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- Shower time should be relaxing, and your choice of shower head plays a huge role in making your shower more soothing.
- Some people love a rain-style shower, while others want a strong, pulsing jet to massage sore muscles.
- That's why the Moen S6320 Two-Function Rain Shower Head is the best one you can buy.
- It can switch between both types of shower styles, depending on your mood.
The rush of prepping for work or school can almost make you feel relieved to jump in a car and sit in rush hour traffic, listening to two DJs tell bad jokes and play weird sound effects. But before fighting through the commute, it's time for rushing around, looking for the right outfit, figuring out which overnight emails you were expected to answer before 4 a.m., and wrestling with which flavor packet to plug into the coffee maker. There is one time when you can actually relax - in the shower.
Sure, you might have to shorten your shower after you hit the snooze alarm three times, but the shower stall is still your sanctuary where no one can bother you, even if it's only for a few minutes.
To ensure that your shower is as relaxing as it can be, you will need to make some choices about the kind of shower head you want to use. You might be surprised at how many shower head options are available.
Modern shower heads work differently than older shower heads, so there are quite a few advantages to purchasing a new shower head. An older shower head's interior often was a cavity that filled with water, forcing the water through the tiny nozzles, meaning the individual nozzles had very little water pressure. A newer shower head has individual channels that feel the nozzles, increasing the ability to deliver water pressure.
With all of the different options and features in shower heads, you can pick exactly the type of shower you'd like to have, including rain-style, pulsing jets, or steady spray.
- Full body: Full body shower installations include nozzles throughout vertical length of the shower stall, rather than just one nozzle at the top of the stall. Although these are really nice designs for a shower, they're a bit beyond the scope of this list because of the special installation and high expense required.
- Handheld: Some shower heads fit inside a clamp near the upper pipe, but then disconnect so they can be held in your hand at the end of a flexible hose, allowing you to direct the water spray for more efficient cleaning, as Kitchen Bath Guides explains.
- High pressure: Some shower heads include high-pressure jets. By turning a ring, these shower heads often provide different spray patterns as well as massage settings.
- Rainfall: Some showers offer big shower heads that release a lot of water, almost like rainfall. They usually don't offer the water pressure or pulsing options of other shower head designs.
- Specialty: Newer shower heads have some interesting specialty features. Some include a built-in wireless speaker inside the shower head, allowing you to sync your smartphone to the speaker to play music or audio. Some include LED lighting that makes it fun to shower.
Finally, Consumer Reports says you must pay attention to the type of installation required for the shower head you pick. Some shower heads will simply screw onto the water pipe that sticks out of the bathroom wall, which most people can handle themselves. Other shower heads require you to tear up drywall to install some components. Understand that you may need to hire a plumber to complete the job, so think about this added cost when purchasing a shower head.
Here are the best shower heads you can buy in 2019:
- Best overall: Moen Two-Function Rain Shower Head
- Best rain shower head: WaterPoint 8-inch Rain Shower Head
- Best high-pressure shower head: Speakman Signature High Pressure Shower Head
- Best low-flow shower head: High Sierra Low Flow Shower Head
- Best handheld showerhead: ShowerMaxx Detachable Handheld Shower Head
- Best budget shower head: Delta Single Function Shower Head
- Best LED shower head: DreamSpa Color Changing LED Shower Head
- Best for low-pressure households: Fire Hydrant Spa Plaza Massager Shower Head
- Best combination shower head: Hydroluxe 24 Function 3-way 2 in 1 Combo Shower Hea
Updated on 04/03/2019 by Malarie Gokey: Updated prices and formatting. Added related buying guides.
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