I Went Through 6 Filtered Showerheads This Year. Only One Got to Stay.
Our Dallas Bathroom Smelled Like a Pool, So From May to October I Put Up Six Filtered Showerheads, One at a Time, About Four Weeks Each. One Is Still Up. Here's How All Six Went.
The eskiin on our wall. The only one of the six still up.
Everyone's talking about hard water lately. TikTok, my friends, the girls at the salon.
But I never thought much about it, because our water had always been like this. It was just… water.
Meanwhile my blonde went brassy two weeks after every toner. After two rinses, the conditioner was still slick at the back of my head. And our towels smelled like a hotel pool.
So I did what I always do when color looks off: a new purple shampoo, then an extra toner appointment when that failed, then another purple mask when the brass still came back.
Meanwhile my daughter kept saying her skin felt tight after every shower, and even the dog scratched for days after his bath. Same bathroom, same water, three different complaints, and I still thought we were all using the wrong products.
Then Jen, my stylist, stopped me mid-appointment. She said my hair looked coated, not damaged, and asked what was coming out of my shower. That was the first time I considered the water itself — the same water hitting me, my daughter, and the dog.
Huh. I had no idea.
So that night I typed our Dallas ZIP code into EWG's tap water site. I was looking for hard water. But it listed 17 things over their health guidelines. And one was a chlorine byproduct, at 94 times their guideline.
Wait. Is that the pool smell?
I test beauty stuff at home for Toned & Tested, so I figured I'd test these too. From May to October I tested six filtered showerheads, one at a time, about four weeks each.
And I kept asking the same things. Could I rinse my hair? What had the filter been tested to cut? When would I need a new one? And could I put it up without calling someone?
Canopy was the best of the rest. Jolie and AquaBliss were the easiest to rule out. Here's what I found, so you don't lose six months like I did.
Only one stayed.
The Ranking
I scored all six on the same four things, each out of 10, then gave each an overall.
- 1
eskiin Filtered ShowerheadThe one that stayed. Real pressure, and I put it up myself.9.5 - 2
Canopy Filtered ShowerheadFelt like light rain at my roots.7.2 - 4
Hello KleanClever filter reminder. Needs a hose you already have.6.8 - 5
Jolie Filtered ShowerheadThe prettiest one. The spray never got to my roots.6.7 - 6
AquaBliss FilterFilters the water. Leaves your old spray exactly as it was.5.3
eskiin vs the ones everyone else is buying
| eskiin | The Instagram one (Jolie) | Cheap Amazon inline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front price | $115 | $149–$169 | about $36 |
| Filtration | 15 layers (single filter) | single / 2-media | basic carbon + sulfite cylinder |
| Chlorine & metals | 98.7% | ~84% | not claimed / weak |
| Pressure | up to 2.5x (Venturi) | soft, no boost | same weak spray you already have |
| Filter swap | twists out, no hassle | hard to open | n/a |
| Face / cleaning | face comes off, no stubborn stains | stains, hard to clean | n/a |
| Install | fits 99% of US showers, everything in the box | can be bulky | extra joints, pressure loss |
| Guarantee | 60 days | varies | marketplace returns |
Filter: what's in it, and could I find lab results. Pressure: how the spray felt at my scalp. Rinse: could I get the conditioner out of my roots. Install: could I put it up myself. My scores, out of 10.
I honestly thought it'd be closer. I ended up giving eskiin the top score in every category.
eskiin Filtered Showerhead
★★★★★ eskiin says 4.9/5 from 10,000+ customers
"Isn't This Just a Gimmick?"
I thought so too. My first filter was one of those little screw-on ones. My pressure dropped to a dribble, I was rinsing conditioner out three times, and it came off after a week.
So I went in expecting more of the same.
The Pool Smell Faded
I didn't really notice the chlorine smell until it faded. Within the first week, the steam stopped smelling like a pool, and my hair smelled like my shampoo again.
The Pressure
The first thing I noticed was the pressure. After months of soft sprays and that screw-on drizzle, I could feel the water reach my scalp, even through my thick hair. Pressure climbs up to 2.5x with a Venturi design, and I could feel it reach my scalp through thick hair.
I got the conditioner out in one rinse. I kept checking my roots, because that's always where it's still slippery. It wasn't.
Head back, and the spray reaches my roots, where conditioner usually hangs on.
How It Feels a Few Weeks In
I used to rush through my 7 a.m. shower. Now I stand there an extra minute.
My skin doesn't feel tight when I get out. Some days I skip the body lotion.
By week three, my brush went through my ends without catching. By week five, my toner was still holding, when it used to go brassy in two.
My husband asked what I'd done to my hair. I hadn't changed a thing except the water.
What's Actually Doing the Filtering
A 15-layer filter with KDF-55, calcium sulfite, and coconut activated carbon that takes out 98.7% of chlorine and heavy metals before the water hits your skin and hair. Pressure climbs up to 2.5x with a Venturi design, so the spray reaches your scalp instead of skating off the top.
Install: I Did It Myself
I took the old head off, wrapped the tape, twisted the eskiin on and snugged it up with the little wrench. The tape and wrench come in the box. It fit our shower first try, and I didn't need my husband.
What I Don't Love
It stays on the wall. a fixed head, not a wand. With my hair I tip my head back under the spray, and that is enough. Install took a wrench and the plumber's tape that came in the box.
Would I keep it? It's still up. That's my answer.
Check Availability →The Other Five
These five each had something going for them. But one was a soft spray, one needed a hose I didn't have, one never got the conditioner out of my roots, and one was my old spray with a filter behind it.
Canopy Filtered Showerhead
Price: $150
Canopy is the pretty spa object. Scent tablets, nice on the wall, almost no pressure. Four minutes of rinsing and your crown can still feel coated.
Check price on Amazon →Hello Klean Showerhead
Price: No US price listed
Hello Klean is a mist head. Soft on the face, slow on thick hair, and it wants a hose you already own.
Check price on Amazon →Jolie Filtered Showerhead
Price: $169
Jolie is the Instagram one: influencer tax, soft pressure, ~84% chlorine claims against 98.7% here, a face that stains, and a cartridge that fights you when it is time to twist it out.
Check price on Amazon →AquaBliss In-Line Filter
Price: About $36
AquaBliss is the cheap Amazon cylinder. It screws in behind the head you already hate. Same weak spray, extra leak points, nothing for pressure.
Check price on Amazon →Why I Kept the eskiin
I liked something about all six. But five of them came down within a month, because something always bugged me. The eskiin went up at the end of September, and it's still up.
Then on October 30, five weeks after my last toner, Jen ran her fingers through my hair and said, "Okay, what did you change? Your ends aren't snapping."
Huh. All that time changing products, and I never once thought to change the showerhead.
So I kept the eskiin, and I haven't bought a purple shampoo since it went up.
If you color your hair too, look at your water before you buy another purple shampoo.
In Summary
eskiin Filtered Showerhead
Our #1 · Score 9.5/10$115
Everything's in the box: the showerhead with the filter already in, plus the wrench and plumber's tape.
- Shipping's free anywhere in the US.
- They throw in shower steamers for free.
- eskiin is a US company, run by its founders Wes and Maddie out of Oregon. You get 60 days to try it. Don't love it? They'll send your money back.
Quick Answers
How Long Before You Noticed Anything?
The spray, the very first morning. I honestly didn't expect that. My skin and hair took longer, a few weeks before I really believed it wasn't just in my head.
Why Did Nothing I Bought for My Hair Ever Seem to Work?
I asked myself that for years. I think I was putting good stuff on and then rinsing it in pool water every morning. Once I looked up our water on EWG's site, a lot of things made sense.
I Rent. Can I Even Put This Up?
Yes, that was one of my questions too. It just screws onto the pipe that's already there. Put your old head in a drawer and swap it back when you move out.
Is It a Pain to Install?
I put it up myself, still in my robe, before I'd even had coffee. Three steps. eskiin says under 3 minutes, which sounds about right.
- 1Unscrew the old head
- 2Wrap the tape
- 3Twist on the eskiin
Won't a Filter Kill My Water Pressure?
Honestly, that was my biggest worry. It didn't happen to me, and they give you 60 days to send it back if you don't like it.
Wait, What's the EWG Site?
EWG is a nonprofit, the Environmental Working Group. Their tap water database is free. You type in your ZIP code, and it shows what your water company tested, next to EWG's own health guidelines. Ours had 17 things over those guidelines.
Who's Actually Behind eskiin?
A brother and sister, Wes and Maddie St. Amand. The way they tell it, they were tired of how their skin and hair felt after every shower, so they started looking at their shower water. Which, honestly, is pretty much how I got here too.
Claire is the senior tester at Toned & Tested. She covers hair, skin and the bathroom gear that actually changes how your shower feels.
Comments
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Okay this is me. My last filter KILLED my pressure. Rinsing conditioner out took forever and I gave it two weeks before it went in the garage. Ordered the eskiin Sunday and the spray makes my old one look embarrassing.
214
My mother used to rinse her hair with bottled water in the 80s and we all thought she was nuts. Maybe she was onto something
67
Does this help grey hair? I stopped coloring last year and it's gone a bit yellow at the front.
51
My wife sent me this with no message, just the link. Put hers up Saturday. Took longer to find the box cutter than to install it.
96
The tight skin after a shower. I honestly thought it was just me getting older
120