Quiz: How Green is your Self-Care?

Do your green DIY beauty masks help save our planet’s resources, or are your fashion choices creating more holes in the ozone layer? We all may be occasionally guilty of super-long hot showers or dry-cleaning our expensive dresses, but how green or un-green are your self-care and beauty habits compared to other people?

Take this quick quiz to evaluate the green level of your self-care, and don’t forget to use the handy cheat sheet of green self-care information at the end of the page to continue your journey of beautifying yourself–and Mother Earth.

1.)    How long are your showers?
a.)    Sweating is your natural shower.
b.)    10 minutes to an hour—depending on how you’re feeling that day.
c.)    You’re more of an indoor Jacuzzi kind of person.

2.)    How many organic beauty products do you own?
a.)    Too many refrigerator shelves to count.
b.)    Does The Body Shop count?
c.)    Organic? Is that like a new line from Philosophy?

3.)    How often do you take your clothes to the cleaners?
a.)    Never
b.)    A few times a year
c.)    There is no such thing as laundry-friendly couture

4.)    Do you DIY any of your self-care?
a.)    All the time
b.)    What’s DIY?
c.)    I only DKNY

5.)    Did you know that bamboo can be used for self-care products, such as towels and blankets?
a.)    Old news
b.)    Really?
c.)    Who cares?

6.) Are you open to the idea of wearing used clothing?
a.) You prefer your own hand-woven hemp dresses, thanks.
b.) Maybe—so long as it’s from friends, or it’s a ridiculously fabulous deal.
c.) Please—you don’t even like wearing your own clothes more than once!

7.) How green is your work-out?
a.) Green as the natural forest habitat that you jog in
b.) Green as the envy you feel—for your roommate who can eat donuts for breakfast and never gain weight
c.) Green as in the $1,000 greenbacks you just spent on your cute new running boots!

Mostly A’s:
Goddess of the natural earth, do you prefer your seasonal offerings in fruit, vegetables or generous checks to your favorite earth-friendly organization? We can do all of the above.

Mostly B’s:
Hello, human! We applaud your efforts for showing interest in bringing more green into your everyday life. It’s time to clean up that carbon footprint and replace the trail of manufactured waste with a trail of good green karma. Keep reading this week for more… and the end of this quiz for a quick green self-care cheat sheet of useful information! 

Mostly C’s:
We would lecture you more on your carbon excesses, but we don’t want to make you late for your test drive appointment of your new Hummer.

Your Green Self-Care Cheat Sheet of Useful Information

On showering:
•    Cutting your shower time by one minute can save more than 500 gallons of water each year. You also save money on water.
•    Did you know that even a quick shower fills up one third of the bath tub? Order a low-flow showerhead to reduce water usage.
•    Turn down your house’s water heater to 120 degrees F. Just a 10 degree reduction will reduce 500 pounds from your annual CO₂ output.

On organic beauty:
•    We highly recommend Trader Joe’s toothpaste and deodorant for natural products that don’t use harmful chemicals.
•    The most organic beauty product you can put on your face is fresh fruit!

On taking your clothes to the dry cleaners:
•    85% of dry cleaners use the chemical PERC–which has been linked to cancer and reproductive damage. Don’t even get us started on all the material used to wrap your clothes in plastic when they are done.
•    Buy clothes that don’t require dry cleaning—or minimize it as much as possible.
•    Bug your local dry cleaners to start using (link) paper hangers instead of the cheap plastic ones that poke holes in your garbage bags and end up in the landfill.

On DIY (Do It Yourself):
•    DIY self-care is not only cheaper, but better on you because you are using 100% natural products—like fruits and vegetables!
•    Some simple DIY facial masks include but are not limited to: mashed bananas, avocados, olive oil and egg yolk.

On bamboo:
•    Bamboo is the future of sustainable natural products. They don’t require fertilizer or pesticides, stabilizes the soil, and generates 35% more oxygen than trees.
•    If people planted one million acres of bamboo, 4.8 million tons of CO₂ would be eliminated every year.
•    You can buy bamboo cutting boards, dishes, utensils, sheets, towels and flooring.

On used clothing:
•    Clothingswap.org and swapstyle.com are two great places to check out used clothing. Also try Craigslist and your local thrift stores. You never know what you might find!
•    In supporting used clothing and used items, you are taking advantage of what is already manufactured, instead of encouraging companies to manufacture more. You also save tons of money!

On green work-outs:
•    Who says you need to buy any equipment to get a good workout? Go out for a morning jog, jump-rope, or rent workout DVDs, or do yoga podcasts!
•    No more water bottles! Use the water fountain, or invest in a sturdy travel mug or sports bottle.