Know Your Carbon Footprint

Know your Carbon Footprint

Take our quiz and find out if your actions make you a Carbon saver! You can find the correct answers at the bottom of the page and an activity to calculate your carbon footprint from showering/bathing and washing/shampooing your hair.

1. Which of the following is not a benefit of dry shampoo?

1. Makes hair easier to style
2. It is faster
3. You can use it every day
4. It is more eco-friendly
5. It is the most cost effective
6. You can use it anywhere

1. Which of the following is a true statement?

1. Blow drying hair is good for hair condition
2. Colouring hair is good for hair condition
3. Using hair straighteners is good for hair condition
4. For most people, using less shampoo is good for hair condition

1. Which is the following is false:

1. Showering every day is good for the skin.
2. Simple soap is usually better for the skin than shower gel.
3. It is better for the hair to just use a blow dryer if you need to, once hair is 90% dry.
4. An eco-friendly product for cleaning hair is dry shampoo
5. Showering with water that is too hot can be bad for the skin and for your energy bills.

1. Which of the following is false?

1. Washing hair less can be good for hair and scalp.
2. Washing hair everyday with shampoo and conditioner is good for the hair and scalp.
3. Washing hair with shampoos and conditioner that are free from harmful chemicals can be better for the hair and scalp.
4. Turning the shower off between shampoo and conditioning helps save water.

Answers:

1. c – if you use dry shampoo several days in a row, you can get build up, so it is better to use it every other shampoo.
2. d – most people use more shampoo than they need. Shampoo strips the oils from the hair, and advice is to use just a small amount and just use once rather than rinse and repeat. Only if you have been exposed to a dirty environment or have used a lot of hair product is it necessary to shampoo twice.
3. a – showering too often or for too long can make skin dry and irritated and make some skin conditions worse, especially if the showers are too hot. You should shower after being in dirty or sweaty environments and it is recommended to wash smelly areas every day, but maybe at the sink or in isolation, or as part of a short and focussed shower, and have a full shower about 4 or 5 times a week, but not for too long.
4. b - shampooing hair everyday is not good for the hair and scalp as it can strip hair and scalp of natural oils.

Activity:Work out your carbon footprint from showering/bathing and washing/drying hair. But be aware that actual values depend a lot upon whether you have a power shower (much higher carbon footprint) or eco shower and the type of boiler you have and your energy source

Assume a typical bath emits 1.2 kg of carbon dioxide

Assume a shower emits 0. 125kg of carbon dioxide per minute

Assume using a hair dryer emits 0.01 kgcarbon dioxide per minute

Assume using hair straighteners uses 0.001 kg carbon dioxide per minute

Personal calculation

Using the figures from the above activity box, work out your current carbon footprint per week created by your usual hair-care and washing routine.

Which are you?

a)2 kg per week or less - Well you certainly have eco-friendly washing habits. Someone who showers 4 times a week for 4 minutes, and did not use a blow dryer or straightenerswould score2kg. This is great for children and adults living in clean environments. But if you are a teenager going through puberty or work in a sweaty/dirty environment, you may need to wash a little more – check with a close friend!

b)2.5 – 5 kg per week - Someone who showered for 5 minutes every day and did not use a blow dryer or straighteners would score under 4.5 kg. This is a good range to be in – you may be able to save a little more CO2, for example by shorter showers. See if you can cut your carbon footprint by 10%.

c)5.5 kg – 9kg per week - You have room to cut your carbon footprint quite easily – see how much you would save by using dry shampoo once week, reducing blow drying time, cutting down shower time or replacing baths with showers. What changes can you make that would cut your carbon footprint by a third?

d)9.5+ kg per week - Not only is your hair-care and washing routine creating a large carbonfootprint, your hair and skin condition may suffer from too much exposure to water, heat and chemicals. Also your water and electricity bills are likely to be high. Take a look at the figures and see if you can cut your carbon footprint by half. If you are in this category it should be easy to do and still have great hair and clean skin.

Now think how much CO2 you would save if you did any of the following:

• Allow an extra day to go before shampooing (think how many minutes shower time/blow drying time and maybe hair straightening time that saves per week)
• Shampoo once rather than rinse and repeat (how many minutes shower time per week would that save?)
• Cut down shower time by using a leave in conditioner rather than one that needs rinsing out (how many minutes shower time per week would that save?).
• Did not wash hair every time you showered(think how many minutes shower time/blow drying time and maybe hair straightening time that saves per week)
• Replaced baths with showers (saved bath time minus increased shower time)
• Used dry shampoo once a week (think how many minutes shower time/blow drying time and maybe hair straightening time that saves per week)
• Let hair dry naturally (how much blow drying time is saved?)
• Cut your showering time down to 4 minutes a shower (how many minutes would you save?)

Think which of these changes would be easiest for you to make, and how you could cut your carbon footprint related to washing and drying your hair. Many of these changes will also be good for your skin and your hair! For further information or any questions, drop us a line at