I had this question the other day: Can you shower with chains on? I mean, I’ve got a few chains – some silver, some gold-looking, some are just cheap metal – and I always wonder if I should take them off before I hop in the shower.
So, I did what anyone would do – I tried it out myself. I started with this cheap metal chain I got from a vending machine. I figured, if it got ruined, no big deal. I wore it in the shower every day for a week. At first, nothing happened. It looked the same, felt the same. But by the end of the week, I started to see some changes.
The chain started to look dull, not shiny like it used to be. And it started to leave these greenish marks on my skin. I guess that’s what happens when cheap metal mixes with water and soap all the time. I stopped wearing that one in the shower after that.
Next, I moved on to my silver chain. This one’s a bit nicer, so I was more careful. I wore it in the shower for a few days, and at first, it seemed fine. But then I noticed it started to tarnish. It got this dark, almost blackish look in some spots, especially around the clasp.
- Wore cheap metal chain for a week, it looked dull and left green marks.
- Wore silver chain for a few days, it started to tarnish.
I did some reading, and it turns out, silver and water don’t really get along. The minerals and chemicals in the water, plus the stuff in soap and shampoo, can react with the silver and cause it to tarnish. It’s not immediate, but it happens over time. So, I decided to stop showering with my silver chain, too.
Finally, I got to my gold chain. It’s not solid gold, just gold-plated, so I wasn’t sure what would happen. I wore it in the shower for about a week, and honestly, it held up pretty well. It didn’t tarnish, didn’t leave any marks on my skin. It still looked pretty good.
But then I read that even with gold-plated stuff, the plating can wear off over time if you expose it to water and soap a lot. And once the plating’s gone, the metal underneath might not be so shower-friendly. So, to be on the safe side, I decided to take off my gold chain before showering, too.
My conclusions?
Here is what I learned, if you’re going to wear a chain in the shower, solid gold is probably your best bet. But even then, it’s probably not the best idea if you want to keep it looking nice for a long time. For everything else – cheap metal, silver, gold-plated – it’s better to just take it off before you shower. It might be a hassle, but it’ll save you from tarnished chains and green skin.
From my experience, it is better to take off all your chains before you shower. It keeps them looking their best, and it’s just easier that way. You don’t have to worry about what they’re made of or if they’ll get messed up. Take them off, hop in the shower, put them back on after. Easy peasy.
