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.
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.
See related The best electric showers to buy in 2022Best bathroom scales: The best mechanical, digital and smart bathroom scalesEven 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 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.
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Price: £16 | Buy now from Amazon
This 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 a great choice for low-pressure showers – look to the Airmix ASH2249 below – but give it some decent water pressure to play with and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. 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
£6.45 Buy nowPrice: £16 | Buy now from Amazon
Triton’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 £20, 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
£16.98 Buy nowPrice: £19 | Buy now from Amazon
Grohe 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
£19.14 Buy nowPrice: £25 | Buy now from Amazon
Mira’s compact, stylish little shower head will work with any shower system, but its relatively small diameter means it’s especially good with low-pressure showers and electric systems. It delivers a stronger flow than many larger heads, although you need to set the angle right to get all that water exactly where you want it. The downside is that you only get the one spray pattern. If you have a cheap electric shower and want a classier head with more welly behind it, grab the Beat.
Key specs – Type: 90mm plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 1; Extras: Rub-clean nozzles; Colours: 2 (white, chrome); Warranty: 1yr
£25.99 Buy nowPrice: £32 | Buy now from John Lewis
Do you like a gentle and easygoing shower rather than an invigorating hose down? The Methven Maku Satinjet is right up your street. There’s just one spray pattern, but it dishes out an even and super-smooth shower over a nice wide area. One of our testers found it so relaxing that they didn’t want to leave the shower behind, although this came with the unfortunate side-effect of an extended performance of ear-piercing warbling. Apparently, the feel all comes down to Methven’s twin-jet technology, which produces more than 300,000 tiny droplets of water per second. In any case, it’s good with both low-pressure and high-pressure showers, restricting water flow to save you money, and the head looks and feels quite luxurious to boot.
Key specs – Type: 90mm chrome finish shower head; Spray patterns: 1; Extras: Rub clean nozzles, 9l water-flow regulator; Warranty: 5yr
Buy now from John Lewis
Price: £67 | Buy now from Amazon
A Rainshower head may feel luxurious, but it’s hard to feed without a high-pressure system. Grohe’s Rainshower Icon 150 gets around this with an ingenious halo design that delivers a consistent spray through all the nozzles, even with just one bar of water pressure. That means that with most mixer and power showers you’ll get a sumptuous chillout of a shower. There’s also the option of an eco-setting if you want to reduce water use – Grohe claims you can save up to 40%. Throw in a limescale-resistant chrome finish, rub-clean silicone nozzles and a five-year warranty, and the Grohe delivers the kind of rain you won’t want to go away.
Key specs – Type: 150mm plastic shower head; Spray patterns: 2; Extras: Rub-clean nozzles; Colours: 9 (black, white, yellow, light grey, dark grey, silver, light brown); Warranty: 5yr
£57.23 Buy nowPrice: £98 | Buy now from Amazon
If 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