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Why tap water damages acne-prone skin 

*Note: this resource guide doesn’t focus on hard water. Hard water will also eff up your face but in a different way🫠. I am writing a separate guide to help you determine if you have hard water and what you can do about it.

If you live on planet Earth, then chances are, you need a shower filter. 

If you’re struggling with acne, eczema, dermatitis, Rosacea, or any other skin condition and you’re showering or washing your face and skin with unfiltered tap water then I can guarantee it’s having a massively negative impact on your skin. 

While modern tap water is rendered safe to drink by adding chlorine or chloramines to kill bacteria, and doing so won’t make you acutely ill, it’s full of residual chlorine, pesticide residues, heavy metals, PCBs, forever chemicals, and other junk. This problem is particularly prevalent in the USA and Canada because the water treatment facilities do not have the technology to filter out these contaminants, nor do they care to invest the money needed to do so. 

Side Note: If you don’t already drink filtered water, then I highly suggest you invest in a countertop or under-the-sink Reverse osmosis system. I won’t be focusing on drinking tap water in this article, but for the record, yes drinking tap water is bad for your health (Source). 

The biggest problem with using tap water to wash your face and body is the chlorine content. Studies have demonstrated the negative impact this has on the skin (Source, Source). While a lot of the other contaminants in water haven’t been studied adequately as it relates to skin impact, it would be reasonable to assume that washing your face with water that contains heavy metals, pesticide residues, and forever chemicals is not ideal for healthy, glowing skin 🫠

And if you want to have bad dreams tonight, enter your zip code into this database and you’ll see all the junk in your water supply. It is truly ICK. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to drink it and I sure as heck don’t want to bathe in it either! I know the dose makes the poison, but when you compound these contaminants over years and years, you have a recipe for disaster in both your body and on your skin. 

So what does chlorine do to your skin? 

• It’s drying and dehydrating (Source)
• It’s irritating
• It strips your skin of its natural protective layer and oils
• It’s a pro-oxidant and causes free radical damage
• It disrupts your microbiome and alters the healthy balance of bacteria on your skin (Source) 

Personal note: I had Eczema my entire life. I was given topical steroids, creams, ointments and had to take bleach baths. To this day, I still don’t understand why Doctors never recommended using a shower filter because it could have easily prevented YEARS of suffering— when I started using a shower filter in my early 20s all my Eczema disappeared in 4 weeks and it never came back.

Shower, Tap & Whole-House Filter Shopping Tips

If you’re going to invest in a shower filter or filter to use at your sink when you wash your face there are a few things to know that will help you make a more informed buying decision:

• Most shower and tap filters do a great job at removing chlorine and remove anywhere form 80-95% of the total chlorine content.
• Proper filters will also remove heavy metals and some other contaminants like pesticide and industrial waste residues.
• Shower and tap filters DO NOT soften your water. If you have an issue with hard water you’ll also need a water softener system (I’ll be releasing a different guide on this shortly!)
• Shower and tap filters also DO NOT remove PFAs or PFOAs, which are also known as ‘forever chemicals’. The only filters capable of removing these contaminants are reverse osmosis systems. RO systems are not practical to use in a shower or at a tap because they have a super slow trickle-like flow rate. 
• Make sure the filter is NSF tested. This means the filter components were tested by an independent laboratory to actually reduce the chlorine and/or contaminants they're claiming to reduce.
• Take into account if you’re going to need a detachable showerhead, as not all filters come with hand-held options. 
• If you live in an area that uses chloramine instead of chlorine to treat your water, you will need to buy a specific filter add-on. To find out if your town uses chloramine, contact your local water treatment authority. 
• Decide if you just want to go big and install a whole house filter where your water tank is located (If you own your home, this can be more cost-effective long-term).

Recommended Shower, Tap, and Whole House Filters for Acne-Prone Skin

You’ll probably notice that some of the popular filters you see influencers recommending on social media are absent from this list. 

While some of those filters are sleek and sexy looking, I exclude them if they aren’t NSF certified, don’t make their testing data available and/or if they make false claims about softening hard water which is blatantly false advertising. 

Shower Filters

Jolie

The best-looking filter of the bunch. It’s sleek and beautiful while still being NSF 3rd party tested for effectiveness. It also comes in 4 gorgeous colors including a beautiful, brushed gold. 

Pick this one if you want something that works without compromising on aesthetics. 

Aquasana

Not the best-looking filter but it’s a reliable work-horse and I used one for years without issue. It’s relatively affordable and Aquasana has great customer service. Tip: I do not recommend buying the hand-held shower attachment because it does not work well. 

Pick this one if you want to use your filter with a separate handheld shower attachment. This is the one I recommend and have used it with this filter.

Aquayouth

Well designed and NSF-certified. It’s super affordable and also compatible with your existing hand-held shower attachment. Replacement filters are also cheap. 

Pick this one if you want an affordable option. 

Shower Filter add-on for water high in chloramine

Aquayouth

This is meant to be used in conjunction with a carbon shower filter to remove chloramine. For best results, I would pair it with their 2.0 Carbon filter. 

Faucet Mount Filter

Pur

This is the only faucet mount filter on the market that has been 3rd party tested to remove chlorine and other contaminants. I do not recommend any of the popular faucet mount filters that influencers are using because the companies making them have not made any of their own testing data available and they’re also not 3rd party tested.

Tip: Make sure your bathroom sink faucet shape allows this filter to fit properly. Most do no problem. 

Whole House Filters

Installing a whole house filter can be expensive but most of them are rated to last 5-10 years. This is the one I used in my home and while it cost around $700 + installation from a plumber it was well worth it. If you’re replacing your shower filter every few months, it can get expensive and if you have a faucet filter as well it can become quite pricey. 

The benefit of a whole-house filter is that you won’t need to install any add-ons to your faucets or showers. Your clothes will also come out cleaner, with way less fading and your dishes will be cleaner too. 

And because the filtration system is so large in a whole-house filter, it removes even more chlorine and contaminants in your water— whole-house filters remove up to 97% of chlorine, while shower filters usually only remove 80-85%. 

Aquasana

This is the filter I had installed in my home and it lasted 5 years before it needed to be replaced. I highly recommend a whole-house filter if you own your home and plan on living there for at least another 5 years. 

The only con of this filter is for most people you will need to hire a plumber to do the installation which takes about 2 hours. I recommend you discard the plastic attachment pipes it comes with and have the plumber use copper piping which is much more durable, and higher quality. 

Recap

The key takeaway if you’re acne-prone or suffering from another skin condition: Tap water reinforces the negative cycle of dehydration, irritation, inflammation, and microbiome dysbiosis (imbalance) in your skin. Using a quality shower, faucet, or whole house filter is one of the key ways you can help break this cycle and start to heal your skin. 

If you have questions or need help troubleshooting what filter is best for you, let me know in the comments ❤️

Cheers,

Christina

Founder, Authentic Ego