaminants, hard minerals, chlorine, and other chemical impurities. This leaves the water that comes of out your shower much safer and beneficial to your body and home.
Shower Filter Buying Guide – Things to Consider
Whenever you shower, your skin will absorb some substances from the water. The water that comes from your water supply contains all kinds of chemicals and small particles. Even though it may look clear, this does not mean that it is clean. Chlorine is a chemical that is contained in your water supply and although it is not fatally harmful in the quantities that exist in your water supply, it can still cause damage to your body. You’ll notice this damage to your hair and your skin.
There are also other things such as having metals and compounds in your water supply. In order to remove these past chemicals and substances from your water supply, you should be able to filter them, however, when you try to filter through a shower, the water is hot and wonders very high-pressure. This means that carbon filters, which are usually the filters of choice to remove chlorine, do not operate well due to the volume of water and the heat of the shower. Because of this, you’ll find that most shower filters are made using a kind the metal called KDF.
You should ensure that you are choosing the best shower filter for your water. There will be a lot of factors that this depends on, including your budget and the kind of shower head that you are looking for.
Vitamin C filters
A vitamin C shower filter can remove chlorine from the water well. You may not know this, but in most of the water, companies are now using chloramine in their water pure refined process, as it is better for disinfecting the water than chlorine. The problem with using chloramine is that it is not removed from the water well.
If you use a carbon filter for this, you will find that the temperature of the water will prevent the filter from working and it is likely to get clogged up very fast. The KDF filters, which are very cheap, don’t really perform all that well in hot water. This is because they are not effective at removing chloramine. If you want to ensure that the chloramine is removed from your water. You should try to pick up a vitamin C filter. This kind of water filter is highly effective when it comes to removing quarantine from your water supply in your shower.
Type of Shower Head
If you are looking to replace your existing showerhead at the same time as you purchase your water filter, you should make sure that you look at getting a water filter that comes with a showerhead. Buying a shower filter that also comes with a showerhead will certainly save you money in comparison to purchasing both items separately.
You will be able to find a great range of water filter showerheads out there, including the ones that have been listed in these reviews. They come in a variety of styles and they have different features from one another. If you would like, you can get a shower filter that comes with a showerhead that can give you a complete spa experience.
Price
There are a number of things to consider when you are trying to decide if the shower filter is worth the price tag. The material that the shower filter and the accompanying showerhead will give you an idea of how durable to the unit is. If you find one that is made of stainless steel, the shower itself will be heavier than ones that use a plastic construction, however, the body will usually be of a much higher quality. As stainless steel does not rust, you can be sure that the shower filter and the showerhead will last.
Another factor that determines how good value the shower filter is includes the features that the shower filter and the showerhead have to offer. Just like with a standard showerhead, you can get different spray functions with these shower filters. You should ensure that you could get the shower filter that has all the spray options that you want.
Check how often you need to replace the filter. If you need o to replace the filter every couple of months, you will find that the shower filter starts to be a very expensive purchase. Look out for the ones that have cartridges that can last from 8 to 10 months to get the best value from your purchase.
Water Pressure
High water pressure isn’t great for water filters and plumbing regulations also state that faucets and showers have a restricted pressure output. In order to maintain this lower pressure, shower filters and showerheads are fitted with a restrictor valve. This valve ensures that the pressure of the flow is not too strong. If you have normal water pressure, you will need to ensure that the water filter that you choose has a standard restrictor valve so that you can be confident that your purchase meets regulations and that you can save money and water each time you use the shower.
If you have particularly low water pressure in your home, then you should look out for the water filters with showerheads that have a removable restrictor valve. These showerheads maintain the lower pressure for the home that has standard water pressure. Those who have low pressure can simply choose to remove the valve before they install the filter.
Installation
You should ensure that the water filter specifies that it is easy to install. Most shower filters allow the user to install the appliance without the use of any tools, but you should check before you buy it.
Warranty
To provide you with peace of mind when you purchase a new shower filter, you can purchase items that come with a long warranty. Some companies will offer you a number of years, whilst others will offer a limited lifetime warranty. Whilst this will not be a deciding factor when it comes to buying your shower filter, you will be able to determine the manufacturer’s faith in their products.
How to Install a Shower Filter
If you are considering purchasing a new shower filter, you should use this guide so that you know how to install it. Installing a shower filter is not usually a difficult task, so you should attempt to do it yourself. This will save you money, as you will not need to call a plumber.
- The first thing that you will need to do when you are installing a new shower filter is to remove your existing showerhead. You may need to use the rental players to do this. If your new shower filter comes with a showerhead, you will be able to simply replace the old showerhead. If you have only purchased the filter, you should be very careful when removing your existing showerhead so that you can replace it later.
- Once you have removed your old showerhead, you will see that there are exposed threads on the shower pipe. You should wrap white plumbers tape around these threads so that you can be sure that there will be no leaks when you add the filter.
- You should now connect to the top of the filter onto your existing shower pipe. Most filters can be installed without any special tools, so you should only tighten this into place using your hand. You should still make sure that you’d screw it on tightly so that you can create a tight seal. Sometimes, you may need to use a wrench to make sure that the filter is connected well.
- You should now reattach showerhead, or attach your new showerhead. This should be attached to the bottom of the filter housing.
- You will now be able to turn on your shower to check to see if it works. You should make sure that you gradually turn on the flow of water so that you can be prepared to stop the shower again just in case there are any weeks. If you notice that the shower is leaking from anywhere, you should turn off your water supply again and tighten the connections.
How Often Should I Change a Shower Filter?
Every filter comes with a capacity that is specified on the box or in the instruction manual. The average life of a filter can vary anywhere between 10,000 gallons to six or more months. However, it’s all relative because filter life is based on the average household’s water consumption. This means that how often you change the shower filter depends on how big your family is and how often you use the unit.
You should be able to tell when it’s time to change it as you will feel the water flow decrease. Another sign that it’s time to replace it is seeing the blocked holes in the showerhead.
Wrap Up
In order to have the softest skin and to ensure that your hair stays in good condition, you need a shower filter. The shower filter can even keep your hair dye and your perm looking better for longer. There will be fewer chemicals and impurities in your shower water.
Hopefully, you will now have a good idea of the different kinds of shower filters that are available thanks to our helpful shower filter reviews. Even if you have never even thought about getting a shower filter before, you can find out everything that you need to know in our buying guide. Take your time to make your decision. Remember that shower filters are generally very easy to install. You will be able to use our installation guide in order to save some money and install it for yourself. Remember that shower filters use cartridges that become less effective over time. Thus, you will need to order spares so that you will be able to replace it when the time comes.
Get yourself spoiled by an IR sauna or a high-technology Bluetooth shower speaker now!