Tis the season for slipping in a little something sustainable into those stockings to spark some positive change with your friends and family without them realizing it!
Now is a great time to help others start their low waste journey with some simple swaps. It can be a bit intimidating to know where to start so let’s give them some help!
This holiday season, lets embrace more meaningful and sustainable gifts. It is estimated that returns from the holiday season could result in 9.5 billion pounds of returns sent straight to landfills. It’s easier for retailers to toss the product than ship it back and try to resell it. We are here to help prevent this and slow down overconsumption with practical, low waste, and affordable stocking stuffers!
Practical Stocking Stuffers
Hair ties by Kooshoo are plastic free, super strong, come in a variety of styles, sizes and colors and last a long time! I have been using my flat hair tie for over 6 months and it is just now starting to feel slightly stretched out. These are made from fair trade natural tree rubber, organic cotton, non-toxic dyes and if you happen to lose one they won’t harm the environment as they break down.
Beeswax wraps are a beautiful and effective alternative to plastic wrap. I love using these on dishes I take to a potluck to get the conversation started on how to use them! Cover bowls, wrap that half of an avocado and save it for days without it going brown, store hard cheese in these without it drying out or causing mold, wrap your sandwich or veggies with them and keep them fresh. Just don’t use them in the microwave or freezer. 😉Wash with warm soapy water and air dry. We keep ours on top of our roll of plastic wrap that has been in the drawer for 12+ years. Yep, the same roll and it isn’t even a giant one. At the end of their life, beeswax wraps can be used as fire starters or be composted.
Reusable cotton rounds are perfect for the person in your life who uses a lot of cotton balls! Designed to last for years of use, these hemp cotton rounds are so soft on the skin to remove makeup or apply toner. They come with a mesh laundry bag to put them in to wash with your laundry and not lose them!
Give a Little Luxury
Natural perfume roll-ons are made by a fellow refill store owner and smell divine! A small 10ml bottle means they are perfect for on the go too. Apply a small amount to your pulse points and enjoy the beautiful phthalate free scent. These are great for the teens in your life that want to smell good but you’re not quite ready for them to wear perfume.
Dry body oil by Dip is amazing for your skin and hair and can also be used as perfume! Spritz some on your hands and feel it soak it immediately leaving you moisturized and not greasy. Tame that frizzy hair you might have and as walk a hint of the scent will swirl around you. This is a fantastic gift for the person in your life that loves a good scent!
BKind nail polishes are a great way to remove 21 toxic ingredients normally found in nail polishes and let them enjoy those beautiful painted nails again! This nail polish is vegan and 77% plant based. We currently carry 16 colors and a base and top coat option. The base coat contains squalane, an extremely hydrating compound for revitalized nails.
Low Waste Tools for a Greener Lifestyle
Help your friends and family ditch the plastic highlighters and gift them a pack of 3 highlighter pencils made from FSC certified beech wood. Unlike traditional plastic highlighters that dry out and contribute to landfill waste, these eco-friendly highlighter pencils offer long-lasting use without the need for plastic. They’ll think these are great and may never go back to the plastic highlighters!
Upgrade their writing experience with the innovative bamboo alloy Never-Ending Pencil. This eco-friendly alternative to traditional pencils combines sustainability and functionality. Unlike regular pencils, it never smudges and doesn’t require sharpening, refilling, or replacing. It will also wow them with how long it lasts!
Reusable utensil kits are a great way to help your friends and family say ‘nope’ to disposable plastic cutlery while out and about! Sometimes all someone needs is a cute way to carry their utensil kits with them to get them to reuse instead of accept the disposable. We have one wrapped in a canvas that includes a bamboo fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks and straw along with 2 metal straws and a straw cleaner or a collapsible cutlery set that folds down into a small pouch for the adventurer with a spork, butter knife, and 2 telescoping metal straws and straw cleaners.
Personal Care Gifts
A bamboo hair brush or comb is a great gift to go along with the Kooshoo hair ties. Why choose bamboo? Every year, millions of plastic hairbrushes contribute to landfills, polluting our planet. By switching to bamboo, you’re helping to reduce plastic waste without leaving a lasting environmental footprint. Plus, they’ll think these are stylish brushes and not even think twice about them being more ecofriendly. Swap complete!
Do they love skincare? We have a refillable minis kit by Rebrand, a woman-owned small business in Oakland, CA. This travel friendly set includes four must-have skincare staples, perfect for trial, gifting, or on-the-go self-care and it’s refillable if they love it! The dream cleanser is perfect for the winter leaving the skin moisturized while cleansing. The power serum brightens and tones and the super oil is nourishing for the skin and hair. The day and night cream is deeply hydrating too.
Lianna bar soaps are locally made and handmade using the traditional Bastille, cold processing technique to preserve the essential, skin-loving properties of the ingredients used. They are beautifully wrapped individually in a box and smell incredible. These are the most nourishing soaps we’ve used and they last a long time. Sustainable can be luxurious and these are a great way to share that with your favorite person.
I could go on about how amazing all of our products are and how we can live more sustainably while still using products that make us feel good, look good, and smell good!
Gift cards are also available to purchase in-store or online and can also be used in both places. This lets your friends and family pick the scent of the lotion or soap or perfume, or pick the pattern of the not paper towel, or choose their favorite color of a glass straw.
Thoughtful Packaging for a Sustainable Season
Wrap it up in kraft paper, the comics, a tea towel or one of the free kraft paper bags we offer. During the holidays we also provide free fabric bags made from scrap fabric! Just tying up with a spare piece of twine works beautifully too!
We ship plastic free also! And if you’d like it wrapped in one of our free fabric bags, leave us a note!
Let’s All Celebrate the Season Sustainably
The gifting season can be stressful and expensive. Let’s all try and focus on gifting intentionally and sustainably as much as we can. Donating to your favorite or their favorite non-profit can help reduce waste and support a cause worthy of your hard earned dollars.
Remember the season is about family and friends, about celebrating with food and hugs and small intentional gifts they will love.
Still feeling a little lost on what to gift? We have put together some bundles perfect for anyone in your life!
