GoKawiilHave we reached peak red light yet? Red light therapy—a fairly recent trend touted for everything from hair growth to smooth skin to muscle relaxation—has blossomed into a half-billion-dollar industry over the past half-decade. This has ranged from red light saunas and red light masks to red light hats, mats, heaters, and pads.
So maybe I shouldn't have been surprised to see wellness company HigherDose turn up with what it's calling the world's only red-light shower filter. "Combo I never saw coming,” agreed my colleague Nena Farrell, who has spent the past year or two assessing the effects of various red-light-emitting objects on her skin, scalp, and hair.
HigherDose's new showerhead includes a 10-stage shower water filter that removes chlorine and perhaps other chemicals and heavy metals from the water. It also has a glowing ring of red and near-infrared light, which promises to boost “glow, circulation, mood, and skin & scalp health.”
The red lights also have the fun side effect of turning your shower's overall vibe into something between discotheque and darkroom. At $600, it's also priced a bit like a nightclub, though this remains in line with many other red light therapy options.
After around two months of testing, I can't say for sure that I look any younger or hairier, but I will say my mood is a little better while I'm showering. And my shower does glow. And I can vouch for at least some of the effectiveness of its water filter.
But given that my top pick shower filters cost a third to a quarter as much, it's troubling that red light therapy dose is likely to vary widely—and that HigherDose was not able to provide sufficient documentation for some of its bolder filtration claims.
Put on the Red Light
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Unlike many health fads, red light therapy is a rare case in which TikTok influencers and clinicians share similar interests at the same time.