Whether it’s a piping hot wash first thing on a cold winter morning or a refreshing spritz after a vigorous workout, taking a shower is one of life’s small pleasures. However, if your shower head isn’t up to scratch, your daily rinse can leave you feeling flat. There’s nothing worse than a shower that emits water at little more than a trickle or leaks because the head is clogged with limescale.
Fortunately, if that’s the situation in your household, you may not have to replace the whole shower. By replacing the head, you can often revitalise your whole showering experience. Wave goodbye to leaks and clogs and make more water pressure available to power your shower. You could also gain extra spray modes that change your shower sensation or a new style that gives your bathroom a subtle lift. As upgrades go, this is a cheap one: you can buy a great new shower head for under £20. High Neck Basin Mixer Tap
You’re not short on choice when it comes to shower heads, so we’ve put together a list of our favourite replaceable heads to help you pick the most suitable one for your needs. Below, you’ll also find a handy buying guide that will talk you through the things you need should consider before splashing out.
Shower heads come in two basic types: fixed and handheld. Fixed shower heads are attached permanently to the wall or ceiling. These can be replaced without too much difficulty, but most replacement heads are for the more common handheld type and that’s what we’ll be focusing on here.
Even though all shower heads do the same basic job, there’s a surprising amount of variation between models. Some are designed specifically to maximise water flow on low-pressure systems, while others are designed for a high-pressure mixer or power shower. All but the cheapest offer multiple spray patterns, which you can select by moving a slider. Prices range from around £10 for a basic shower head to £60 or more for some of the premium ranges.
Most showers and shower heads use a standard half-inch pipe and fittings, so you can mix and match hoses and heads from different manufacturers. If you’re upgrading your head, however, think about whether you need to upgrade the hose at the same time: if it’s worn or leaking, it could be part of the problem.
Even if your home has low water pressure, a shower head with a clever nozzle design and carefully sculpted water channels can help build the pressure and give you a powerful shower. The trade-off is usually quite a narrow spray radius. However, since there are generally multiple spray patterns to choose from, you can start your shower with a wider, gentler spray, then switch to a more forceful pattern for intensive cleaning.
Some shower heads also suck in air and use this to propel the water out. This can either give you a more powerful shower or it can reduce the amount of water you consume while maintaining a similar overall sensation.
In addition to the basics, modern shower heads may offer extra features such as a built-in Bluetooth speaker or LED lighting. These aren’t always practical for a handheld shower, though, and they’re no substitute for an effective spray pattern. On that note, if a shower offers you ten different patterns, ask yourself how many you’re actually likely to use: most of us rarely need more than one or two patterns.
Some luxury features are worth the extra, though: a fancy finish can be worth paying for if you’re trying to keep your bathroom looking smart, while anything that helps you keep your shower head clean and free of limescale is a good idea. Rub-clean nozzles let you remove scale and debris with a quick pass with one finger, while scale-resistant finishes stay shinier for longer.
We test shower heads on two systems: a high-flow mixer shower with a booster pump and a lower flow electric shower. We fit the head and test it out across all spray patterns, using it with shower gel and shampoo to see how effective it is at normal cleaning and rinsing hair. We also look at how comfortable or refreshing any soft spray or massage patterns are. Finally, where a shower head promises water-saving features, we test these out by measuring the flow rate in litres delivered per minute.
READ NEXT: Best electric showers
Price when reviewed: £7.99 | Check price at AmazonThis cut-price shower head from a Spanish manufacturer punches well above its weight. While the chrome finish covers plastic, it feels impressively well made, and you get a choice of five spray patterns ranging from a pulsing massage to a high-pressure jet and a gentle spray. It’s not the ideal choice for very low-pressure showers, but even with our electric shower it delivered good results, both for a gentle spray and a more intense shampoo rinse. The silicon nozzles also make it easy to clean and it’s covered by a five-year warranty.
Key specs – Type: 100mm chrome finish shower head; Spray patterns: 5; Extras: Easyclean nozzles; Warranty: 5yr
Price when reviewed: £21 | Check price at AmazonTriton’s five-position head gives you all the mod cons you expect from a modern shower head at a bargain-basement price. Available in white or with a chrome-look finish, its five-position selector clicks through a full gamut of patterns from a high-pressure jet to a gentle rain, with nozzles that rub clean to get rid of grime and limescale. It works on all types of showers and isn’t fussy about water pressure. It’s only covered by a one-year warranty and might not last as long as pricier heads, but for less than £25, you can’t go wrong.
Key specs – Type: 110mm plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 5; Extras: Quick-clean spray plate; Colours: 2 (white, chrome); Warranty: 1yr
Price when reviewed: £24 | Check price at AmazonGrohe makes some great high-end showers and shower heads, but you don’t have to splash a lot of cash to get a more luxurious shower. The Tempesta 100 is the German manufacturer’s entry-level shower head, and it has just two positions: a good, soft-feel spray and a stronger jet, although you can find a halfway position if you want to mix the two. The gentler spray is great for longer showers – you may have to lobby housemates or teenage offspring to get out – while the harder jet will blast away outdoor grime or thick shampoo without any problems.
The other great thing about this one is that it’s built to last, with a solid chrome-plated plastic construction, a shockproof silicone ring to protect the head, anti-scald protection and Grohe’s SpeedClean anti-limescale system. In fact, Grohe backs it up with a five-year warranty. It’s quite large and not recommended for low-pressure systems, but if you’ve got a bit of oomph to work with, this is an excellent budget shower head.
Key specs – Type: 100mm plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 2; Extras: SpeedClean anti-limescale; Colours: 2 (chrome and white, chrome and grey); Warranty: 5yr
Price when reviewed: £29 | Check price at AmazonThe Nectar keeps things simple with just the one spray pattern, but that one’s a good one, dishing out a decent all-round spray on both high and low-pressure showers. You get a nice balance between intensity and coverage, with enough welly to rinse shampoo out of long hair, but enough range to keep most of your body in the spray. It’s easy to fit and easy to clean – just give it a wipe across the surface when you’re done – and the chrome version looks more expensive than it is. Looking for a simple fit-and-forget upgrade to a basic electric shower? You don’t need to spend any more.
Key specs – Type: 90mm chrome and plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 1; Extras: Rub-clean nozzles; Colours: 2 (white, chrome); Warranty: 1yr
Price when reviewed: £20 | Check price at AmazonIf you prefer a gentle, easy-going shower to an invigorating hose down, the Satinjet Kiri is for you. There are no high-intensity jets to be found, just an even, super smooth spray with excellent coverage, thanks to Methven’s twin-jet technology, which turns the stream into more than 300,000 tiny droplets per second. It also features a built-in flow limiter, capping your water consumption at a maximum 8l per minute – as replicated in our own tests. That makes it perfect for a longer, more relaxing shower, and it still didn’t have any issues clearing shampoo and conditioner from long hair. Plus, while it’s not actually recommended for low-pressure systems, we still found it perfectly effective on the lower flow electric shower.
Key specs – Type: 106mm chrome finish shower head; Spray patterns: 1; Extras: Rub-clean nozzles, 6lpm flow regulator; Colours: 1 (chrome); Warranty: 5yrs
Price when reviewed: £53 | Check price at AmazonDo you ever have to put up with a shower hose that’s hell-bent on kinking or twisting the shower head out of whack? The Aqualisa Harmony shower head is here to help. Its secret? A thread on an independent ring that can rotate through 360°. A click-in button holds it firm while you’re attaching the hose, and from there on in the head stays in place, whatever.
Beyond this clever trick, the Harmony shower head has plenty more to recommend it, with a choice of four spray patterns that run the gamut from powerful jets to an easy-going, wide-coverage spray, plus excellent build quality. It works better with a decent level of pressure behind it, but it’s a superb addition to more powerful electric showers or any mixer or power shower.
Key specs – Type: 105mm chrome finish shower head; Spray patterns: 4; Extras: Rub-clean nozzles, anti-kink thread; Colours: 2 (chrome/dark grey, chrome/light grey); Warranty: 2yrs
Price when reviewed: £58 | Check price at Robert DyasThe Methven Aurajet AIO takes an ingenious approach to water-saving, swapping the usual spray shower head for a ring or ‘halo’ that blasts our water from jets concealed within the groove that goes almost all the way around the circumference. You get a good, forceful spray on any system with above 1 bar of pressure, but the built-in regulator limits the flow to a very reasonable 9L per minute. The lack of spray patterns may be an issue, but our testers liked the power and impressive, all-round overage, not to mention the distinctive style. What’s more, Methven makes a slightly smaller version, the AIO S, which still delivers great results with an even lower flow rate of 5.7l/min. And while it’s still not recommended for low-pressure showers, it worked surprisingly well on our electric shower.
Key specs – Type: 132mm/110mm chrome finish shower head; Spray patterns: 1; Extras: 9l flow regulator (5.7l on AIO S); Colours: 1 (chrome); Warranty: 5yrs
Check price at Robert Dyas
Price when reviewed: £103 | Check price at AmazonIf you have a big budget and plenty of water pressure, it’s hard to beat Hansgrohe’s Raindance Select S150. This plus-sized shower head gives you a choice of three spray modes, namely a soft rain, a jet with five powerful, rotating shoulder-massaging sprays, and a mix setting that combines the two. You can switch between them at the click of a button and each gives an excellent shower experience, thanks partly to airpower technology that injects a little air into the flow. The smaller Select E120 might be better if you don’t have the water pressure, but otherwise, this is the premium shower head to go for.
Key specs – Type: 150mm chrome and plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 3; Extras: QuickClean faceplate; Warranty: 5yr
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