Is Chlorine Bad for Your Skin? What It Does & How to Filter It

Chlorine plays an important role in keeping tap water safe. But if your skin often feels dry, tight or irritated after washing, it is also worth understanding what chlorine can do once that water reaches your face.

The short answer: chlorine is used to disinfect water and, at the levels found in tap water, it is considered safe. But chlorine is also reactive, and repeated exposure can contribute to dryness or irritation, especially if your skin is already sensitive.

Why chlorine is in your water

Water suppliers use chlorine, or sometimes a related disinfectant called chloramine, to control bacteria and keep water safe as it travels through the system to your home.

That is a good thing. Chlorination has played an important role in making public drinking water safer.

The issue is not that chlorine is dangerous. It is simply that something designed to disinfect water is not necessarily the gentlest thing for your skin.

How chlorine can affect your skin

Chlorine is an oxidising substance, which means it reacts with the things it comes into contact with. On the skin, repeated exposure may contribute to the removal of some of the natural oils that help keep moisture in.

You may notice:

Skin feeling tight or dry after washing.
More irritation if your skin is already sensitive.
Redness or discomfort after cleansing.
Hair feeling drier after frequent exposure to chlorinated water.

For most people, one wash is not the issue. It is the fact that you use the same water again and again, often twice a day, every day.

That tight feeling after washing is not always a good sign

A lot of people associate that tight, squeaky feeling with being properly clean.

But skin should not need to feel stripped in order to be clean. If your face feels uncomfortable immediately after washing, your cleanser may be part of the reason, but the water you are rinsing with can matter too.

This is especially relevant if your tap water is both chlorinated and hard, since you are dealing with disinfectants and mineral residue at the same time.

Safe to drink and gentle on skin are two different questions

Tap water can be completely safe to drink and still leave your skin feeling dry or uncomfortable.

Those are two different standards. Drinking water is treated to make it microbiologically safe. That does not necessarily mean it has been optimised for how your skin feels after washing with it.

If you already pay attention to your cleanser, moisturiser and active ingredients, it makes sense to think about the water you use with them too.

How to reduce chlorine exposure when you wash

There are a few simple things that can help. Avoid very hot water, keep washing time reasonable, use a gentle cleanser and moisturise afterwards if your skin tends to feel dry.

You can also filter the water before it reaches your skin.

A lot of people think about shower filters first, but your face is often washed at the bathroom sink. The brume faucet filter attaches directly to your tap and filters chlorine, heavy metals and sediment from the water you use to wash your face and hands.

The bottom line

Chlorine is there for a good reason. It helps keep your water safe.

But if your skin regularly feels tight, dry or irritated after washing, it is reasonable to look at more than just your cleanser. The water coming out of your bathroom tap may be part of the picture too.