Is your shower ruining your skin? Here’s the fix

If your skin still feels dry no matter how much lotion you slather on, or if your hair is dull and breaking despite using pricey masks, your shower water — not products — might be to blame.

Nearly 85% of U.S. households have hard water, meaning it’s high in minerals like calcium, magnesium and chlorine. These minerals build up naturally as water flows through soil and rock.

The trouble is, all those minerals can wreak havoc on your skin barrier and scalp. Hard water typically leaves behind a residue that makes it harder for moisturizers to absorb and can dry out your hair and skin over time.

“Unfiltered shower water often contains chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals, which disrupt the skin’s microbiome and natural moisture barrier, leading to dryness, premature aging, and conditions like eczema and acne,” Dr. Robert Dorfman, a Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon, told Harper’s Bazaar. “These same contaminants strip the scalp and hair of natural oils, causing irritation, dandruff, excess oil production, and even increased breakage.”

The fix? Swap in a filtered showerhead.

While whole-home water softeners exist, filtered showerheads are the quickest, easiest upgrade. These devices use materials like KDF-55 (a copper-zinc alloy), activated carbon or calcium sulfite to remove chlorine, heavy metals and other harsh particles before they ever touch your skin.

The result is water that feels gentler, rinses cleaner and helps restore hydration instead of stripping it away. Most filters need to be replaced every three to six months, depending on usage and water quality, to stay effective.