ILMARA
10 Reasons Colour-Conscious Women Are Rethinking Their Shower Water
ILMARA colour-care report
Protect the appointment beyond the salon
What coloured, highlighted, blonde and grey-haired women should know about the overlooked step between salon appointments.
Protect Your Next RinseYou chose the colour carefully. Sat through the appointment. Bought the salon-recommended shampoo. Perhaps returned weeks later for a toner, gloss or root refresh.
But there is one part of your colour-care routine that touches your hair more often than almost anything else: your shower water.
That does not mean shower water is responsible for every colour concern—or that ordinary tap water is unsafe. It means the final rinse deserves more attention than it usually receives.
01
Your colour appointment doesn’t end when you leave the salon
A professional colour service can represent hours in the chair and a significant investment in colour, toner, treatments and aftercare. Yet the result is exposed to water every time you wash your hair.
Most colour-care advice focuses on what goes onto the hair: colour-safe shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils and heat protectants. Those choices matter—but they all share the same final input.
What is in the water rinsing through my hair?
Water does not explain every disappointing result. But protecting a salon investment means considering every repeated input—including the one that touches the entire head during every wash.
02
A 2025 controlled study found residual chlorine contributed to colour fading
Researchers repeatedly washed hair dyed in three different colours using either water containing residual chlorine or purified water from which residual chlorine had been removed. The testing included washing with and without shampoo.
Colour change occurred under both water conditions—but it was greater when the dyed hair was washed in residual-chlorine water. The researchers concluded that residual chlorine contributes to colour fading.
Depending on the colour and conditions, chlorine’s contribution could be comparable to that of shampoo. That does not make chlorine the only cause of fading: washing frequency, heat, ultraviolet exposure, hair condition and the colour service can all matter.
Read the study in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Japan →
03
Colour clients are already looking beyond their shampoo
One Nordstrom purchaser explained that maintaining colour and highlights was expensive, which made protecting that investment important. After changing to a filtered showerhead, the customer reported smoother, softer hair and fewer split ends.
Other retailer purchasers have described softer-feeling hair or water and a difference noticed from the first shower. These are individual experiences involving other brands—not clinical results or ILMARA testimonials. Results vary with water conditions, hair history, products and routine.
“If I am spending this much on my colour, why would I ignore the water touching it several times a week?”
04
In Malta, blonde and grey hair come with a particularly local concern
Water conditions, storage systems and plumbing can vary between properties. In one Malta expat discussion, a resident reported being told by her hairdresser that discoloured shower and bath water could leave blonde and grey hair with a light brownish tint.
That observation is anecdotal and does not identify the responsible constituent. Yellow or brown water can relate to a building’s tank, pipes, heater, rust, sediment or dissolved minerals—not automatically residual chlorine.
The S1 should not be treated as a remedy for failing infrastructure or severe contamination. But when a clean, cool or bright tone begins looking different, the products may not be the only variable worth investigating.
05
ILMARA S1 recorded 99% initial Free Available Chlorine reduction in configuration testing
The production-matched filtration configuration was tested using an initial FAC concentration of 2.0 mg/L at 25°C under standard flow conditions. It recorded 99% initial reduction.
This result applies to Free Available Chlorine under those conditions. It must not be interpreted as chloramine reduction. The S1 configuration does not reduce chloramine.
It is also not a water softener. It does not contain salt-regenerated ion-exchange resin and does not remove the calcium and magnesium responsible for hardness.
A trustworthy filter should explain what it targets—and be equally clear about what it does not.
06
Three filtration layers perform three different jobs
Ultra-fine PP cotton pre-filter
Intercepts fine sediment and visible rust particles before they move further through the cartridge. Very heavy sediment can obstruct this layer early and shorten useful life.
KDF-55 process media
Uses a redox process to reduce Free Available Chlorine during fast-flow shower use. It can interact with certain dissolved metals, but ILMARA does not claim complete removal of deep iron contamination or every form of discolouration.
Activated carbon fibre
Provides a high surface area intended to adsorb certain odour-causing organic compounds as water passes through the cartridge.
07
Filtration shouldn’t turn rinsing your hair into a chore
The S1 operates at approximately 6–8 litres per minute, depending on incoming household pressure. Its micro-nozzle plate concentrates the outgoing spray to help create a focused rinsing sensation, including where pressure feels lower.
The experience varies with plumbing and incoming pressure; the S1 cannot repair a building-wide pressure problem. It is designed to balance filtration with a satisfying everyday rinse.
08
It installs in under two minutes on standard Malta shower hoses
The S1 uses a G1/2-inch straight-thread connection compatible with the BSP fittings commonly used across Malta. For a compatible flexible shower hose, installation is completed by hand and requires no tools.
- Unscrew the existing handheld showerhead.
- Position the supplied silicone anti-leak washer.
- Attach the S1 by hand without overtightening.
- Run the water and follow the priming instructions.
The starter kit includes the S1 housing, one pre-installed three-stage cartridge, one custom silicone washer and a fitting guide. The frame is injection-moulded ABS with electroplated accents; ILMARA does not make an all-metal or plastic-free claim.
09
The filter is rated by litres—not just a date on the calendar
The cartridge has a rated capacity of up to 10,000 litres. Actual life depends on shower duration, household size and incoming water conditions.
These are practical examples, not universal promises. Heavy rust or sediment can obstruct the PP cotton membrane early. Replace sooner if there is a significant decline in flow or clear particulate loading.
Why start now?
Your colour is freshest now
Every wash between today and your next salon appointment becomes part of how your colour looks and feels.
Once colour has already faded or shifted, changing a showerhead cannot restore the colour already lost. The reason to rethink the final rinse is to reduce future chlorine exposure while your colour is still worth protecting.
Don’t wait until your next toner appointment to reconsider the water touching your hair.
Protect Your Next Rinse10
It protects one overlooked part of the salon investment
The ILMARA S1 does not replace a skilled colourist, colour-safe products, heat protection or sensible washing habits. It cannot promise to prevent every form of brassiness, staining or fading.
What it does is address one repeated part of the routine that is often ignored: the water used to rinse your hair.
Don’t let every shower work against your colour appointment.
For coloured, highlighted, blonde and grey hair, the S1 offers a more considered final rinse—built around precise Free Available Chlorine reduction and honest technical limits.
Protect Your Next Rinse*Configuration testing recorded 99% initial reduction of Free Available Chlorine from an initial concentration of 2.0 mg/L at 25°C under standard flow conditions. The ILMARA S1 does not reduce chloramine and does not soften water. The cartridge is rated for up to 10,000 litres; actual life and shower experience vary with water quality, sediment, household usage, plumbing and incoming pressure. Customer experiences cited above relate to other filtered-showerhead brands and are not ILMARA testimonials.