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Shower water can be at the root cause of hair and skin issues. Local water can be contaminated with chemicals like chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals can strip natural oils from skin and hair, causing dryness, itchiness, and irritation. To combat this, there are filtered showerheads on the market that utilize filtration and particles to help reduce some impurities and give you clean water. The Canopy Filtered Showerhead and the Afina A-01 Filtered Showerhead are among the top two contenders in the market. Evaluated on brand presence, effectiveness, convenience, and price, I compared both to see which one works the best to rejuvenate your skin and hair and elevate your shower experience.
About the Brands
I took a dive into the brand backgrounds to understand their mission and how they strive for user satisfaction when it comes to elevating the home environment.
Canopy is a well-established brand with loyal customers and a reputable brand presence.
Canopy, founded four years ago, has become a recognized brand in the skincare and wellness industry. They have a growing community of users, with over 250,000 devices sold. Canopy’s products are available not only on their site, but also in-store and online at Sephora and Target. Canopy has made it their mission to provide at-home devices that optimize the home for beauty and wellness, such as filtered showerheads and humidifiers.
Afina is a newer brand in the market.
Afina is a newer brand in the market. Their primary focus is filtered showerheads, where they aim to promote the health and well-being of customers through their shower water. There is little to no information on the origins of Afina, as well as user experience.
Design and Filtration
With the influx of hard water, it’s important to find filtration technology that actively works to remove impurities, such as chlorine and heavy metals, that can contribute to dry hair and irritated skin.
The Canopy Filtered Showerhead uses 3-stage innovative filtration that effectively removes all impurities, as well as varying design options to fit all your shower needs.
Canopy’s filtration system is dermatologist-recommended for its ability to help reduce impurities, promoting clear skin and healthy hair. It utilizes three types of filtering: granular activated carbon, KDF-55, and calcium sulfite. The activated carbon, made from coconut shells, helps remove impurities. KDF-55 is a combination of zinc and copper that chemically reduces contaminants in the water. Lastly, calcium sulfite reacts with chlorine to achieve de-chlorination up to 99% effectiveness.
The Canopy Filtered Showerhead is a sleek, user-friendly design that can adapt to all your bathroom needs — no need for upgrades.
There is the standard filtered shower head, an ergonomic handheld option, and then a Shower System where you can purchase both in one. The showerhead also comes with an accessories kit that includes everything you’ll need to install it properly in your home. Both have a relaxing and strong water pressure of 1.8 GPM. The brand’s commitment to quality and aesthetics checks all the boxes.
The Afina Showerhead has a simplistic design and filtration process, using its own proprietary blend of filtration particles.
The Afina A-01 Filtered Showerhead purifies your water through a process called redox, which converts contaminants into clean water. However, there is no clear explanation of what is in the proprietary blend of filtration particles they use to do this. Contrary to the Canopy showerhead, there’s less transparency on what’s inside the filter, which makes me weary that Afina won’t provide consistent, effective results.
As for design, Afina has a modern aesthetic. It’s on the bigger side, which might be a drawback depending on your shower space. It only comes in the standard showerhead design. However, it’s not as user-friendly as Canopy. To access the filter, you have to unscrew the whole thing. There’s no handheld version to allow for full-body rinse.
Convenience/ease of use
Canopy has an easy, 5-minute setup and uses quick-release technology for filter replacement.
Canopy’s Filtered Showerhead requires no handyman. All you have to do to set it up is remove the existing showerhead by hand or with the wrench provided, then twist on the Canopy showerhead clockwise — that’s it. It takes less than five minutes. The same goes for the handheld Canopy Showerhead, where you connect the mount to the shower pipe.
The Canopy filters require change every 90 days. They are incredibly easy to change, however. The standard Canopy Filtered Showerhead uses quick-release technology to change the filter. For the handheld showerhead, all you have to do is unscrew the faceplate and swap out the filters. The Canopy showerheads are convenient and aren’t a hassle to upkeep. They use durable materials to maintain quality long term.
The Afina Showerhead requires a wrench to install and requires more maintenance when changing the filter.
Installing the Afina showerhead is relatively easy. First, unscrew the existing showerhead. Next, wrap the end of the pipe with plumbers tape. Then, screw on the A-01 showerhead. Lastly, tighten it with a wrench.
The Afina filters must be replaced every 90 days. To replace the filter, you have to unscrew the head from the spout. Though the filter lasts 90 days, the effectiveness dwindles down the more you use the showerhead. Customers have noted that they experienced immediate results, causing them softer hair and more nourished skin, but they felt the effects didn’t last long.
Results and Customer Reviews
To fully evaluate the effectiveness, I looked at the customer reviews to scope out the effectiveness and the reliability of the products.
Canopy had double the reviews as Afina which praised the brand for effective scalp cleaning, hard water minimization, and positive customer support.
The Canopy Showerhead works to clean the scalp and eliminate product buildup.
The customer service is attentive and available to answer any questions you might have.
Overall, Canopy cultivates a positive user experience with helpful customer service and an effective showerhead that eliminates impurities from water. For hair and scalp, 96% saw a reduction in product build-up, 91% felt hair was cleaner, and 91% noticed less dryness and breakage. As for the skin. 96% agreed skin felt cleaner, 87% felt less dryness, and 87% agreed skin felt healthier and brighter.
Afina only has 342 reviews that have mixed reactions on the A-01’s effectiveness and Afina’s customer support.
Afina has a lower brand presence compared to Canopy. With a lower amount of reviews, there’s a lack of support for Afina’s effectiveness in helping with hard water issues. Customers are praising the A-01 showerhead for the easy installation, but worry about its effectiveness long-term.
Afina lacks transparency and a streamlined user experience. Before purchasing the product fully, the A-01 showerhead, if you choose the subscription option, is sent to your house for a 7-day free trial where you decide if the product works for you. Unlike the Canopy where you feel secure in your purchase and confident in its satisfaction beforehand, you have to try the Afina out first in order to find that reassurance. Similarly, Afina’s customer service lacks immediate response and clarity.
Price
When buying a new showerhead, it’s imperative you’re investing in not only quality, but also a trustworthy brand to ensure your skin is safe and healthy.
Canopy’s price is affordable and worthwhile due to the product’s personalized experience, effectiveness, and add-ons.
You’re paying for more than just a filtered showerhead with Canopy. The standard filtered showerhead has three stream settings so the shower experience is catered to your preferred pressure. To elevate the experience, each showerhead comes with Canopy’s signature aromas.
You can buy the handheld or the standard showerhead outright for $150. This is affordable considering the payoff you get from the optimal water pressure and filtration technology. Both showerhead options offer a showerhead and filter subscription, where a new filter comes every 90 days, that is currently on sale for $135. There is also a showerhead, filter, and aroma subscription that ships a filter and three-piece aroma kit every 90 days. This is currently on sale for $125. With Canopy you can invest in subscriptions that add value without compromising quality.
Afina is at a cheaper price, but lower quality.
At first glance, Afina is cheaper. The standalone price for the A-01 showerhead is $129. However, the pricing option for the subscription is slightly confusing. It is priced at $99, where you take it home without being billed. After 7 days, you pay $99. Filters are then delivered to your door every 60 days for $29. Though it’s a more affordable option, there are potential risks in investing in a skincare product without knowing if the quality is up to the standards of other filtered showerheads like Canopy.
The Verdict: Why Canopy is the superior choice
| Canopy | Afina | |
|---|---|---|
| Filtration | 3-stage: Carbon, KDF-55, and calcium sulfite | Proprietary blend of filtration particles |
| Effectiveness | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Water pressure | 1.8 GPM | 1.8 GPM |
| Easy to set up |  | |
| Dermatologist-recommended | |  |
| Quick-release filter replacement | | |
| 3 stream settings | | |
| Price | $125-$150 | $99-$129 |
The Canopy Filtered Showerhead checks all the boxes for an efficient and effective filtered showerhead. With an admirable reputation and strategic filtration process, it actively works to help reduce impurities in water, providing smoother and nourished skin. Afina uses filtration as well to help reduce impurities. They have immediate results, but lack the longevity that Canopy provides. With a low brand presence and reviews, there is minimal confidence in the effectiveness of the A-01 showerhead.
The Canopy Filtered Showerhead has a durable product design that blends aesthetics and functionality. Both the handheld and standard options fit into any shower and meet showering needs, including an aromatic experience to create a peaceful environment. You can visit Canopy’s website to hear more about their efforts to reinvent wellness and get your hands on the Filtered Showerhead so you have access to clean showering water at home.
