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You invest in colour, treatments and quality products. Here's why the water you wash it all in deserves a little attention too.

You've chosen the shampoo. The conditioner. The weekly mask, the salon treatment, the heat protectant you never skip. But how much thought have you given the water you wash it all in?

That question is part of what led New Zealand company Hydrate Filters to create the NaturaWai Shower Filter, a simple shower filter designed for Kiwi homes with hair, skin and everyday wellbeing in mind.

Hydrate Filters is a New Zealand family-owned water filtration company, founded by husband-and-wife team Anna and Nick Peters. It began with a focus on better drinking water, then grew into a much bigger conversation about the water we use right through our homes.

"We were already filtering the water we drank, but eventually started questioning something we use every single day: our shower water." - Anna and Nick Peters, founders of Hydrate Filters

It's a fair point. For most of us, the shower is one of our biggest points of daily contact with tap water. And if you invest in your hair, especially professional colour, treatments and quality products, it makes sense to think about the water running through it too.

Their brief for NaturaWai was clear: something effective and easy to add to everyday life. No plumber, no complicated system and no sacrificing a good shower.

Chlorine is added to many New Zealand water supplies for a very good reason. It helps disinfect drinking water and keep it safe as it travels through the network.

Once that water reaches your shower, though, chlorine can interact with the natural oils on your hair and skin. Regular exposure to chlorinated water may contribute to hair feeling drier, rougher or more stripped, particularly if your hair is coloured, bleached, chemically treated or prone to dryness.

Temperature plays a part too. Warm water can make hair more vulnerable to moisture loss, so if you love a long, hot shower (we're guilty too), the water is worth considering alongside the products you use.

Rather than relying on one ingredient, NaturaWai uses several filtration media, and each one has a job to do.

• Calcium sulfite: particularly effective at reducing chlorine in shower water, including at the warmer temperatures and faster flow rates you get in a shower.
• KDF 55: uses oxidation-reduction (or "redox") to help convert free chlorine into less reactive chloride ions.
• Activated carbon: an additional filtration stage, adsorbing certain compounds as water passes across its large, porous surface.
• Vitamin C and a mineral blend: also part of NaturaWai's multi-stage cartridge.

No plumber, no complicated system and no need to give up the shower pressure you love.

Think of water quality as one more part of your haircare environment. Heat styling, UV exposure, colouring, products and your washing routine all influence how your hair looks and feels, and so does the water it's repeatedly exposed to.

Reducing chlorine exposure may help hair feel softer and less stripped after washing, while creating a gentler shower experience for your scalp and skin. If you colour your hair, it's a simple way to be more considered about what it meets between salon visits.

A shower filter isn't a replacement for good haircare or professional advice, and it isn't a treatment for a hair or skin condition. Think of it as one more piece of the routine, starting with better water before you reach for your shampoo. Considering how often we shower, it's an easy place to start.

For most households, Hydrate Filters recommends replacing the NaturaWai cartridge approximately every 3 to 4 months. It all depends on how often and how long you shower, and on your incoming water quality.

Stock up: replacement cartridges are available as a single NaturaWai Shower Filter Refill or a NaturaWai Shower Filter 2-Pack Refill at Vivo Online Store.

Good to know: NaturaWai is designed around the standard plumbing fittings used in New Zealand homes and is compatible with most showers. It installs between your existing shower connection and shower head or hose, so you can keep the shower head you already have.

Will NaturaWai fit my shower?
NaturaWai is designed around the standard plumbing fittings used in New Zealand homes and is compatible with most showers. It installs between your existing shower connection and shower head or hose. If you have an unusual or custom shower configuration, Hydrate Filters can check compatibility for you before you order.

Do I need a plumber to install it?
No. NaturaWai is designed for DIY installation and can generally be fitted in just a few minutes. Unscrew your existing shower head or hose, attach the filter and reconnect your shower.

Will it reduce my water pressure?
It's designed specifically to maintain good water flow and should not noticeably restrict normal shower pressure.

What does it filter?
NaturaWai uses multiple filtration media including activated carbon, KDF 55, calcium sulfite and vitamin C, with a particular focus on reducing chlorine in shower water. In testing using New Zealand water conditions, it achieved greater than 95% reduction of free chlorine.

How often does the cartridge need replacing?
For most households, every 3 to 4 months. It depends on how often and how long you shower, and on your incoming water quality.

Is it suitable for coloured hair?
Yes. NaturaWai can be used with coloured and professionally treated hair. Reducing chlorine exposure is a simple way to be more considered about the water your hair meets between salon visits.

Is it suitable for the whole family?
Yes. Once installed, the filter treats the water flowing through that shower, so the whole household can use it.

Do I need to change my shower head?
No. You can keep the shower head you already have. The filter installs into your existing shower setup.

We'll always love a great shampoo, a salon treatment or a rich hair mask. But sometimes it's worth looking one step earlier in the routine.

Before the shampoo.
Before the conditioner.
Before the styling products.
There's the water.

NaturaWai makes filtering it simple, so cleaner shower water becomes an effortless part of your everyday hair and skin routine. Because if you care about what you put on your hair, it makes sense to care about what you wash it in too.

The NaturaWai range from Hydrate Filters is available now at Vivo Online Store:

• NaturaWai Shower Filter - Chlorine Removal for Hair & Skin
• NaturaWai Shower Filter 2-Pack
• NaturaWai Shower Filter Refill
• NaturaWai Shower Filter 2-Pack Refill

Not sure what your hair needs between appointments? Have a chat with your stylist at your nearest Vivo salon.