Could A New Showerhead Give You Shinier Hair?

Taking good care of your hair starts with the basics, such as getting regular haircuts, avoiding harsh chemicals, and protecting against damaging heat. Of course, washing your hair is where it all begins, yet, surprisingly, some people find they have been shampooing their hair wrong their whole life.

Shampooing mistakes include washing your hair every day, which doesn't allow natural oils to disperse throughout the strands to nourish them. However, you shouldn't go too long without washing either, since bacteria, environmental pollutants, and dead skin cells can congregate. The ideal intervals to wash your hair is two or three times a week.

When you wash your hair, you'll also want to stand under the shower and allow the water to gently remove any debris such as dirt, dust allergens, and hair care product build-up before adding any shampoo. It's also important to make sure your water pressure and quality are optimal, and some hair care experts say a certain type of showerhead may help your hair get in ideal condition. 

A showerhead that filters your water removes contaminants that are unfortunately a part of regular drinking water in many areas. These include chlorine, bacteria, and heavy metals, and they have the potential to damage your hair and skin. 

Chlorine found in pools is commonly known to damage hair, but it's difficult to know exactly how much is in your water. "At higher levels, chlorine is known to be drying and can lead to a rash on the skin known as contact dermatitis," Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D. tells Good Housekeeping. "Chlorine, sodium chloride, magnesium carbonate, bicarbonates, sulfates, calcium, iron, and aluminum can be added to the treatment process to remove particles [and] kill bacteria, parasites, and viruses," explains trichologist Amanda Buechner (via CNN). "This makes the water safe for consumption but oftentimes not great for the hair structure and scalp."

Luckily, there may be a solution. Hair experts are raving over filtered showerheads and saying they make quite a difference in attaining shiny and luxurious locks. 

No matter how much you clean your showerhead, the water that comes out of it may still be a problem. "Without a shower filter, the chemicals used in water treatment plants can wreak havoc on the hair. Some of these elements will create a crystallizing effect on the hair when mixed with certain ingredients in hair products," says Amy Buechner, as per CNN. "This can leave the hair feeling dry and brittle, causing breakage. The hair can become hard to manage with frizz and tangles. The scalp is also at risk of becoming dry and flaky."

To test the theory of filtered showerheads being better for hair, PureWow writer Catrina Yohay chronicled her trial period using a Jolie filtered showerhead. She writes that her hair has never been better. "My hair looks shinier, my strands feel softer and my natural highlights are slowly creeping back in (in January, no less!)."

While there are several filtered showerheads on the market to choose from, it seems that the Jolie filtered showerhead is one of the most popular. If you want to try out a filtered showerhead, they can be attached just as any other basic showerhead and are quite easy to install.