Dry Climate and Chlorinated Water: a Tough Combination for Colorado Skin
Colorado's climate has a well-earned reputation for being hard on skin, and that reputation holds up under actual dermatology guidance, not just anecdotally. What gets less attention is that the water reaching your skin in the shower is working against you at the same time, and for reasons that come down to how the Front Range disinfects its water.
What altitude and dry air are already doing to your skin
Denver sits a mile above sea level in a dry climate, with an average humidity of around 52% year-round, even lower during the day and in its driest months. Dr. Whitney High, a dermatologist at CU Medicine, points out something most people don't think about: being higher up also means stronger sun. "The sun's ultraviolet light intensity increases 4% per thousand feet" of elevation, so Denver gets roughly 20% more intense sunshine than a city at sea level, on top of around 300 sunny days a year. Dr. Cory Dunnick, a dermatologist at UCHealth, says winter makes things worse still: "turning on the heat circulates more dry air, which can be a skin irritant." Both doctors also flag the same everyday habit working against your skin. As Dr. High puts it: "hot water removes your body's natural oils." Add it all up, altitude, low humidity, strong sun and winter heating, and Colorado skin is up against a lot before a shower even starts.
Where chlorine (and, in Denver specifically, chloramine) fits in
Water utilities disinfect their water for a good reason, to protect public health from harmful germs, and that disinfectant reaches your skin in the shower too, along with everything else. Denver Water has used chloramine, a mix of chlorine and ammonia, since 1917, according to Englewood's city utilities department, one of several Front Range areas on the same water supply. Chloramine holds up better than plain chlorine as it travels through miles of pipes, and it creates fewer unwanted byproducts along the way, a real plus for water treatment. But it acts differently on skin too: chloramine is more stable than chlorine, so it takes a different kind of filter to reduce it, standard carbon on its own isn't built for the job.
None of this makes Front Range water unsafe. But if you're already dealing with a dry climate, it's worth knowing exactly which disinfectant is reaching your skin every day, because it changes which filter is actually right for you.
Why this compounds rather than adds up separately
None of this is new by itself, altitude and low humidity are just part of living in Colorado, and chloramine has been in Denver's water for over a hundred years. What changes is how much your skin has left to cope with any one of them before it starts to show. Skin that's already under year-round pressure from dry air and strong sun has less left over to also handle a disinfectant every day. As Dr. High puts it simply: "dry skin is itchy skin."
What actually helps
The dermatology advice itself is a good place to start: shorter, lukewarm showers instead of hot ones, moisturising straight after, and a humidifier indoors. Both UCHealth and CU Medicine recommend all three specifically for Colorado's climate.
On the water side, if you're in Denver or another Front Range area on chloramine, the SF100 Daily Revitalize Vitamin C Shower Filter is the one we'd suggest first. Its Vitamin C media is the only one in our range approved to reduce chloramine (at low levels, over a short period), not just chlorine, which matters here because standard carbon filters don't handle chloramine the same way. It's also designed for sensitive skin and made to be kinder to skin and hair with regular use.
Not sure if your local utility uses chlorine or chloramine? Every US water supplier has to publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report listing which one they use, worth checking directly rather than guessing, since it can vary even between towns in the same metro area.
SF100 Daily Revitalize Shower Filter
Frequently asked questions
Does all of Colorado use chloraminated water, or just Denver?
It depends on your utility. Denver Water has used chloramine since 1917, and several other Front Range areas are on the same or a similar system. Your own utility's Consumer Confidence Report will tell you which one serves your address.
Is chloraminated water worse for skin than chlorinated water?
Not worse exactly, just different to filter. Chloramine is more
