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Article: The hidden enemy of daily care: What steals your peace, hydration, and health in the shower

Skrytý nepřítel každodenní péče: Co vám ve sprše bere klid, hydrataci i zdraví

The hidden enemy of daily care: What steals your peace, hydration, and health in the shower

You know that moment. You close the bathroom door behind you, set down the weight of the day, and turn on a hot shower. Water falls on your body, washing away stress, tension, and minor fatigue. You believe that right now you are doing something for yourself.

But what if something essential is escaping from you in that water?

What if in that quiet ritual meant to heal and relax, something begins that dries out your skin, weakens your hair, and burdens your lungs?

Chlorine – ubiquitous but little understood

Chlor is added to water for disinfection. It is a strong oxidizing agent that kills bacteria and protects us from infection. But its story doesn't end there. Although it is present in drinking water in doses considered "safe," its impact on the human body, especially with daily contact in the shower, remains worryingly underestimated.

According to research by the American agency EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), it can be chlorine exposure during showering up to 6–100× higher than from drinking water alone – precisely because chlorine evaporates in warm water and we we inhale. And inhalation is fundamentally a different strain on the body than swallowing a small amount.

Our skin is not a barrier. It is a gateway.

The skin absorbs substances from water – we know this from magnesium baths, but we forget it when it comes to chemicals. Chlorine disrupts the skin's lipid layer, which protects us from drying out and microorganisms. The result is tight, irritated skin, prone to eczema, itching, or chronic inflammation.

Children's skin is even more permeable. And women with hormonal imbalances, autoimmune issues, or eczema feel the effects sooner than anyone else.

According to a dermatological study published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Is long-term exposure to chlorinated water associated with an increased incidence of atopic dermatitis, contact allergies, and impaired skin barrier renewal.

Lifeless hair that you used to have rich

Chlor destroys keratin – the structural protein of hair. If you have fine, brittle, dull, or thinning hair that is losing elasticity, it might not be the shampoo. The problem could be the water you use on yourself every day.

And if you dye your hair, the chemistry just multiplies – chlorine disrupts the durability and quality of the color, weakens the hair cuticle, and can cause increased sensitivity of the scalp.

Lungs that breathe more than you think

The greatest strain occurs precisely during a hot shower. Chlorine evaporates along with other by-products, such as trihalomethanes (THM) a chloramines. According to studies published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine or Environmental Health Perspectives were these substances associated with breathing problems, asthma, chronic irritation of mucous membranes and even with neurodegenerative changes in long-term exposed individuals.

Source: Bernard A. et al., "Chlorination products in tap water and their health effects", Environmental Health Perspectives, 2006.

In children and sensitive individuals, it is more than just a nuisance – it can be a factor that contributes to frequent infections, respiratory inflammations, or worsened sleep.

What to do about it? Conscious showering as the new standard

The solution does not mean giving up your rituals. It means them improve.

Shower filters – such as Washik – represent a simple step with a profound impact. The filter with vitamin C neutralizes up to 99% of chlorine. Hyaluronic acid, fish collagen, plant extracts, and coconut oil simultaneously hydrate, soften, and restore.

It is a chemical reaction in which vitamin C (ascorbic acid) forms a harmless chloride with chlorine. This is a confirmed mechanism, also used in professional water engineering. You just bring it home – in the form of an elegant, pleasantly scented filter.

Water that does no harm. Skin that breathes. Hair that stays yours.

Maybe the shower is exactly the place where you can start. Not with a big change, but a small decision. A decision that cleanliness does not mean chemicals – but gentleness, protection, and respect for one's own body.

Because water should be what heals. Not what quietly harms you.

1. Inhalation of chlorine during showering

Agency study U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) warns that During a ten-minute shower, there can be greater exposure to chlorine through inhalation than by drinking two liters of chlorinated water.. Warm water evaporates chlorine and its by-products – so-called trihalomethanes (THM) – which are inhaled directly into the lung tissue.

Source: U.S. EPA, 1987; Jo WK. et al., "Exposure to trihalomethanes via tap water ingestion and showering", Risk Analysis, 1990.

2. Effect on the skin and eczema

Research published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2016) showed, that long-term showering in chlorinated water can increase the incidence of atopic dermatitis, thin the skin barrier, and increase transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

Source: Kim J.E. et al., 2016.

3. Chlorine and Hair

Chlor disrupts the protein structure of the hair fiber (keratin) and causes a loss of natural elasticity and hydration. It also worsens the quality of the scalp and can contribute to brittleness or itching.

Source: Cosmetic Dermatology Journal, 2018.

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