I was really excited when our friends at Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) asked me to submit my favorite non-toxic, safe gift ideas for the holidays. They have done a great job in putting together a fabulous shopping guide that covers so many safe must-haves, holidays or not!
Here’s more about the guide, and how you can download it.
Why is Shopping for Safe Products Important?
Cinco Vidas and WVE share a key goal-to help educate and advocate for safer, everyday products that we all use in our homes, at our work places, and in our general environment. We believe that with small efforts on a daily basis, we can all live healthier lives with fewer hazardous chemicals tearing down our fragile systems.
When I’ve given workshops on this topic, however, I find that though people want to reduce their exposure to everyday toxins, they’re often unsure how to do it. Many think they have to become chemists to really understand what’s safe and what’s not.
That’s why I love things like WVEs safe, non-toxic shopping guide. In simple, easy-to-understand language, several of my colleagues and I have provided suggestions for safe, non-toxic items you can purchase in several areas of your life.
Following a guide like this sort of gives you the “feel” of shopping for safer items. Once you get the feel of it, you realize that you don’t really have to know what every single chemical ingredient is. You don’t have to memorize a list of what sulfates to avoid and what chemical preservatives to stay away from. Instead, all you have to do is get used to choosing products from conscientious manufacturers.
Trust me. After you do it a few times, you’ll get the hang of it!
Some of My Safe Picks
Here are some of my picks for safe personal care products from the guide:
- Natural oils for glowing skin. Winter cold & wind make skin extremely dehydrated. Bring back a healthy glow with nourishing oils like argan, jojoba, or squalene from olive oil. I love Indie Lee’s Squalene Facial Oil.
- LaVanila Healthy Deodorant. It smells great, it really works, and it has no aluminum! Best of all, it’s made with essential oils and aloe, without parabens or propylene glycol. Find it here.
- “Neom” candles from O&N Collective. Nothing says the holidays more than a lovely smelling burning flame, but a lot of candles give off toxic fumes like benzene and astoluene. Use soybean-based candles with 100% essential oils. Find Neom candles here.
- CV Skinlabs Body Repair Lotion. A perfect gift for anyone with dry, flaky winter skin. 100% free of potentially harmful chemicals and full of antioxidant & calming goodies like Reishi mushroom, olive oil, turmeric, and more.
This is just a taste-you can find many more of my recommendations when you download the guide.
You’ll also find recommendations for safe baby products, clothing, accessories, and more from experts like Diane MacEachern, author of Big Green Purse; Alicia Voorhies, founder of The Soft Landing; and Erika Hickey, owner of Walking Stick Toys.
The best thing about this guide is that it’s completely free! All you have to do is go to the WVE website and download it. Of course, if you can, a small donation would be greatly appreciated, and will go toward helping WVE continue their great work. After all, they were key players in the efforts to get Johnson & Johnson to get many potentially harmful chemicals out of their products.
Best if all, if you use the guide to purchase safer gifts this holiday season, you’ll be sending the message with your purchasing power that today’s women will no longer put up with harmful chemicals in our products. As we all strive to change the marketplace, that could be the best gift of all.
Did you download the WVE Non-Toxic Shopping Guide? What did you think?
