CV Skinlabs’ Green and Clean Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are here, and I bet a lot of you are looking for that perfect gift.

What can you find that will make someone feel really special?

We know that it can be difficult to find items, particularly in the personal and home care categories, that don’t expose your friends and loved ones to potentially dangerous chemicals.

Who wouldn’t love a nice perfume in her stocking, or a luxurious lotion for dry, winter hands? Yet so many of these products are full of synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens, ureas, petrolatum, and other possible hormone disruptors and skin irritators.

It can be a jungle out there, so we decided to help. Below you’ll find some of our best recommendations for holiday gift giving. All of these have our stamp of approval when it comes to avoiding potentially toxic chemicals, and they all have nourishing ingredients or eco-friendly designs that will enhance your life and the lives of those you love.

What could be easier, right? Peruse and select your favorites, and cross another to-do item off your list!

Our Green and Clean Holiday Gift Guide

• CV Skinlabs Restorative Skin Balm: Award-winning balm that’s petrolatum-free and designed to instantly soften severely dry, rough and chapped skin. Great for lips, cuticles, scrapes, abrasions, chafing, and more. Holistic Health Coach Sara Jane Mercer says, “My daughter had a fall onto a wooden stacker cup and scratched her face pretty bad. It was awful. I cried harder than she did. I treated her cut with your Restorative Skin Balm for a week and now there is basically no mark! Thank you for making such wonderful products that I feel safe putting on my girl!”
• Earth Easy Beeswax Aromatherapy Candle in Beehive Glass: Aromatherapy candle handcrafted with pure beeswax and the finest lavender essential oil. This candle is poured into a decorative glass holder shaped like a beehive. Get it here.
• Theo Chocolates Holiday 4-Bar Collection: Featuring new artwork and playful flavors, this holiday bar collection makes for perfect gifting. The collection includes one of each: Peppermint Stick 70% Dark Chocolate, Nutcracker 65% Dark Chocolate, Cranberry Orange 55% Dark Chocolate, & Gingerbread 45% Milk Chocolate. Natural and organic ingredients. Get it here.

Gal on the Go

• CV Traveler: The perfect introduction to safe, effective and organic skincare! Three CV Skinlabs products that work together to tame inflammation and redness, stimulate repair, and restore radiance. The set contains Body Repair Lotion (travel size), our award winning Restorative Skin Balm (travel size), and a deluxe sample of our Rescue + Relief Spray. Get it here.
• PB Travel Bamboo Travel Set: Settle into your seat and into a soft slumber under your luxuriously soft 100% bamboo blanket. Cover your eyes with our soft, silky 100% bamboo eye mask. As soft as Cashmere and just as natural, Bamboo is the ultimate “green” product. Get it here.
• Paperblanks Journal: By utilizing acid-free, sustainable forest paper and 100% recycled binder boards, this company advocates for social and environmental responsibility and support organizations that do the same. Paperblanks® are beautiful writing journals that celebrate human artistry and craft. Find them here.

Home Care Products

• SoWell Zen-Shaped Salt Lamps: Our Zen-inspired, Himalayan salt cube design releases oxygen rich, ionizing air that stimulates the body while soothing and focusing the mind. Our Zen Collection of cubed salt lights gives a minimalistic, yet aesthetically pleasing feature in your home or office. Hand-crafted by artisans at the foothills of the majestic Himalayan Mountains. Find them
• Flameless Candles: These offer a safer, more air-friendly option to regular candles as they emit no fumes and don’t present any fire hazards. You can find them in a lot of stores. Here are some at Pier 1. Beware of those that are scented, however. Check to be sure they don’t emit formaldehyde or other dangerous toxins like synthetic air fresheners do.
• Viva Terra Beaded Brass & Wire Hanging Votive Holders: Handmade in India, these delicate glass votive holders rest in antiqued brass-plated iron vessels, which are suspended from thin wires. Dainty bead accents are strewn across the wires to add an extra touch of elegance. You can hang them solo nearly anywhere or grouped together to make a bold lighting statement. Use beeswax and other safely made tealights or flameless LED tealight candles. Find them here.

For the Green Glamour Girl

• CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture: This antioxidant-rich moisturizer calms redness and deeply hydrates while repairing skin to create a healthy glow. This one is a backstage favorite during NYC Fashion Week because it works so well as a makeup primer. Says health and nutrition expert Alexandra Jamieson, ““I’ve noticed such a change in my skin since I began using Calming Moisture. My skin feels and looks smoother and more clear – and it just feels so good to sweep it across my cheeks!” Find it here.
• CV Skinlabs Rescue + Relief Spray: This works great as a toner before applying makeup. Celebrity makeup artist Julie Harris has this to say: “I love using CV Skinlabs Rescue + Relief Spray on my clients before applying makeup, it soothes and calms any redness and instantly hydrates. Beautiful, supple skin!” Find it here.
• Eco Bella Makeup: Ecco Bella was started out of protest against the testing on animals in the production of cosmetics, and its mission has expanded to the creation of products from the universe of organics and nutraceuticals. As an activist company, we source ingredients from ethical suppliers of organic materials, and stay away from ingredients that may cause harm to people or the environment. We speak out on behalf of animals and the environment at every opportunity. Find makeup products here.
• Suncoat Water-Based Nail Polish: In Suncoat water-based nail polish – the chemical solvents (toluene and acetates etc) are replaced by water. Toluene and formaldehyde-free nail polish is only one step forward while Suncoat water-based nail polish is a revolutionary advance! Suncoat water-based nail polish contains ~70% water. When applied, water vapor is released in to the air, not chemical fumes. Thus Suncoat water-based nail polish is environmentally friendly, does not dry or discolor nails, and virtually odor-free. Find it here.
• Vita Liberata Self Tanner: Certified organic and natural extracts for anti ageing, skin enhancement and a natural tan. Eco-certified DHA tanning agent. Formulated without parabens, alcohol, fragrance or petrochemicals. Find it here.
• Organic Perfume: You don’t have to spray yourself with chemicals to enjoy a luxurious scent. Try Tsi-LA Organics or A Perfume Organic.
• CV Skinlabs Rescue + Glow Kit: Find in this unique collection a new standard of safety-natural and organic ingredients formulated to calm, soothe, and heal irritated and sensitive skin, leaving behind a radiant glow. Each product delivers outstanding beauty benefits and proven results, even for the most sensitive skins. Find it here.
• Organic Hair Care: Enjoy smooth, shiny, healthy hair with organic brands that treat your hair right. Try Intelligent Nutrients, Yarok, and Rahua.

Green Personal Care

• Organic Deodorant: Tired of rolling on aluminum, parabens, and other toxic ingredients? Try natural deodorant instead. These make great gifts, too, as they allow your friends to try them without risk! Some good options include Hauschka, Erbaviva, and Miessence.
• Konjac Sponge: Give your loved one the gift of luxurious bathing with the Konjac sponge. They come in both face and body varieties, and all are eco friendly, 100% natural and made from pure edible vegetable roots. Find them here.
• CV Skinlabs Rescue + Relief Spray: In addition to the other uses we’ve talked about here, this product does a lot of other things. It’s great as an aftershave, for example, and as a refreshing mist to counteract flushing. Find it here.
• Yerba Prima Tampico Skin Brush: Skin brushing is a great way to exfoliate and keep your skin looking smooth and soft all winter long. This one has natural bristles that help stimulate circulation for a healthy glow. Find it here.
• Singha’s Mustard Bath: The most uplifting and restorative therapeutic bath on the market! In traditional medicine, mustard is renowned for its stimulating, cleansing and rejuvenating qualities. The warmth of mustard gently opens pores and assists in the elimination of impurities. Find it here.
• Silk Pillowcase: These pillowcases are divine as they don’t catch or tug at your hair or skin. If you want your loved one to enjoy a real “beauty sleep,” this is the perfect gift. Find an eco-friendly version at The Ethical Silk Company.
• Sleep Well Supplement by Dr. Frank Lipman: If your loved one is suffering from insomnia, how about a natural solution? This product gently targets brain activities that not only help you fall asleep, but stay asleep, without affecting daytime alertness. It’s also helpful for people with chronic pain or anxiety who have difficulty sleeping. Find it here.
• CV Skinlabs Body Repair Lotion: This award-winning lotion is ultra-soothing, fast-absorbing, and deeply hydrating. It replenishes and soothes dry, inflamed skin while immediately restoring radiance. Find it here.

Food!

We all love to treat ourselves during the holidays, don’t we? And food is usually a guaranteed people pleaser. This year, instead of giving out treats filled only with sugar and unhealthy fats, try these options instead.

• Manuka Honey: A natural sweetener, manuka honey is produced by New Zealand bees that pollinate the native manuka bush. The manuka flowers have certain compounds that have natural healing properties, including an antibiotic-like effect against microorganisms. The honey is also rich in B vitamins and amino acids. It not only works as a natural sweetener, it also helps soothe pain and inflammation, provides natural moisture when applied to the skin, helps to heal wounds and skin ulcers, and may even be effective in easing digestive ills and preventing gingivitis. Look for “Active Manuka Honey” or “UMF 10 (or higher) Manuka Honey” for the highest concentration of antibacterial factors. You can find them in your health store or at manukahoney.com.
• Daily Harvest Subscription: Make someone’s day healthy with a gift toward a Daily Harvest subscription. These guys make weekly deliveries of delicious, whole food, ready-to-blend smoothies and ready-to-heat soups. Find out more here!
• Daily Harvest Market Delivery: Same name, different company, similar healthy results! These guys provide your loved one with fresh, local, organic boxes of goodness. Try their holiday breakfast basket, holiday pantry essentials gift basket, seasonal fruit basket or other options to give fresh & local food anyone will love. Find out more here.
• Organic Gift Baskets: Gift the gift of tasty food while enjoying peace of mind knowing that it’s all organically grown. Choose fresh fruit with cheese, organic snacks, or fresh & dried fruit, or give a subscription for weekly deliveries. Find these at berries.com.
• American Organics Gluten-Free Snacks Gift Box: Got a friend who’s avoiding gluten? You can still get him or her a nice food basket. This one from American Organics is filled with gluten-free snacks that are tasty, organic, and full of flavor. Check it out here.

General Wellness

Help your friends and loved ones to enjoy increased wellness in 2017. We’ve got some gifts that may work perfectly in this category.

• CV Skinlabs Wellness Box: This is the perfect gift for anyone on a cancer journey. A guided meditation CD from HealthJourneys helps clear your body and mind of negativity, and a full collection of CV Skinlabs products calm, soothe, and help repair sensitive, compromised skin suffering from cancer treatments. Find it here.
• Neti Pot: Though fairly new here in America, neti pots have been used for centuries. They come from the Ayurvedic medical tradition, and are meant to help clear clogged sinus passages. Modern-day research has shown that nasal irrigation can help to relieve sinus symptoms, so if you have a friend or loved one with allergies or chronic sinus problems, this may be the perfect gift. Just be sure to use distilled or sterile water, or boiled and cooled tap water. Never use tap straight out of the faucet as it may be contaminated with microorganisms. You can find these in most drugstores and pharmacies.
• Health Journeys DVDs: Health Journeys is a leading producer and distributor of audio materials that delivery healing & wellness experiences. Find audio resources that help with meditation, hypnosis, and guided imagery, all featuring leading practitioners and teachers in the mind-body health field. Find CDs to address cancer, depression, anxiety, headaches & migraines, posttraumatic stress, and so much more here.
• E3Live Blue-Green Algae Supplement: Blue-green algae has reached superfood status because it is such a rich source of proteins, vitamins, and free-radical fighting nutrients. I love this one from E3Live because it’s said to have the same substance found in chocolate that helps release feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain. I use it in my smoothies in the morning. Find more information here.
• Adult Coloring Books: These have become popular for good reason. Not only are they fun, they help ease stress and anxiety. What better gift during the holiday season? Help your loved one bring out his or her creative side while enjoying a few minutes of calm. Research in 2005, for example, showed that anxiety levels dropped when subjects colored mandalas, those round frames with geometric patterns inside. Coloring lets us switch off all those stressful thoughts and just focus on the page. Plus because the images are already made and all we have to do is add color, they have a way of making us feel tranquil and safe. You can find these almost anywhere!

Fitness

Science is finding that of all the things we can do for ourselves, exercise is one of the best. It seems to be the real fountain of youth, helping us to avoid disease, stay mentally sharp, and remain active and flexible far into our senior years.

Why not help your friends and loved ones to move more in 2017?

• Fit Bit Jewelry: You don’t have to get your loved one of those trademark fitness watches or wristbands. Now, the technology has advanced enough that you can get nice-looking jewelry that your friend will actually be proud to wear, while working on her fitness goals at the same time. Try this FitBit metal bangle, a FitBit gold-plated bangle, or this FitBit gold-plated pendant.
• CV Skinlabs Rescue + Relief Spray: This works for that friend or loved one who’s really into fitness. If he jogs regularly, is involved in sports, or is otherwise regularly active, he can use this as a cooling, refreshing after-workout spray, to help prevent chafing, and to help tame redness after a vigorous run. Find it here.
• Eco-Friendly Workout Gear: How about working out while doing your part for the planet? Look for products from these eco-friendly fitness companies: Alternative Apparel, Patagonia, and Gaiam.

Do you have other safe products to recommend this holiday?