Jolie Shower Head: Filtered Showerheads, Refills and Shampoos

In 1908, at the Boonton Reservoir in Jersey City, the first continuous chlorine disinfection of a public water supply in the United States began, an idea credited to the engineer John L. Leal. It was one of the great quiet public health decisions. Nobody applauded, and nobody could smell the diseases that stopped arriving. It is also the reason a shower filter is a strange, very modern object: we spent a century making water safe, and now we are filtering some of it back out at the last second.

That is the story of the Jolie shower head, and it is worth taking seriously without getting carried away. Jolie Skin Co was founded in 2021 by Ryan Babenzien, who had previously started the sneaker brand Greats, and Arjan Singh, and PureWow reports it is named after Babenzien's wife. The idea came from an ordinary winter, when he noticed he was using more lotion than usual and wondered whether his shower water was part of the story. Jolie calls water before skincare step zero. The brand says its filter removed more than 66 percent of free chlorine across 10,000 gallons, and that in its own trials 81 percent reported less shedding. Those are the brand's numbers, not mine.

The trick is to see the shower head as a fixture first and a filter second. The first grid is the whole filtered-shower lineup. The Jolie Filtered Showerhead is the design-forward one, and CANOPY's filtered showerhead and handheld version are the ones to compare closely. T3's Source Showerhead and its hand-held filtered model bring a hair-tool brand into the shower. NUUD's N01 Filtered Showerhead is the plain one, Qure Skincare's Shower Filter attaches to what you already own, and HigherDOSE adds red light to a shower filter.

Start with what you already have. If you like your current shower head and only want the filter, choose a filter that attaches to the pipe and save yourself a weekend of plumbing.

Bright Showers' filtered shower head and Mist's Aura Water Softening head are the full replacements here. Everglow's multi-stage filter is aimed at hard water, and iSpring's 33-stage universal filter attaches to any shower head, which I like for a rental bathroom where you cannot change the fixture. The refills are the part people forget. T3's Source replacement filter, Act+Acre's Showerhead replacement filter, Qure's Shower Filter Replacement and CANOPY's Showerhead Filters keep a system running. PureWow reports that Jolie's filters are meant to be replaced about every three months, so put the date in your calendar the day you install one.

A pairing I like: buy the head and the first refill together, then set a phone reminder for three months out. A filter you forgot to change is a plastic ornament.

What I would skip: a filter that does not say what it removes or how long it lasts. Look for a stated life and a clear description, and remember that the brand's own testing is a claim, not a promise.

A rule for a clarifying shampoo: use it once a week or once every two weeks, not every wash. It is a reset, and if it becomes the routine it will leave hair squeaky and dry.

Kenra Professional's Clarify Deep Cleanse is the professional-line reset. L'Oréal Professionnel's Metal Detox is aimed at exactly this problem, since the brand says it removes metal particles found in water, and OUAI's Detox Shampoo is a familiar bottle for buildup. shu uemura's Pure Serenity is for an oily scalp, and The Steam Bar's Clarifying Curly Shampoo is made for curls and buildup. PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross has a Detox Shampoo with pink clay and apple extract, Nécessaire's The Detox Shampoo does the same reset job, and Paul Mitchell's Shampoo Three is built for chlorine removal, which makes it the one to keep in a swim bag.

A habit worth borrowing: clarify on the same day each week, follow with a real conditioner on the lengths, and let your hair tell you if it needs more. Hair that feels heavy or dull despite good products is a good signal.

What I would skip: clarifying shampoo on the day before a color appointment or a long day in the sun. Ask your stylist how it fits with your color.

Try this after the filter is installed: notice how your skin feels ten minutes after you towel off. If the tightness is gone, keep the routine simple. If it is not, the body wash is the next thing to look at.

goop Beauty's Black Pepper + Ginger Grounding Body Wash and Nécessaire's Olibanum are both simple, everyday washes, with olibanum in the name of one. Kosas's Good Body Skin is an AHA and enzyme exfoliating wash, so it belongs once or twice a week, not every day. Hanni's Rich Rinse is a hydrating serum body wash, and Tower 28's SOS Rescue + Relief Body Wash Treatment is aimed at skin that needs calming. Salt & Stone's Bergamot & Hinoki is the citrus and wood one, Mila Moursi's Le Gel is a shower gel for a slower morning, and Nature of Things' Awakening Santal is the one with santal in the name.

A pairing I like: the exfoliating wash on Sunday and a hydrating one the rest of the week. The shower stays the same, and the skin gets variety.

What I would skip: exfoliating wash on freshly shaved or sunburned skin. Wait until it has calmed down.

I think a filtered shower is a sensible, small upgrade, provided you keep your expectations in proportion. A shower filter is not a treatment for a skin condition, and if irritation persists, see a dermatologist rather than shopping for a fixture.

If you rent, start with an attachable filter. If you own, choose the shower head you would be happy to look at, set the reminder for the refill and pick one clarifying shampoo to use once in a while. Boonton Reservoir made the water safe in 1908. You get to decide what the last few seconds of it should feel like.

That is a pleasant kind of decision to make.