The Best Filtered Shower Heads for Smoother Skin & Hair, According to a Dermatologist

Dealing with hard water, low water pressure, or dull hair and skin? If you said yes to all or any of those, then you need a filtered shower head. It’s a simple (and rental-friendly) addition to any shower system that can increase your water flow, and remove impurities from your tap water, thereby improving the health of your hair and skin. To get to the top and bottom of this topic, I consulted with board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Sheila Farhang, to bring you the best filtered shower heads. Let’s get into what a shower head does and how it can benefit your body.

What Is a Filtered Shower Head?

According to Dr. Farhang, a filtered shower head is “designed to remove impurities from water, specifically ‘hard water contaminants’ such as the minerals calcium and magnesium.” And while it’s safe to drink in low amounts, these impurities could “potentially affect the skin and hair in certain people that deal with dry eczematous skin and/or dry, brittle hair.”

So, keep on scrolling for more benefits to your skin and hair, plus our expert shower filter picks, along with spray settings and filter replacement info for each showerhead.

The Best Filtered Shower Heads

The Best Overall: Expert Pick

• Head diameter: 5.33 inches 
• Spray settings: 1  
• Filter replacements: $36, every 90 days ($34.20 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “It does what they say it does. My skin feels so much better since using this showerhead. My hair even feels different and my scalp has improved from being dried out. Ever house should have one.”

The Best Budget-Friendly Option: Expert Pick

• Spray settings: 1  
• Filter replacements:$19.99 $16.39 every 90 days ($14.75 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “Since installing this filter, my hair is softer and I shed less. I also have softer skin. This is great if you have harder water at your house and are looking to reduce the amount of hardness in the water.”

The Most Popular Filtered Shower Head on Amazon

• Spray settings: 1 
• Filter replacements: $17.99, every 90 days ($16.19 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “I no longer feel the dry, itchy skin on my face and head. It was easy to install, no leaking. Big difference in the way my body feels. Perfect for apartment showers with old pipes.”

The Best Handheld Filtered Shower Head

• Head diameter: 5 inches 
• Spray settings: 9
• Filter replacements: One review mentions filters lasting 6 months.
• One shopper wrote: “Before I bought this i was dealing with dull extra dry hair from well water. This shower head is such a game changer. In less than 3 days I noticed a difference in not only my hair but also my skin. No break outs or super dry skin. This is definite must if you have hard water.”
   

The Filtered Shower Head With the Best Water Pressure

• Head diameter: 7 inches 
• Spray settings: 1 
• Filter replacements: $29, every 90 days ($26.10 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “Amazing pressure, maybe even too hard if you have sensitive skin! Absolutely love so far. Took 30 seconds to install. Comes with a wrench and plumbers tape but I screwed it on manually without the wrench and 0 leakage. Highly recommend.”

The Best Filtered Shower Head for Hard Water

• Head diameter: 4.5 inches 
• Spray settings: 1 
• Filter replacements: $22.95, every 180 days ($20.65 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “My mind is absolutely blown away by this shower head! I had very very bad shower pressure and VERY hard water, this shower head gave me more water pressure and has taken away my dry skin! If you are thinking about purchasing this shower head let me be the voice that tells you to DO IT!”
   

The Most Insta-Worthy Filtered Shower Head

• Spray settings: 3
• Filter replacements: $79, every 90 days ($59 with subscription)

The Best Filtered Shower Head Subscription Deal

• Head Diameter: 7 inches
• Stream settings: 3
• Filter replacements: $75, every 90 days ($40 with subscription)
• One shopper wrote: “This whole system has made a night and day difference with my eczema and hair. So much so that I can tell when I need a new filter just from what my skin starts doing when it’s time! Love canopy and will be a customer for as long as they make these great products!”
   

How Might a Filtered Shower Head Help Your Skin & Hair?

Dr. Farhang broke down all the benefits of a filtered shower head for us:

•For Skin:

• Helps maintain hydration by preserving the skin’s natural oils
• Reduces redness, irritation, and flare-ups for people with eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis, or dandruff on the scalp
• May help prevent keratosis pilaris (“chicken skin”) from worsening, as hard water can contribute to clogged hair follicles
• Can improve overall skin texture by minimizing mineral residue that can cause tightness and roughness

•For Hair:

• Prevents mineral buildup on the scalp and hair strands, which can lead to dullness, breakage and even dandruff
• Reduces dryness and frizz by preventing excessive stripping of natural oils
• May enhance the effectiveness of hair products (e.g., shampoo, conditioner) by improving water quality and allowing better absorption

How We Choose

The E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.

Meet the Expert

Dr. Sheila Farhang is a board-certified dermatologist and double-fellowship trained cosmetic surgeon, as well as a reconstructive Mohs micrographic (skin cancer) surgeon. She’s known for her integrative approach to skin and has been named a top derm influencer by Women’s Health and Forbes.