[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If ever there was a time I envied someone’s home-item purchase it was when my bestie bought a whole-house water filter. She got it professionally installed after long hours of poring over products and companies, and it cost a chunk of change, but the payoff was worth it, she said. I later experienced the upside myself when I visited her: Turn any tap, and smell … nothing.
If your home has “hard” water — and
odds are it does — you're familiar with the
chlorine-infused smell that wafts from your faucets. That agua
also generally has calcium and magnesium and could very well have aluminum, barium, strontium, iron and zinc. Lead, copper and nitrates too. Hopefully nothing worse.
Less common is
“soft” water, or softened water, which doesn't smell like chlorine, at least in my experience. Soft water is a wonder. Your skin feels slippery under its stream, deceiving you into believing the soap you used is still slick on your skin. What you're feeling, though, is your skin against your skin because the minerals and other stuff found in hard water aren't in the way. It's delightful (and what I love about showering at my parents' house, which has softened well water).
If neither whole-house filtration nor a water-softening system are in the cards for you, a
shower filter probably is. Consider it a reasonably priced gift to yourself and whoever else scrubs down in your stall. I've purchased shower filters for my homes since 2009. Given my track record, it's clear that I favor them. Here's why:
1. Your water quality will improve
By definition, a filter makes whatever you filter more pure. So if you want better water quality, filtering helps you get there.
For the most part, though, you can count on municipal tap water to be safe in a broad sense; it gets monitored and must meet certain federal standards — though legal standards are not always equal to what
watchdog groups consider safe (you should be able to pull up local water-quality reports through your service provider). And public water is not foolproof. Aging pipes can leach impurities into water as it travels to your home, and skin easily absorbs cancer-causing trihalomethanes, which form when chlorine mixes with organic matter.
I reported on these problems and more when they plagued several communities in Florida. Also, if you have well water and aren't testing it, no one knows what's in your draw.
2. Your skin won't itch or feel dry
There are lots of different shower filters, from basic to advanced. Many remove chlorine, chloramine (chlorine and ammonia) and minerals, all of which can irritate skin, as well as
aggravate eczema and psoriasis.
Chlorine and chloramine, chemicals used to disinfect water, dry skin. Spend a while in a chlorinated pool to see and feel these effects. Meanwhile, minerals, which are naturally occurring, can create a film on your skin, preventing water's moisture from penetrating. Reducing chlorine and minerals means your skin and scalp feel better.
3. You can use less — and perhaps no — moisturizer
Pretty logical: If your skin isn't dry, you don't need moisturizer. And, if you think about it, taking a shower or bath wherein you remove so much moisture that you have to put it back is kind of ridiculous. Of course, taking cool (or at least not hot) showers and spending less time in the tub helps protect your skin from dryness. Remember too that
your skin has its own microbiome, and stripping it of its natural oils and then putting moisturizer on it messes with its balance (which is why there's a well-researched
school of thought against skin washing altogether.)
4. Your hair will be more lustrous
Much as it affects your skin, chlorine robs your hair of moisture. Less of it means your hair won't dry out as much. Fewer minerals mean strands of your hair are less laden, so they move more freely. For those same reasons your hair will feel softer too. I can attest to it.
5. Your soap and shampoo will be more effective (and last longer)
Same idea here as mentioned previously: Chlorine and minerals can muck things up, including lathering of soap and shampoo. This is frustrating and forces you to use more of both. Another experience I can attest to.
6. Your lungs will feel better
Back to the chlorinated pool, especially one in an enclosed space. The area smells like bleach. Obviously a swimming pool has much more chlorine than water piped into your home, but the source is the same whether you’re in the YMCA or your bathroom.
There's a reason you're not supposed to use bleach without ventilation — it's not good for you to breathe in, so why inhale any if you don't have to?
7. Your eyes won't burn
Along with the bleachy smell of chlorine, which stings the lungs, there's the bleachy feel of chlorine, which stings the eyes. Again, our pool example: If you’ve opened your eyes underwater in a chlorinated pool, you know what I mean. Less chlorine means more comfort for your peepers.
Mitra Malek is a longtime news journalist turned wellness writer and editor. She plans to purchase a whole-house water filtration system once she settles into a home for the long haul.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Product Spotlight" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image="162063" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1661796107965{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/new-wave-enviro-premium-shower-filter-gloss-white-finish"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
