There is no substitute for having clean and purified water in your everyday life. If you are dealing with hard water, there are numerous shower filters for hard water that can change your daily life.
Not everybody has the luxury of having full-scale water softening and filtering system. Purchasing a simple filtering showerhead can immediately benefit your hair, skin, and nails. On top of that, many water supplies have a chlorine smell that sticks with you all day after a shower; nobody wants that!
In addition to the health benefits from softened water, you will notice an improvement in limescale buildup in your showerhead and an overall cleaner shower experience.
Investing in a new water-filtering shower head will not regret it! In my easy-to-follow guide, I will break down what makes shower filtering water heads so valuable, and hopefully, with our guidance, you can choose the best shower filter for hard water.
Recommended Hard Water Filter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Aquasana AQ-4100 Deluxe Hard Water Filter |  EDITOR’S CHOICE |
| View Current Price |
Hydroviv Shower Filter for Hard Water |  BEST HIGH OUTPUT |
| View Latest Price |
PureAction Head Hard Water Filtered Shower |  BEST HANDHELD |
| View Latest Price |
My Top Shower Filters for Hard Water Reviews
(Tested & Rated by myself and the team)
| Shower Head | Price | Contaminants Removed | Type | Filter Life | Flow Rate | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquasana AQ-4100 | $89.99 | Chlorine, lead, and other pollutants | In-Line & Head | 6 months | 2.5 GPM | 90 days |
| Hydroviv | $64.99 | Chlorine, sediment, and other pollutants | In-Line | 12 months | 2.5 GPM | 180 days |
| Joile | $149.99 | Chlorine and other pollutants | Filtered Showerhead | 6 months | 2.5 GPM | 90 days |
| Culligan WSH-C125 | $44.99 | Chlorine, sediment, and other pollutants | Filtered | 10,000 gallons | 2.5 GPM | 1 year |
1. Aquasana AQ-4100 Deluxe Shower Filter for Hard Water (Best Overall)
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Aquasana is a household name in water filter products, and this shower head filter is no exception. The easy installation is a breeze for anyone who can reach the showerhead.
It has a standard operating pressure of 80 psi, which is above average for filtering showerheads. Combining that with its maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute, the shower experience, even without the filtering component, is an immediate step up from the hard water environment I was in before installing.
Coming with a one-year warranty, this plastic-based filter showerhead focuses on chlorine removal, one of the biggest issues most people report with their water. Chlorine can cause itchy scalps, skin, and dry fingernails, but thanks to Aquasana, you have the option to rid yourself of these things.
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2. Hydroviv Shower Filter (Best In-line)
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Inline water filters are becoming increasingly popular, and the Hydroviv model is one of the better ones on the market. 15 distinct and unique stages of filtration and softening can make even the hardest water immediately healthier and purer.
If you are looking for a high-quality in-line filter that is tailored for your local water, then this ‘As Seen On SharkTank’ filter is the one you want. The flow rate is 2.5 gal/minute, which is standard during my testing plus, this runs your water through multiple stages that removes all the hard chemicals your local water source may have.
Hydroviv shower filters are designed to remove chlorine, chloramines, and other contaminants from your shower water.
It is an excellent option for people living in apartments or condo buildings since it is very rare for apartment units to have designated water softening systems, so adding a simple showerhead is smart.
Some of the benefits I experienced with using the Hydroviv shower filter included:
- Improved skin and hair health: Chlorine and other contaminants can strip your skin and hair of their natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation. The Hydroviv filter can help keep your skin and hair moisturized and healthy by removing these contaminants from your shower water.
- Reduced chlorine exposure: Chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent that can cause respiratory issues, eye irritation, and other health problems when inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
- Improved water quality: In addition to chlorine and chloramines, Hydroviv filters can also remove other contaminants such as heavy metals and bacteria from your shower water. This can lead to a more pleasant and refreshing shower experience overall.
- Enhanced lathering and sudsing: Chlorine can interfere with the performance of soap and shampoo, making it difficult to lather and suds. By removing chlorine and other contaminants from your shower water, a Hydroviv filter can help improve the lathering and sudsing of your soap and shampoo.
Installation is as simple as any installation could be. Simply screw off your existing shower head, add some plumber tape and screw on the filter. Once snug, then screw on your shower head to the filter.
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3. Brondell VivaSpring Filtered Shower Head (Best For Wide Spray)
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The Luxuryfiltering showerhead does make you feel like a luxury. It feels like your opening a Rolex box when you open this for the first time. In terms of performance, they did not leave anything behind either. 15 stages of water filtering and purification are unheard of in the water filtering industry, and you can tell the difference from the first shower.
Starting with an ultra-fine mesh stainless steel trap, the water goes from there through several tried and proven filtering techniques including Maifan stone, germanium balls, and coconut-activated carbon.
Coming standard with a 2.5 gallons per minute flow rate, you will see little to no water pressure issues with this showerhead filter. Everyone tends to like the feel of a classic rain shower, and this luxury showerhead provides just that, without compromising water quality.
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4. AquaBliss High Output Revitalizing Shower Filter for Hard Water (Best Low Priced In-line)
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If you are looking for an affordable filter that will soften your shower water and filter out impurities, then the AquaBliss may be the one you want. While there is not much information about the flow rate on the market, we do know that the 12-step filtration process that the AquaBliss runs through has multiple stages that inject your water with beneficial elements to help with your hair, skin, and nails.
Installation is a breeze with this filtering head, and the AquaBliss SF100 will show cleaner, clearer water results immediately. An advanced revitalizing filter adds numerous stages for your water to pass through that boosts water oxygen and adds revitalizing minerals to the water. (This is a great filter for basically any shower, just add it to your existing showerhead).
It starts with an ultra-fine stainless-steel fine mesh that rids the water of larger impurities and ends with another mesh layer combined with micro-porous PP cotton to capture any sediment that may have squeaked through.
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5. Culligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mounted Filtered Shower Head (Best If You Have a Whole House System)
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Culligan is one of the most trusted names in water products worldwide. From water cooler technology to full house water softening products, they have been providing the world with quality products for years, and the WSH-C125 is no exception.
One thing I liked about this one was the rubber coating over the spray nozzle. It provides a seamless water delivery, and the 5 different spray methods are an awesome feature that everyone can customize to their own needs. Combined with the maximum operating temperature of 120 degrees and its ability to filter out 99% of harmful chemicals, the WSH-C125 is a great economical choice.
The stainless-steel fine mesh rids the water of larger impurities and ends with another mesh layer combined with micro-porous PP cotton to capture any sediment that may have squeaked through. This helps with hard water stains.
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6. Vitamin C Filter Inline Shower Head for Hard Water (Best For Added Vitamin C)
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The first showerhead add-on on our list is unique to the fact that you simply add it to your already existing showerhead. Without adjusting your current showerhead setup height or angle, you can add this vitamin-C injection showerhead component to help your water with chlorine removal and add valuable minerals to help improve your hair, skin, and nails.
The Sonkai system installs easily with most standard showerheads, and we have yet to see any issues with decreased water pressure or flow rate. In prior models, the housing for the unit had issues, but Sonkai took those user notes and rebuilt the housing to be made of brass, making it highly durable.
If you’re in love with your current shower setup but wish the water was a bit friendlier to your hair, skin, and nails, the Sonkai vitamin C injection model is a great choice for you.
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7. Water Softener Shower Head – (Best Budget)
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The all-metal construction on this full-filtered showerhead unit is solidly built and easily installed by many homeowners, without the need for tools. For homeowners and renters alike, this small package comes with three spray settings for the user to decide from, which is not a common characteristic.
If you are dealing with hard water, this is one of the better options because it uses bead technology on the very outside layer of filtering. You can see the white beads when looking at the spraying side of the showerhead. The beads are there to filter out impurities within your water.
The filter life on these models is the best we have seen, lasting up to 8 months in some cases. They are also effortless to change in and out. Another reason I love the filtering on this model is because it is extremely easy to see when you need to change the filter. Most of them are guessing games, but with these models, you can see the filter and be able to change it at the perfect time.
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8. Berkey Shower Filter WITHOUT Shower Head
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The Berkey inline shower head is a simple design. You can add it to your existing showerhead set up in no time, and softening water’s benefits will be noticeable immediately.
The 10,000-gallon filter features multiple levels that will remove or reduce several chemicals and contaminants. Using a KDF 55 process with filtration granules will remove water-soluble metals and elements such as hydrogen sulfide and other microorganisms. Just like Berkey water filters, another thing the Berkey water filter showerhead does is reduce chlorine and kill bacteria.
Not every filtering showerhead can remove bacteria, but Berkey’s filtering technology can manage that and a lot more. A cleaner shower was one of the most noticeable things I noticed after installing the Berkey system. There were less limescale, mold, and fungi left over.
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