In 1841 a chemistry professor in Aberdeen named Thomas Clark took out a patent on a method of softening water. He had taught at Marischal College since 1833, and the Science Museum Group still holds the record of that patent. Nobody in 1841 was thinking about a serum. They were thinking about what hard water did to soap, to laundry and to skin. The worry about what comes out of the tap is older than the tap in most of our houses.

Filterbaby, which most people search as filter baby, is the latest version of that worry, aimed at the bathroom sink. It launched in May 2022 as a faucet filter, and its first press release called it the first skincare filter that was dermatologically tested and approved. The founder says she noticed a link between tap water and her own skin, which is a very relatable place to start a company. The brand claims its flagship removes up to 99.9% of chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals and microplastics, and later added a board of dermatology advisors. I read all of that as the brand's own claim. The fair pitch is a comfort upgrade. The evidence that a filter cures eczema or acne is thin, and a large UK trial of water softeners found no extra benefit for children with eczema.

The trick is to pick the spot where you will actually use it. The Skincare Water Filter 2.0 is the sink version and comes with two replacement filters, which is the easiest way to see whether you like the habit. The Diamond Series Shower Filter is for the shower, and the Skincare Water Filter Replacement is the refill you will need after a while. CANOPY makes a filtered showerhead, a faucet filter and a bath tub filter, so a whole bathroom can match. Qure's Faucet Filter is the other sink option, and Higher Dose's Red Light Shower Filter is the oddest thing here, a filter with a light on it.

Look at the last place water sits in your bathroom, the showerhead itself, and run a thumb around the nozzles. If you feel crust, your water is telling you something before any filter does.

A filtered showerhead replaces the head you already have instead of adding a cartridge in the middle of the hose. Jolie's Filtered Showerhead is the design-forward one and the name most people bring up first. CANOPY's Handheld Filtered Showerhead is the practical pick for anyone who rinses hair on the go or cleans a tub with it. T3's Source is another hand-held, the one for people who like the hose. NUUD's N01 is the quiet, minimal one.

Then a cluster of plain, hardworking filters. iSpring's 33-Stage High Output, Everglow's multi-stage Hard Water filter and Mist's Water Softening 15 Stage head all sit on the shower arm and promise a lot of stages. Qure's Shower Filter is the one that matches its sink filter from the first grid. More stages on the label does not always mean more to you, so look at what the brand says it removes and how often to change it.

A pairing I like: a sink filter for the face and a shower filter for the body and hair. They are two different jobs, and most people only need to start with one.

What I would skip: a filter you will forget to refill. An old cartridge is worse than an empty spot on the arm.

Notice how your skin feels the minute you finish washing it. If it is tight, squeaky or slightly itchy, the cleanser is doing too much, and no filter will fix that for you.

Gentle is the word for everything in this grid. Caudalie's Vinoclean Gentle Foam Cleanser is the foam to try when you want a cleanser that stays gentle. First Aid Beauty's Ultra Gentle Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam is for dry skin that still wants to feel clean. Vanicream's Gentle Facial Cleanser is unscented, made for sensitive skin, and the most neutral thing here. Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser is the old reliable that has sat on bathroom shelves for years.

Avène's Tolerance Extremely Gentle Cleanser Lotion is a lotion format, a good one to try if your skin flares up easily. Glossier's Milky Jelly is a soft gel, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Gentle Cleanser has glycerin in its name, and Tatcha's The Rice Wash is a skin-softening wash for people who like a ritual. Pick one and give it a fortnight before you change anything else.

A filter and a gentle cleanser make a good team, because the filter changes what is in the water and the cleanser changes what you put on it. Two small changes, made one at a time, are the only way you will know which one helped.

What I would skip: adding a new cleanser and a new filter in the same week.

Hair that feels coated no matter how often you wash it is often carrying buildup, and a clarifying shampoo is the reset. Use it once every week or two, then go back to your usual one.

OUAI's Detox Clarifying Shampoo has apple cider vinegar in the name and is an easy first clarifier. K18's Peptide Prep Clarifying Detox Shampoo is the one I would look at if your hair has had a lot of color or heat. Living Proof's Clarifying Detox Shampoo is a no-drama option, and Olaplex's No. 4C Bond Maintenance Deep Clean is the one for hair that already has a bond routine. Bumble and bumble's Sunday Clarifying Shampoo is the one with the weekday name.

Paul Mitchell's Shampoo Three is made for chlorine removal, which is handy if you swim. Moroccanoil's Clarifying Shampoo with Argan Oil brings argan oil into the mix. Briogeo's Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil scrub is not a shampoo at all but a micro-exfoliating scalp treatment, and it is where I would go if your scalp feels as coated as your hair.

Clarifying shampoos are strong by design, so they do not replace a filter or a conditioner. They are the reset button, not the routine.

What I would skip: clarifying every wash. The scalp does not need stripping three times a week.

Honestly, I would try the sink filter first. It asks nothing of your routine: you wash your face at the sink every day, and the filter does its work while you do it. Keep your expectations modest, since the brand's claims are its own and the research on filters and skin conditions is thin, and think of it as a comfort upgrade.

After that, add one gentle cleanser and a clarifying shampoo for the weeks your hair feels heavy. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what helped. Thomas Clark softened the water in 1841. You only have to remember the refill. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Avène Skincare Guide and Does Tallow Belong In A Skincare Routine.