With all the wonderful products that walk across our desks here at Natural Home, here are a few that have stood out during the holiday season. Grab these last-minute gifts for your friends, family, or even yourself. And remember: Green is not just for the holidays. Any of these products would be great year round.
1. Seva Hair Care: This shampoo is gentle on my locks. It contains none of the bad stuff (SLS, SLES, parabens or animal byproducts) and is 100 percent vegan. The products are made in the USA (Los Angeles, California, to be exact) and are fairly traded. This shampoo makes a great gift for your style- and eco-conscious sister, and should be a shower staple for your own personal use. Photo courtesy Seva.
2. Pacifica Gift Set: I can’t go on more about how much I adore Pacifica. This company consistently impresses me with its new scents, commitment to excellence in candlemaking (soy wax, lead-free cotton wicks) and gorgeous packaging. The single fragrance collections are wonderful for that friend who you know loves a specific scent. These make great birthday presents as well–my best friend got one of these for her birthday a few months ago. Take Pacifica up on its free shipping deal for orders over $50! Photo courtesy Pacifica.
3. Holy Cow Apparel: These organic cotton tees and hoodies for men and women have sassy, inspiration sayings and drawings that are sure to get someone’s attention. Holy Cow uses water-based inks in its printing process and maintains fair labor practices–no sweatshop labor here. The shirts are soft and have “tagless tags,” which means no uncomfortable itching for you. I had the chance to see many of the designs firsthand at the San Francisco Green Festival; my favorite design is recycle love. Photo courtesy Holy Cow.
4. BeGreen Ornament Cards: Forget the generic holiday greeting cards. Send BeGreen cards/ornaments to your friends and family this year. Not only is this thoughtful and nice, but it is also good for the planet: Each ornament contains seeds, such as cilantro, chili peppers or Forget Me Not flowers. In addition, for each gift of green purchased, a tree is planted in honor of your friend or family member. A lot better than naming a star after somebody, right? Photo courtesy BeGreen.
5. Envirosax: These reusable bags are beautiful, durable and compact. Each bag can be folded and secured into a small roll, which is easy to throw into your car or purse so you never have to go shopping and take plastic again. Bags start at $7.95, and a percentage of proceeds from each Envirosax goes towards charities. I have a couple Envirosax that I’ve been using (and I plan on gifting some in a couple days, too), and I loved seeing the beautiful new Envirosax designs at Eco Gift Festival in LA a few weekends ago. Photo courtesy Envirosax.
6. Numi Puerh Tea: With all the traveling I’ve been doing lately, it’s surprising that I haven’t gotten completely ill. At the onset of a cold (and with colds going around the office), I started drinking more Numi tea than usual–especially the Mint Puerh. It really calmed my throat and cleared my sinuses, and after a week of downing tea each morning, I felt a lot better. Tea makes a great stocking stuffer or host present (the packaging is beautiful) for holiday parties and gatherings. Numi is USDA organic and is $10 for 16 teabags. Photo courtesy Numi Tea.
7. Allison’s Gourmet Fudge: If I could have fudge delivered to me every day, I would definitely stay home and feast on delivery day. With Allison’s Fudge of the Month club, you get organic, vegan fudge delivered to your doorstep once a month. If you’re not baking-savvy (or lack the time/energy/motivation to bake), this is a great option. There’s also cookies and brownies of the month, too. Pick your choice! Photo courtesy Allison’s Gourmet Fudge.
8. Natural Home magazine: Sure, I work here, but I have to say, a magazine subscription is a good gift. A subscription to Natural Home, the authority on green homes and sustainable design, is an even better gift, especially for your eco-minded buddies. I just renewed subscriptions for a few of my friends and family members. A year’s worth of great, green information with an added bonus of new content online and newsletters in your inbox each week for $15 is a true bargain.
