You might have heard of water softeners, but have you ever heard of water-softening shower heads? They are water softeners for your shower head only. This makes them easier to install and cost-effective than a full-blown water softener installation.

What Are Water-Softening Shower Heads?

A water softening shower head, or simply a water shower head, is a small filter that is fitted directly on the shower head. A water-softening shower head removes certain minerals and compounds from the water, and it can even filter the water to ensure that there is nothing dirty or murky in it.

As far as hard water is concerned, it is composed of a lot of calcium and magnesium, which make it hard to produce lather and these ions can also dry out the skin, flake it, and stain everything in sight, which is why softening the water is recommended.

But, how does a water-softening shower head work? Well, it works simply like any other filter. A shower head with a filter has a lever that you can rotate up and down to activate the shower filter. Now different filters work on different mechanisms. Some shower heads come with activated carbon that is used to remove all sorts of impurities from the water.

Some water-softening shower heads come equipped with ion exchange vessels and they can remove the hardness-causing ions and make the water soft. Some filters also allow redox reactions and they can also swap out the ions of calcium and magnesium in this way.

Pros And Cons Of Water-Softening Shower Heads?

Soft Water For The Shower

The obvious benefit of water-softening shower heads is that you get soft water to shower with. This can help you avoid skin and hair problems that can arise with using hard water for taking a shower. However, they are quite gimmicky at certain points.

They Are Easy To Install

Their installation is one of the biggest selling points. You don’t need extensive plumbing skills to install a water-softening shower head. These shower heads come with simple instructions you can follow to install them easily.

They Work But Are A Hassle To Use

You want to understand why a whole house water softening system can be more effective than just a shower head. Firstly, the time frame for the softening process is really short in a shower head. The water is constantly flowing and chances are that you won’t be able to get soft water right away because the water isn’t retained in a shower assembly for a long period of time.

So, even though water-softening shower heads are great and all, they can be a bit of a hassle to use, because they’re not as effective.

Water With High Amount Of Minerals Can Be Difficult To Soften

Another common problem with water-softening shower heads is that they are not designed to be able to deal with high mineral capacity and over time, the spouts of the shower head can get clogged. This is very frustrating because you won’t be able to use your shower properly because the clogging can affect your water pressure in the shower head too.

So, if you don’t want to be repairing the shower head after every shower and scraping off the mineral buildup, then it’s better that you go for something else to soften the water.

They Are Inexpensive

The biggest benefit of water-softening showed heads is their cheap price. They are inexpensive and easy to find in various types and styles. So, if you need a cheap and quick-fix for hard water, they are the best.

They Are Not For The Entire House

A huge disadvantage of water softening shower heads is that they are only localized in benefit and use in the shower. You can’t even use them for the rest of the bathroom and that is pretty frustrating if you think about it.

Since you also have hard water in the taps and faucets in the rest of the bathroom, you want something that encompasses everything, and a shower head won’t do that. So, it’s not the best option to go for, if you want to combat hard water in a permanent way. This is why it’s better that you go for something more comprehensive.

This is why, a whole house water softening system is necessary, because it will treat the problem from its root and there will be soft water in every single faucet of the house; not just your bathroom or shower.

They Need Maintenance

Water-softening shower heads are small, and mineral and scale build-up will be the norm. So, you can expect that there will be a lot of maintenance involved in the process. You will have to clean out the scale and the build-up from the shower head and that is really troublesome to do on a regular basis.

This is why a whole house water softening system is better because you only have to deal with one assembly and clean it up accordingly. Water softeners and water filtration systems Warren need maintenance as well but their performance is way better than a shower head filter.

Which One Is Better? A Water Softener Or A Water-Softening Shower Head?

Now, this can be a tricky question to answer. While more votes will be with a whole house water softening system, it’s not always possible for a lot of people to do that.

Budget and cost play a huge role as to why people tend to go for water-softening shower heads and not the entire deal of water softener for the house.

Shower Head Water Softener

Water softeners are not an inexpensive investment and they can certainly cost you a lot. This is why a lot of people go for just a single shower head that gets the job done because, at the end of the day, they just want to soften water for their shower and nothing else. So, if budget is a restraint for you, then you can go for a water-softening shower head and it will do a reasonable job.

Whole-House Water Softener

However, if you have hard water coming from all of the taps in your house and it’s becoming a huge problem for you, then it’s better that you find a permanent solution for it. Yes, it’s going to cost you a lot initially, but you will be at peace for the rest of your life. A water softener can do wonders for your house because using hard water will not only damage your hair and skin but your clothes and pipes as well.

So, you want to choose something that will pay you back in the long run. This is why a whole-house water softener is way better than a shower head, especially if your whole house has fallen victim to hard water. You won’t regret getting it for your house and it will be used for years to come and everything will go by smoothly as long as you maintain it from time to time and take care of the assembly.

Conclusion

Hard water will not be a problem anymore with water-softening shower heads without costing you a lot of money. However, if you want to use soft water from every faucet in your house, invest in a water softener system Erie.