My friend called me last night and we were chatting about ways to diffuse the very action-packed energy of this year. I told her I was going to take a long bath and read a book.
“You better sprinkle some Vitamin C crystals in that bath!” she excalimed.
“Is that another detox bath?” ( me: intrigued!)
“No, you need to get all the toxic chlorine out of the water.”
She explained that she has her water tested. There were cups of water taken from the taps. One tested high for chlorine. Another for ammonia. Then, she put her hand in glass of water for three minutes. That same water tested negative for both chlorine and ammonia.
“Where did the chlorine and ammonia go?” I asked.
“Into my body! When you soak for only a few minutes those chemicals go straight into your body.”
To give you a little background, I take a bath every day. I also soak for a long time. And while I feel more relaxed, I have also noticed that over time my allergies have gotten worse and I started to crave baths less. Could this be related?
As it turns out, chlorine can cause, in part:
– a decrease in good gut bacteria (very bad for people with IBS/ IBD and all autoimmune problems)
– low sperm count for med
– an increase in cancer risk
– risk of miscarriages for women
– kidney & liver problems
– asthma and allergies
(and more, you can read much more HERE)
Chris Kresser wrote an amazing article that details many of the dangers of chlorinated water, even if you are mainly inhaling it in the shower:
While our bodies can filter out much of the chlorine from our drinking water, the THMs and other disinfectant byproducts we inhale during showers and baths may be much more harmful, since the chlorine gas we inhale enters directly into our blood stream. Therefore, even if you filter your drinking water, the amount of toxins you are exposed to from your daily shower or bath, through inhalation or skin absorption, may be cause for greater concern.
Research has demonstrated that the cancer risk associated with chlorinated water may actually be due to showering and bathing, rather than drinking the disinfected water. This suggests that many health risks of chlorine may be specifically related to dermal and inhalation exposure. In fact, the chloroform dose from a single, ten minute shower is equal to, and possibly greater than, that from the average two liters of water ingestion on a daily basis. (you can – and should- read the whole article HERE)
The most comprehensive defense: get an entire house water filtration system. This is not a solution for everyone.
The defense that you can put into effect right now?
Get a Vitamin C shower filter (I’m trying THIS one to start, and will review as many as I can get my hands on!) and put Vitamin C crystals in your bath tub.
About 1/2 teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals in a bathtub full of water let to sit for about 5 minutes before getting into the tub should help neutralize the chloramine and chlorine in your bathwater.
By the way, you can also use the crystals in your drinking water for a boost of Vitamin C along with more neutralizing effects. And you can even make an amazing face masque from the powdered C!
These are not small things. If you shower daily, this is a big thing. If you take baths like I do, its a very big thing. And hopefully, its is also a simple fix! xoxo Dana
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Thank you! I’ll definitely try these. What about swimming pool? How bad is that?
I don’t ever go in them due to my own autoimmune sensitivity. I think the amount of cholrine in pools these days is quite dramatic.
Hi can you use ACV and vitamin C crystals together in a bath,,,, and to what ratio should I use?
Very helpful site !
🙂
Vitamin C will help once the water’s in the bathtub but the steam coming off the water before it hits the tub will contain chemicals…breathing in vapors that contain chemicals is still not good…this is why a filter right at the showerhead is ideal because then you won’t be exposed to toxic vapors.
I have used the Aquasana filter for years. I have a filter on my showerhead and an under counter filter (the separate faucet kind). I really like them. My hairdresser asked me if I was using ‘filtered’ water on my hair. She said she notices a difference. Hair looks so much more healthy and hair products act so much better.
that’s so awesome- I love them!