Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for T3. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating.
Going to Chicago for BlogHer, I had a freshly dyed head of hair, with a lovely purple ombre on the lower half. It was vibrant purple when I left Columbus and I was so very happy with the color.
With each trip under the hotel’s shower, though, I started to notice streaks of lavender-blonde showing. How was it disappearing so quickly? I didn’t wash it for a few days after dying it to give the color the best shot at settling in. I was using a shampoo designed for color-treated hair, I was washing it in water as cold as I could stand – what was wrong? My best guess was the hotel water, since I could smell the chlorine in it.
Back at home after the conference, my hair looked like a big mess by mid-week – streaky and brittle on the ends. The color was even worse, my split ends were growing, and my hair was so frizzy.
The bottom 4-5″ used to be bright purple, promise. It was SO pretty. Now it’s just sad.
That was an expensive short-term ombre, that wasn’t supposed to be short-term. I didn’t even touch my hair dryer or straightener since I had my hair dyed, so I can’t blame heat styling for the color disappearing.
Weeks before this, I had agreed to review the T3 Source Showerhead Filter for Mom Central. I’ve never heard of a showerhead with a built-in filter, but this sounded interesting. I didn’t realize that our own shower water can contain high levels of chlorine (up to half as much as a swimming pool!), which can strip hair and skin of moisture, and make hair frizzy and dull. And yes, it can also strip out hair dye.
We have filters for the water we drink – why not for our shower water, too? If chlorine and other harsh chemicals aren’t good for our insides, isn’t it possible they’re not good for our skin and hair, too? I was willing to give this showerhead filter a try to see if it could help my hair and skin.
The T3 Source Showerhead Filter uses a patented formula of Tourmaline, precious metals and minerals to remove 95% of chlorine from shower water. Tourmaline produces negative ions that reduce water cluster size which improves filtration and helps PH balance the water. I’ve used a Tourmaline hairbrush for years to help add shine to my hair, so I already knew it could be beneficial.
Installation
We’re not the most handy family, so I worried this was going to be hard to install. Nope – it was a piece of cake.
Step 1: Remove the old showerhead.
It’s a nice showerhead, but it doesn’t protect my hair at all.
Step 2: Clean off the old plumber’s tape and wrap new plumber’s tape around the threads.
Aaron said peeling off the old tape was the hardest part. It took the longest, too – almost five minutes.
Step 3: Screw on the new showerhead. Use a wrench to make it extra tight if needed.
Please excuse the fingerprints all over it. Total time start-to-finish: about ten minutes.
Ta-da! Done. If photos aren’t your thing, they have an installation video, too. I have to admit, that was easy. I’m not saying I’m going to go replace my bathroom sink next, but this is fairly simple for even the most beginner of DIY’ers.
Results
I’ve been using the T3 showerhead filter for a little over a week now. It has eight different spray settings, just like my old showerhead, although I generally prefer the one I call “basic, no-frills shower.”
After just the first shower, I noticed my hair felt softer. By the third shower, I noticed I didn’t need as much moisturizer for my skin, and realized I needed to cut back on my conditioner, too. My purple hair color, which has been running from my hair with every shower, hasn’t been disappearing as quickly this week. (However, it’s also possible that there just wasn’t much left to strip out at this point – it’s hard to say.)
My hair does appear to be softer, shinier and less frizzy than it was over a week ago. My hair didn’t magically transform into Disney Princess hair, but it feels better and is easier to comb. My skin, which is chronically dry, also isn’t as dry as it usually is. I still need moisturizer (with sunscreen, of course – can’t give my skin ammo to attack again), but at least with moisturizer it LOOKS smooth, as opposed to before, when it still looked dry with moisturizer applied. I’m also barely using conditioner for my hair now – the conditioner just weighs it down and isn’t needed.
Overall, I’m happy with the T3 Source Showerhead Filter. The starter set comes with a filter, which lasts for about six months. New filters cost about $25 each, which isn’t bad for a twice-a-year purchase for softer skin and hair. If you’ve got great hair already, you might not need this, but for me it’s a little boost for my daily routine.
I’m going to re-dye the ends again, and I’m hoping that with this new showerhead, the color will last longer than 2-3 weeks. The picture at the top? That was taken today – the color sucks, but the ends are smoother and softer now. (It wasn’t brushed at all when I took the photo, and I’m still amazed it looks that smooth.)
You can find out more about the T3 Source filters on the T3 Micro website or on their Facebook page. You can purchase the showerhead on their website or at Sephora.
