Best Shower Head

Insider Reviews For The Best Products

AquaDance High Pressure Chrome Hand-Held Shower Head

BOTTOM LINE

With a low price that any shopper can afford, this shower head ranks as one of the best around. It works as both a traditional overhead shower and as a hand-held shower head.

PROS
Thanks to an overhead bracket, this shower head will work in any bathroom. You can use it as-is or use it as a hand-held shower head as you wash your hair and body.
CONS

To get better water pressure, you must remove the restrictor inside the head. There is a chance that the attached hose might leak too.

Culligan Wall-Mounted Filtered Shower Head with Massage

BOTTOM LINE

Designed for use in homes with hard or dirty water, this mounted shower head will remove most of the deposits in your water supply. Culligan designed it to fit on standard shower arms also.

PROS
As this model uses two gallons or less per minute, it meets EPA Water Sense regulations and can save on water waste. The included filter cartridge filters hard water too.
CONS

Some shoppers wished that this Culligan model had better water pressure. Others wanted the filter to work better than it did.

Delta In2ition H20kinetic Handshower Shower Head

BOTTOM LINE

Suitable for use as a hand-held or overhead shower head, this Delta model has five impressive spray settings. You’ll also find patented technology that immediately connects the head to the bracket.

PROS
With five settings to choose from, this shower head is suitable for all homes and users. It has spray holes that come clean with one touch and a five-foot-long shower hose.
CONS

You may not like that Delta used some cheap plastic parts in this shower head. Some customers also had issues with its low flow rate.

Speakman Signature Brass Anystream Adjustable Shower Head

BOTTOM LINE

Anystream 360 technology is a nice feature found on this model that allows more water to come out at a faster speed. You can choose from different finishes and different water usage options.
PROS
As one of the heaviest shower heads on the market, this one can stand up to any home or user. It uses the Speakman Anystream 360 technology that allows more water to reach you.
CONS

The spray pattern on this one might be too light for your needs. You may find that it doesn’t have enough water pressure too.

Moen Velocity 8-Inch Rainshower Shower Head

BOTTOM LINE

A simple lever on the side of this shower head lets you effortlessly switch between two different modes. It has a nice finish and features spray nozzles that come clean with one swipe of your hand.
PROS
With immersion technology and a larger diameter, this shower head will completely drench your body in warm water. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty and is available in different finishes.
CONS

This shower head does not work well in bathrooms with low water pressure. It also takes up much more space than a standard shower head does.

Shopping Guide for the Best Shower Head

After a few hours of working out at the gym or a long day at work, you can’t wait to come home and relax in your shower. When you have the best shower head for 2023, you’ll feel better than ever while standing beneath that spray of water. The top shower heads of 2023 include models with multiple settings and those that help you save on your water bills. Some of the top models we found met all the criteria for Water Sense certification from the EPA too. This certification lets you know that you’ll use less water each time you shower.

The best shower head for you depends on factors such as how much you want to spend and the finish that fits your bathroom. We’ll go over all the top factors shoppers should look at when buying a new shower head.

All of our readers are different and have different needs, which is why we found the top five options for all types of shoppers. You can start with a quick look at the top five showers heads for the year, which you’ll find at the top of this page. We then recommend reading our detailed reviews and each section in this shopping guide.

Selection Criteria

Finding the best shower head is a task that we jumped head first into for our readers. We know that some shoppers might prefer a rain shower head that drenches them with water, while other customers prefer those with multiple settings. As we worked on finding the best products, we knew that we wanted more than just basic shower heads with a single setting. When you look at the product matrix and the product reviews, you’ll find the best hand-held and filtered models. We’ll delve deeper into all the different types of shower heads now available in a following section.

To find the best shower heads around, we searched the web and scoured the globe to see what products experts in the field recommend. As manufacturers change model names and numbers every year, we then checked with Amazon to make sure that the best shower heads were all still available. We actually crossed a handful of products off our list because the manufacturers no longer make or support those shower heads. You can use our shopping guide to find the best shower heads of 2023 that you can buy and have shipped to your home and find out more about choosing the right one.

Selection Criteria – Best Showe Heads

Types of Shower Heads

Single spray

Filtered

Hand-held

Ceiling shower head

Dual

Rain shower

Water Pressure vs. Water Temperature

When you hop in the shower, you know that you can use the knob(s) to adjust the water and get the perfect temperature for you. You may not realize that some shower heads will change the temperature of that water based on the amount of pressure required. This is a common problem associated with aerating shower heads. The manufacturers of these models claim that they will provide you with more water pressure and recommend those models for homes with a lower flow rate. What they do not tell you is exactly how this process works.

With an aerating shower head, the water will flow through a small built-in pump that adds oxygen to the water and increases its pressure. Though this sounds like a great idea in practice, it doesn’t always work as well as it sounds. What actually happens is that the hot water reaches the pump and goes through the process. By the time that it actually comes out of the shower head and reaches your skin though, the temperature will drop by several degrees or more. To get the hot water that you want, you may need to turn the temperature up much higher than you think.

When most people think of shower heads, they think of those attached to an arm. The term arm refers to a piece of metal that sticks out from the wall in the shower. It supports the weight of the head and has a pipe running through it that provides the head with water. Some of these models adjust to let you change the direction or flow of the water, but others have a permanent design that you cannot move. You have a number of different options when choosing a shower head today, which is why we’ll go over the top designs and types.

Single Spray Shower Head

The most common type is one called a single spray shower head. While these models may have multiple spray nozzles located across their surfaces, they really only spray in one direction. The cheapest models do not move, but you can pay extra for an adjustable model. Many models have a spray head that you can turn in different directions to change the spray pattern. Single spray shower heads are typically the cheapest option available but are not very strong. You may not get all the spray patterns that you want either.

Filtered Shower Head

No matter where you live, you may have a problem with hard or dirty water. Any impurities or contaminants can leave behind a residue on your skin and make your hair look lifeless. Filtered shower heads are new products that feature a filter cartridge inside. You must look at how long that filter will last though because some may only last for a few months or less. It’s also important that you take a look at how you will change that filter too. If the process takes more than 10 or 20 minutes, you should move on.

Rainshower Head

This type has a shower head surface that looks like a large circle, though you’ll also find models that have a square or rectangular design. Manufacturers designed these models for those who want to recreate the experience and feel of a rain shower in their own bathrooms. These are quite trendy today and a very popular option for remodeled bathrooms. You may find that you prefer the settings found on other models or that the shower head doesn’t provide you with as much water as you need though.

Dual Shower Head

Dual shower heads are best for larger bathrooms and showers with a lot of space. If you have a shower with a bench inside that lets you sit down and enjoy the water and steam around you, these systems are a solid choice. Dual systems actually feature two different shower heads that you can mount next to each other. Some shoppers actually mount the heads at different heights to accommodate users of different heights. You’ll also find dual systems that come with panels you can mount on the wall beneath the heads. Those panels send water straight out over your body.

Hand-Held Shower Head

If you want a convenient way to clean yourself and your shower, you might consider a hand-held shower head. These models have a long hose that runs out of the wall and attaches to the head. You can remove the head from the wall and direct the flow of water anywhere you want. These models are also a good choice for those with pets. You can easily use one to wash and rinse off your pets. Hand-held shower heads also help you wash the walls and other areas in your shower and rinse away any soapy residue too.

Sliding Bar Shower Head

A sliding bar system serves as an alternative to the traditional shower heads on the market. These systems are extremely popular with parents who have small children. The shower head itself fits onto a bar that you actually raise and lower as needed. You can use it as an overhead shower head or remove it from the bar and use it as a hand-held model. Many families like that their kids can adjust the height of the shower head on their own. These systems are also good for any home with users of different heights.

Ceiling Panel

Though most shower heads mount onto the wall, a small number mount onto the ceiling. A ceiling panel is a unique shower head that is fairly popular today. You can choose one that is almost the same size as the ceiling above your shower, but you can also pick one that is smaller in size. These panels have spray nozzles across the surface in different panels. The water can come straight down and over your head or come out at an angle. Ceiling panels typically require a lot of water and may not work in homes with lower water pressure.

Combo System

A good choice for most homes is a basic combo system. Why choose between an overhead and a hand-held shower, when manufacturers now give you the option of both? A combo system comes with an overhead shower head attached to an arm that extends out from the wall. Either right below that head or off to the side is a hand-held unit that you can use separately. Combo systems are popular with those who like to change things up while in the shower and those who share their homes with others.

Shower Head Spray Settings

Gallons per minute is a term that manufacturers use when listing the number of gallons of water that flows through a shower head in one minute. Manufacturers also use the abbreviation GPM to describe this term. It’s very important that you know how much water pressure your home has before you shop because this will tell you what type of shower head you should buy. Older homes often have more water pressure than newer homes. Companies that construct new homes must follow new regulations that limit the amount of water pressure allowed.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a Water Sense certification program that has some regulations of its own. Only products that meet or exceed those regulations qualify for this certification. If you see a shower head with Water Sense certification on the packaging, you’ll know that it uses less water per minute and that it will work in homes with less water pressure.

Those with the highest GPM use between two and three gallons per minute. Some models use as little as 1.2 or 1.5 gallons of water per minute too. If you need or prefer more water pressure, you must buy a product that produces that higher rate of pressure.

Gallons Per Minute and Water Pressure

An important feature to consider as you look at different shower heads is the spray setting(s) used by each one. Those settings can include:

  • Mist: A mist setting produces smaller water droplets in a finer mist.
  • Massage: Shower heads with a massage setting release more water at a faster rate that can massage away tension and stress. Some of the top models actually have more than one massage setting.
  • Rain shower: With a rain shower setting, you’ll feel water flowing out of the shower head and slowly covering your entire body.
  • High and low settings: You will find a few shower heads that have high and low settings too. A high setting increases the water pressure, while the low setting decreases the water pressure.
 

Manufacturers may use some specialized settings too such as a full body spray. Designed to cover your entire body, this setting increases the water pressure and the GPM rating. We highly recommend shower heads that have a combination setting. Also called a combo setting, this lets you combine two of the settings and use both at the same time. For example, you can rinse any soap off your body at the same time that you enjoy a relaxing massage.

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