All You Need to Know About a Shower Head Filter

All You Need to Know About a Shower Head Filter

Using showerhead filters is a rising trend as people are becoming more and more cautious about their hair and skin health. A shower head filter removes chlorine and water hardening minerals to ensure that you get water at a balanced pH, which will not harm your hair or skin. Tap water may sometimes contain high concentrations of chlorine or chloramine. These chemicals are potentially harmful to your skin and hair.

Chlorine can cause rashes, blemishes, and acne on your skin. Chlorine also strips the skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry. It is also very harmful to hair as it causes excessive hair fall and leaves your hair looking flat and brittle. Chlorine can also cause dandruff and stiff hair. Therefore it becomes necessary to eliminate the chlorine from the tap water in the shower. 

How Do These Filters Work

Shower filters contain filtration media like KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion). KDF is a granulated zinc alloy that reacts with chlorine and other heavy metals present in tap water to convert them chemically into mild mineral forms. KDF media is also bacteriostatic and thus, inhibits any bacterial growth in the filter. This media is also used to prevent algal growth in carbon filters. 

Another type of commonly used filter is a carbon or charcoal filter. Carbon can remove chlorine from the water. However, a significant disadvantage is that the capacity of carbon decreases with the increase in water temperature. 

KDF and carbon filters are used to remove chlorine. But, to remove chloramine, you’ll need more specialized treatment. For removing chloramine from water, methods like reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration are generally recommended. However, Vitamin C filters can quickly and efficiently remove chloramines from tap water. These filters use ascorbic acid to neutralize up to 90% of chloramine from shower water. 

What Is The Lifespan Of These Filters

On average, a shower head filter lasts for six months. Every filter is designed to treat a different capacity of water. In a house with a family of four, an average KDF filter should last for about eight months. There is no such measuring unit for the lifespan of a shower head filter. One must rely on telltale signs like scumming of soap in water, hair fall, and dry skin to estimate the time to replace the showerhead filter. 

Benefits Of Using A Shower Head Filter

There are many proven benefits of using a shower head filter. While the most obvious benefit is the supply of clean and chlorine-free water, few other benefits are listed below.

- You Don’t Have To Worry About Getting Sick

Shower filters like carbon filters and KDF filters have bactericidal, bacteriostatic, anti-fungal, and anti-algae properties. These filters do not let the microorganisms go through the nozzles and inhibit their growth in the showerhead. Thus, preventing many skin diseases and other infections like flu.

- Get Healthy-Looking Skin And Hair

Water that comes through your taps first undergoes treatment at a municipal facility. This treatment leads to the chlorination of the water. Even a small amount of chlorine can have an adverse effect on your skin and hair. Chlorine makes hair dull and frizzy and causes many skin problems like dryness, acne, etc. The filters eliminate chlorine, chloramine, and other heavy metals from the water, improving the quality of water to wash your hair and body.  

- Reduce The Risk Of Cancer

Upon reacting with hydrocarbons, which are a significant part of all organic matters, chlorine forms a carcinogenic compound known as Trihalomethanes (THMs). The THM does extensive damage to the cells, and thus even the small insignificant quantity of THM can induce a high risk of cancer.  The showerhead filters remove chlorine, preventing the formation of THM and, therefore, reducing the risk of cancer. 

- You Will Feel Less Fatigue After A Shower

Chlorine not only affects the body but also has severe mental repercussions. Exposure to chlorine can cause fatigue, depression, and lowered auto-immune functions. Hot water in the shower turns chlorine into steam, which is inhaled by humans. This chlorine goes into the throat and lungs and is known to irritate these organs. By merely adding a filter to your shower head, you can reduce the feeling of discomfort and feel good after your shower. 

Choose A Filter That Matches Your Need

While purchasing a shower head filter, you should consider a few things- its appearance, features, life span, cost, and efficacy. To help you choose the best product available in the market, Water Filter Guru has compiled and reviewed a list of top shower head filters. Visit their website to access your guide to purchase the best shower head filter.