Sustainable Gift Guide She Will Love

When it comes to shopping for friends or family, it can often be difficult to not overload them with more useless knicknakcs that they don’t actually need. Sure, you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a gift (December/ Jan is already a tough time), but don’t waste your money just for the sake of buying a gift.

Ask yourself, do they really need more things that end up stashed in the cupboard, or worse yet, dumped in the landfill?

Thankfully, with more and more people wising up to eco living and sustainability, a whole world of gifting ideas and opportunities are available to us, so you can be the good friend who drives them towards a lifestyle of less waste and you will not go wrong with these great gifts…

All of them, tried, tested and loved by me 🙂

Natural Life Eco Kitchen Starter Kit

This eco friendly, zero waste kit is everything for the woman who loves to look after her home and is the perfect gift whether your gift receiver is already eco-smart or just starting the journey towards a more mindful  lifestyle.

The Eco Kitchen Starter Kit from Natural Life (R500) includes everything needed, including; a Bamboo Glass Brush, a Bamboo Scrubbing Brush, a Bamboo Palm Cleaning Brush, x3 Organic Cotton Grocery Bags, a Bamboo Straw Travel set (including two reusable straws and straw brush cleaner), a Hemp Dish Cloth and a Hemp Jute Scrubbier.

Having recently replaced nearly all of my kitchen cleaning supplies with more eco friendly options, I can tell you these bamboo brushes and hemp cloths are really worth it. No more smelly, mouldy dish cloths and they also really add some prettiness to your kitchen sink.

Spaza Shop Bowl Covers

Another item that has made my life so much easier in my own kitchen, are these Spaza Shop covers. I found these cotton dish covers at the Kamer’s Market last year, and have been hooked ever since. I started with just one (to see if I would actually ever use it), and ended up buying (pretty much) the whole range.

They’ve recently introduced some rectangular dish covers which I have added to my own Christmas wish list, but if you’re buying gifts for someone else then this Spaza Mini’s Bowl & Dish Cover Set (R185) from Faithful-To-Nature is a great idea.

The set comes with 3 mini cotton dish covers that work on various small sizes like jars, jugs and cups. I’ve got this set myself and I tell you, it has come in handy many a time. They are also so pretty with stylish painted motifs that don’t come off in the wash and I really love that Spaza Shop supports local communities and their products are handmade by women who are working from home, helping them to earn an income.

H&M Home Linen Blend Apron

I had been on the hunt for a Japanese Style Linen Apron for ages, and spotted one this weekend at H&M Home. I was so happy, of course I nabbed it myself (R299), but thought this would make a wonderful gift for the lovely ladies in your life too. Quality and affordable, plus it beats the heck out of those traditional aprons.

What I love about this apron style is that you dont have to worry (ever) about tying it, and untying it. You simply slip your arms though the wide shoulder straps and they cross at the back to secure the apron. The two side pockets are also great to slide your phone into.

It’s a great apron for the kitchen, for the garden or for when you want to get crafty or clean and don’t want to ruin your clothes.

I do wish it came in more colours (I’d love to have one for each house task), but for now the natural linen one is good enough. Who knows, maybe in the future they will introduce more colour options.

Rose Gold Double Edge Safety Razor

Let’s face it, as women we need to shave our legs and I don’t know if you’ve realised, but shaving (and more specifically, blades) have become so friggin’ expensive. It’s maddening! Every time I have to purchase refill blades for my plastic fantastic razor, I cringe. Often times, the offer to just buy a whole new razor with the blade included is cheaper, and like most humans, I like a deal, so I do it and end up with more plastic razors than I know what to do with.

Well, that stops now! I had been on the hunt for a classic, double edge-razor for some time and happened upon the Rose Gold Double Edge Safety Razor from Living Eco (R380) at the Linden Market yesterday -by the way, don’t you just love markets for fabulous finds – and I thought I’d give it a try.

Well, ladies, I am happy to report that shaving the good old fashioned way is not that scary at all! Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be A – OK. But I feel it is my duty to warn you that you need to pay attention when using this kind of razor as it’s easier to knick yourself if you try to rush it. Take your time and enjoy the ritual of shedding the hair off your legs, and enjoy the silky smooth aftereffects.

Not only is the razor really cute and the rose gold colour too beautiful for words, but the replacement blades are what really sold me! Good old fashioned BIC blades that cost R25 for a pack of five (via Eco Living), or you can purchase these kinds of blades pretty much everywhere.

The Cotton Company Turkish Towel

Another great gift that would make her (or him, or yourself) smile this Christmas is a beautiful Turkish Towel from The Cotton Company. You can read my first thoughts on this wonderful brand here, but know this, I am nowhere near done adding more Turkish Towels to my collection. I think they are friggin’ fabulous!

They would make wonderful gifts all around and for any occasion, but for right now, I think gifting a bright and beautiful Turkish towel like this Dimanta Stripe Towel (R489) would be the perfect Christmas Gift that would work wonderfully as a beach or swimming towel.

One you feel how absorbent and lightweight Turkish Towels are, you will not want to back to traditional terry-cloth towels. What I really love though (besides how quickly they dry, or how beautiful they look hanging up) is that washing them is a breeze! I no longer have to run a separate load just for my heavy towels, I just stick these in with my load (watching the wash care label of course) and it’s one less wasted load to worry about.