As part of a yearlong commitment to improving overall health, I made a resolution to figure out why my skin gets so itchy in Beijing in the fall and winter months. True, the dry cold air can wick away the skin’s moisture, but I had a sense that this was not the whole story. So I discussed the matter with a handful of doctors (MDs, NDs, and TCM practitioners) and a few well-informed ordinary citizens, and concluded that our tap water and the soap we used were probably the two biggest culprits. I’ll save the soap for a future blog and focus on the shower here.
The more I dug into Beijing’s water quality, the more I learned that the municipal system delivers a whole host of potential skin irritants (such as chlorine, and contaminants) to your shower faucet. Because the municipal water system is so old, different districts, neighborhoods, and even apartment compounds have varying levels of water quality that can change from one week to the next – I’m sure the two massive construction projects visible outside my window have added to our water woes. I tried to find solutions online, browsing ProductExpert‘s list of water filtration systems and even went as far as bath robes. They really got one of the best collections out there. Fortunately, Aquasana has a filter to give people peace of mind when turning on the shower tap or drawing a bath.I didn’t order online since it would take for the components a week to arrive and I kind of needed it now.
When Charlie Thomson (the Aquasana distributor and Beijing water quality expert) installed our money and time saving under-the-counter Aquasana drinking water filter (see blog post here) his assistant quietly installed water filters on our showers. To my surprise, I instantly realized there was an absence of smell to the water. Ironically, I had never noticed the slight chemical odor our water had until the filter had removed it. By removing the chlorine and other contaminants from our showers the water is kinder to our skin and, thus far, I have not been plagued by itchy dry skin as we march through fall and into the winter season. Charlie also explained that since the filter removes the unwanted elements from the water, it prevents them from being absorbed by our bodies via the steam generated during a shower or bath, which is good. That’s one less thing to worry about that I was previously unaware that I should have been worried about.
All in all, we are extremely pleased with both our drinking water filter and our shower filters. The installation was simple enough, though we gladly let Charlie and his crew do the work, and he showed us how easy it is to replace the filters when it is time. I for one am curious to see just how bad that filter looks once the six months are up and it is time to install a bright new one.
If you would like to learn more about Aquasana water filters, visit their website at www.aquasana-china.com.
