You may have heard that tap water has toxins and that it’s important to use a filter to ensure you are not drinking a plethora of unhealthy chemicals daily. You probably use a water filter to reduce your toxic exposure, but what about your shower water?
You may be surprised to know that your shower water should also be filtered. The same toxins in our drinking water are also in our shower water and can penetrate or be absorbed, negatively influencing our health and appearance.
Is this news to you? It was to me when I first started researching how to live a healthier lifestyle. I was shocked to find out how many harmful chemicals were in shower water and that they could negatively influence our health. A simple seven-minute shower can increase our toxic load by a great deal.
With our skin being our largest organ it is important to understand the correlation to toxins and how they can influence our health.
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Top Toxins Found In Shower & Drinking Water
And a very long list of more harmful chemicals
Pro Tip: Look up your local city’s water information to find out what is in your water. It is really easy to look up online. All of this information is available to the public.
Reasons to Use A Shower Filter
1.) Reduces Toxic Load: The skin is the body’s largest organ, and toxins can make their way into our body via the skin. What goes on the skin has the potential to be penetrated or absorbed and negatively influence our health and appearance.
Think of your body like a glass of water and the toxins are the water that fills that glass. The more toxins that fill your glass, whether it be from shower water, drinking water, beauty products, and processed foods the higher the water gets in your glass. When the glass fills to the top and eventually overflows adverse health conditions can set in. This is what is known as, "toxic load." To avoid that we want to minimize the number of toxins in our daily routine to keep our toxic load (water in our glass) to a minimum to protect our health.
By using a shower filter you can greatly reduce the number of toxins in your daily routine and support your health.
2.) The Steam From The Shower Makes It Easier For Toxins To Penetrate The Skin
When we shower, the hot water makes it easier to penetrate or absorb harmful chemicals such as those found in tap water. Even a seven minute shower can potentially increase your toxic exposure more than drinking tap water.
While our pores do not technically open, the hot water can make it easier for toxins to make their way into our skin and possibly negatively influence our health. Since most of us shower daily it creates chronic and frequent exposure to these harmful chemicals. This adds to the body's toxic load and over time it can result in adverse health conditions.
3.) Shower Water Can Pollute Indoor Air
Every time you shower with warm or hot water it creates steam which can concentrate certain chemicals such as chlorine turning them into a gas. This gas can be harmful when inhaled regularly and contribute to health related issues such as asthma. If you do not open your windows daily then concentration levels in the home increase and can be detrimental to your wellbeing.
4.) It is Better for your Hair, Skin, and Nails
Toxins do not encourage beauty and showering in them can add to the body’s toxic load negatively influencing the health of your hair skin, and nails.
Chlorine for example can be unhealthy for hair follicles, cause dryness, brittleness, damage, dry out the scalp, fade hair color, and cause blonde hair to have a greenish tint. It can also create imbalances in the body that can show up on our skin such as acne and premature aging.
5.) Reduces Skin Irritants
Chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals, and other toxins can cause irritation on the skin causing rashes, redness, sensitivities, and excessive dryness. The skin is a protective barrier that needs to be healthy in order to protect us.
What is a Shower Filter?
A shower filter is a filtration system that eliminates chemicals such as chlorine, chloramine, and other harmful chemicals.
Healthy Solutions
1.) Purchase a shower filter like this HERE It removes up to 90% of chlorine and also removes harmful chemicals. They are rather inexpensive and help to support your health and appearance.
2.) Purchase a home water filtration system like this one HERE This means all the water in your home will be filtered. They can be more expensive but are worth the investment.
3.) Use a fan to minimize the amount of chlorine gas that you breathe in from the shower steam.
4.) Open the windows in your house daily to let out any accumulated toxins in the air
5.) Use an air filter to reduce the harmful chemicals in the air in your home
What About the Bath Water?
Bathwater is also important to filter however it can be a bit trickier since there aren’t many good ones on the market just yet.
How to Reduce Toxins In Bath Water
1.) Use a bath ball filter. They hang on the water faucet so the bathwater can pass through it before it enters the tub. They are designed to remove chlorine and chloramine from the bathwater. It is a great option for anyone who regularly takes baths, especially for small children.
2.) You can add ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or sodium ascorbate to bathwater to help change the chlorine and chloramine found in tap water to make it less harmful. While ascorbic acid doesn’t eliminate other toxins it is a great solution to help minimize frequent exposure to chlorine and chloramine, especially for young children.
Add 1-2 teaspoons into the bathwater while it is filling up so it has time to work its magic.
3.) Use a home filtration system. This can be expensive but is a worthwhile investment. This way you can rest assured that all the water in your whole house is healthy.
4.) Use the shower water with filter to fill up bathwater. This can be a little bit tricky and time consuming but it gets the job done.
5.) Add magnesium flakes or Epsom salts to create a healthy mineral balance. While it may not eliminate toxins it does increase the health benefits of the bath and aids in relaxation.
I hope you found this helpful and inspires you to research healthy options for you and your family. With each small step, you can make outstanding improvements in your overall health and wellness.
When I work with my client's healthy drinking and shower water are the first places we start. It is incredibly important to ensure that your water is clean and supports your health. The daily exposure to the toxins found in tap water can be quite harmful and by reducing your exposure to them you will be a lot healthier overall.
So cheers to clean water and good health my friend!
Xo Jessica Rose
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