Is Your Shower Giving You Bad Skin?

Stepping into the shower to rinse off the sweat, grime, and dirt of the day sounds like the perfect way to end the night. But do you really know what is in that water? Depending on where you live, it might be chlorine. Though it’s not really harmful in small amounts, you might be exposed to it everyday and not even realize it. Some water companies will add chlorine to kill any harmful bacteria. It’s great for killing all those dangerous pollutants, but it could also cause some significant damage to your skin and hair.

This might be the reason why your skin might feel tight or flaky after a shower, or why your blonde hair turns brassy when you haven’t gone swimming since summer. Chlorine can make your skin dry or sensitive, irritate your eyes, make your hair frizzy and change colors, and may even aggravate asthmatics.

This chemical strips the skin and scalp of its natural oils. That’s why you’ll notice some cracking or dryness on your skin, which can lead to premature wrinkles. And because your scalp is also losing those oils, your hair is losing vitamins that would keep it shiny and healthy.

The best way to get rid of that chlorine is to install a shower filter. Not everyone drinks water straight from the sink, and you’ll often see a filter for your drinking water—so why not for your skin and body?

You can find inexpensive shower filters at your local hardware store, but hair brand T3 has created a line of shower filters specifically targeted for dry, unmanageable hair and skin. This filter uses a chemical filtration process that turns chlorine into harmless particles unable to be absorbed by the skin or hair. By filtering out chlorine, your water stays pure and your skin and hair will see results within 10 washes.

That means radiant, soft skin and fewer frizzes in your hair. And if you’re a blonde or have color treated hair, you’ll also see you hair staying the way you want it. No more brassy locks, just luxurious healthy skin and hair.

T3 Source Showerhead, $130, available now at sephora.com