For many, giving gifts around the holidays has become an obligation and chore, rather than a loving gesture or simple pleasure. Just look around at the increase in stress levels, the mall parking lot chaos, the increase in road rage, just to name a few. Gift-giving seems to bring out the worst in us nowadays and has lost the innocence, magic, gratitude, and appreciation it once held before the extreme effects of consumerism and globalization took hold.
It helps to remind ourselves that the holidays are about so much more than gifts. In fact, they don’t have to be about gifts at all, especially in harsher economic times that are already putting heavy financial pressure on many people around the world. Likewise, more people are becoming aware of how destructive materialism and materialistic lifestyles are.
So if you choose to give or exchange gifts, hopefully you can take a mindful approach and make the gift healthy, meaningful, and perhaps even practical.
As part of a 3-Part Series of Healthy and Meaningful Holiday Gift Ideas, this year I will be covering some healthy and meaningful gift ideas that can suit almost anyone, especially that hard-to-shop-for person. They will apply to a variety of budgets, and most importantly, are healthy! In Part 1, we begin with personal care products.
Personal Care Products
This is probably one of the most popular holiday gifts; you can tell because almost every company releases personal care gift sets to sell around the holidays. This includes things like lotions, soaps, perfumes, etc. For a long time, these have been accepted as not only the “safe” gifts to give (i.e., they suit almost anyone and can always be used), but also the well-liked, favorable gifts to receive.
The big problem with most of these, however, is how TOXIC they are to our health. Most of the conventional personal products available in modern times are a health disaster to your body and increase the chances of all kinds of diseases and allergic conditions. They contain too many harmful ingredient combinations, and too many chemical ingredients that either haven’t been fully tested, if at all, or have already been proven to cause various ill effects. (Please don’t expect the FDA to step in and take them off the market; they have not done that for gravely dangerous products, and they are certainly not going to do it for common cosmetic products made by companies that fund them heavily.)
But it’s not all lost, and you don’t have to think you can never give personal care products as gifts again; you just have to choose wisely from the healthy or healthier kinds. So here are some do’s and don’ts for choosing personal care products as gifts.
PERSONAL CARE GIFT DO’S
If buying any personal care or cosmetic items, choose ones from non-toxic, natural, and health-conscious sources. Your local health food store is a good place to start looking for these products. (Avoid all common brands sold in department stores and pharmacies.)
Make your own gift basket with items from naturally-oriented companies that are committed to producing non-toxic products. These will be clearly labeled with terms such as “Certified Organic”, “Phthalate-free”, “Paraben-free”, “Petroleum-free”, “Not tested on animals”, etc.
Visit local holiday markets and look for vendors that create and sell their own soap, creams, lip and body balms, makeup, and more using minimal and safe plant-based and mineral ingredients.
Do buy as few personal care products as possible for yourself and others. Focus on basic necessities, not the more-is-better idea. The less we give our bodies to absorb, regardless of the source, the healthier we will be in the long run.
If in doubt, check the item or ingredients it contains on Skin Deep Cosmetic Database to get a general idea of its toxicity and health risks.
PERSONAL CARE GIFT DON’TS
Do not be fooled by manipulative marketing, fancy packaging, and promising product claims from large companies and well-known brands. These are cleverly engineered to sound great, while creating a toxic load for your body to deal with, and are among the most toxic products for our health and bodies.
Avoid the cheaply priced pre-made boxes or baskets that contain many nice-looking no-name items (lotions, soaps, bath gels, makeup, etc.). You know the ones that I am talking about; they come in lovely colors and packaging and become abundant in stores around the holidays.
Avoid any products that are very colorful, full of artificial colors and other toxic ingredients. These commonly include bubble baths, shower gels, soaps, etc.
Avoid highly fragranced items. You can usually smell these through the box or bottle. For the safest, least toxic options, look for products that do not include the ingredients fragrance or parfum. Best choice yet: choose unscented products. Aside from setting off chemical sensitivity and other allergic reactions, they have been proven to be very unhealthy for our bodies — lungs, liver, etc.
Avoid all products with any shimmer and sparkle qualities. As pretty as they are, these are very toxic, especially when in lip and eye products.
Never buy children any makeup. This includes lip gloss, nail polish, etc. Why start ruining their health early and teaching them to be dependent on such products?
Never buy children any strongly fragranced and colored bubble baths, shampoos or lotions. These are also highly toxic and can cause various allergic reactions, especially in young children who have more sensitive skin and developing respiratory systems.
Pass on the perfume – for you or for others. For years, we have been conditioned to think of it as a luxury, but today perfume is known to trigger many headaches, including migraines, allergic reactions, asthma reactions, as well as other breathing difficulties and even organ damage. It is a strong irritant for many people, both those who wear it and those around them. As a result, more public spaces are becoming scent-free or fragrance-free to protect everyone’s health and comfort.
Avoid products from places that seem natural, but really aren’t. These include most products from The Body Shop, Lush, and Kiehl’s, just to name a few.
Avoid products with chemical SPF and nano-technology sun protection. They contain too many harmful chemicals and pose serious health risks. If you wish to buy any sun-protection products, opt for mineral-based options where personal care products are concerned, and clothing items, like SPF-certified hats, sunglasses, and other clothing items.
Conclusion
Ultimately, when buying and giving gifts, keep in mind that most, if not all, of the gifts you buy are for people you like, care for, and perhaps even love. As such, it does not make sense to buy them something that you know may be harmful to them or increase undesirable health risks, even if they like it or are unaware of its risks. This is especially critical for children, teenagers, and pregnant women. Use the mindful and healthy gift options mentioned above to introduce them to something new and raise awareness that will benefit their health and well-being.
Also, for most meaningful gifts, avoid last-minute shopping. This will usually put you in a tight spot, with little or no healthy or meaningful items to choose from. Hence, plan ahead!
Most importantly, whether you are buying gifts or not, don’t forget to enjoy yourself and take steps to release, rather than increase, stress in your life because of materialism. Your body, mind, and overall health will thank you for this greatly.