SSBS #011: How (and why) to give the gift of safer products this holiday
Good morning you!
In order to give the gift of safer products this year, you're going to need just a handful of things. Trust me, it’s going to be easy once you have these down!
In case you’re new here, let me chat real quick about why this is a topic I’m passionate about. I’m Jess, I’m a former conventional product hoarder, turned safer beauty enthusiast who has a passion for helping people access non-toxic products within ALL budgetary goals. I view my primary role in this little world as an educator FIRST. I teach you the why behind everything I suggest, and then try and make the process of taking the next step as simple as possible.
One of the ultimate gifts I can give you is to help you figure out ways to educate and motivate your friends and family members to also care about what they use in their homes and on their bodies! Once you get fired up about switching to safer, no doubt you will want to bring those closest to you along for the ride as well!
The simplest way to do that is to share both your knowledge and the gift of safer products with them. Education is important, yes, but NOTHING speaks louder than getting to touch, feel, try, use and SEE what safer products look like, how they perform, and ultimately how you don’t have to sacrifice anything to choose safer (except maybe those nasty toxins - and good riddance!)
Because gifting season is right around the corner, today, I want to empower you to give the gift of safer products this year by arming you with a small, digestible list of ways to gift safer successfully.
When things feel overwhelming, and we don’t understand the why or the how, what are we most likely to do? NOTHING AT ALL. Or, revert back to our old ways of being and doing because it feels easier. I’m not about to let that happen to you this year friend!
After reading this email, you’ll be able to easily make your list, check it twice, and be ready to shower your friends and family with sustainable, eco-friendy, non-toxic gifts this season. LET’S HIT IT.
#1 Understanding the WHY matters
I promise you we’ll tackle some practical tips in this email, but like most mindset shifts, at the very core there has to be an understanding and connection to WHY we choose to use safer products and/or support certain businesses. Otherwise, when it gets tough to stick with it, or harder to make safer choices for whatever reason, it will be easy for us to let go of our decision to choose safer if we don’t feel connected to WHY we are doing it in the first place.
First and foremost, we choose safer products and we want our loved ones to choose them because we want vibrant health. We want to be around for our kids, friends, grandkids, siblings, etc for as long as possible and we want our people around in the same way! Toxic products impact our health in so many ways - connections to cancer, infertility, developmental health, hormonal health and so much more are science backed. The science isn’t muddled on this one - choosing safer products can make an immediate impact on overall health.
Second, it truly matters how and where we spend our money. For the last few years, I’ve been personally focused on seeking out holiday gifts from companies focused on doing more good.
Sometimes that’s making sure those companies are B-Corporations (companies focused on people and the planet), or companies that I know are doing there very best to be as sustainable as possible. What I’d like to acknowledge is that Beautycounter IS a B-corporation - focused on providing safer products for EVERYONE, and ensuring our footprint is as small as possible when it comes to our impact on this planet.
I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this company, the work they do, and couldn't be more excited to give my friends and family the gift of safer products. If not Beautycounter, look for companies like them, doing the most for people and the planet.
#2 Know your budget
Here’s the thing, when we know better one of our first instincts can be to go too hard and spend outside our budget. I GET IT! And the thing is, everyone’s budget is different! Yours and mine won’t be the same, and that’s ok, but what’s most important is that we know what it is in the first place so we can properly take stock of what we want to spend on gifts this year.
The good news? Most companies are going to offer a wide variety of price points in order to cater to all budgets (and if they don’t, I’ve got you covered on more ideas). Today we’re honing in on Beautycounter gifting, but if you want more inspiration outside of this particular B-corporation for safer product gifting, just shoot me a line and I’m happy to help.
Once you have a budget in mind, you’ll want to take stock of what gifts are out there, and where they fall compared to your budget. THIS STEP IS CRUCIAL. Take a pause, gather some info, and make a list of those items that could work for you given your price points. Be honest with yourself and know your goal!
You can check out this guide to gifting safer products to see where certain sets fall into certain budget categories.
#3 Know your people
This one might seem obvious, but sometimes it’s not…KNOW WHO YOU ARE GIFTING THIS YEAR! Are you gifting everyone in your family?? Are you drawing names? Are you gifting teachers, co-workers, the postman? What does your list look like and who is on it?
Before I purchase a THING for gifts, I make the list. For instance, this year, I know that I have two more teacher aides to gift than last year, and so I want to take that into account when I make my purchases. Once I get my list, I also reconcile it with my budget. Meaning, will any list changes impact my budget? Make notes if so!
When I make this list, not only am I writing down names, I’m also writing quick notes about who they are, what they’re into, and what they might like. This isn’t just in regards to products, but for all things! If I know I’m gifting to a teacher that loves rock climbing also, I’m going to make a note that they might love a hand cream and some power bars to keep in their climbing bag for the gym. It’s that simple!
Once I know who I plan to gift to and what they might like, I can then start to pencil in quick notes about products or other items that could work well for their gift. If you need inspiration for certain people in your life, I’ve curated ideas in my guide to gifting safer you can find HERE.
#4 Consider DIY-ing your gifting!
Maybe after you’ve made your list (and checked it twice), you’re realizing that your big ol’ heart just has so many people you want to gift this year, and maybe, just maybe, that’s got you down about your budget. Don’t fret my friend, ME TOO. The way I tackle budgetary limitations is by getting creative with DIY gifts!
Although our Beautycounter sets are beautifully and sustainably packaged for no-fuss gifts just the way they are, most of them are also PERFECT for breaking apart and using as individual gifts like stocking stuffers or paired with other small items to hit certain price points.
I LOVE creating personalized gifts this way, and I have SO MANY resources to help you find inspiration on how to do this well.
First, if you want to keep it simple, you can see 21 different product combinations HERE, complete with what items to gift, what sets you need to purchase in order to make the combinations, and what the price points of each of these combinations work out to be. The cool thing is that if that price point or combo doesn’t work, take an item out or sub for something else! Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Second, I’ve done THE WORK and created the simplest template EVER for gifting safer products in conjunction with other small, more sustainable items from companies doing good work. I’m so proud of this template. You can see this year’s DIY gift idea templates here, and they are good! You’ll find inspiration for what to package your gift in, what safer products to include, treats, and more.
And lastly, because this isn’t my first rodeo around DIY gifting, I want to share with you all my resources from years gone by. In the past I’ve created detailed gift ideas for all sorts of gifting needs, complete with pictures and clickable links for everything you need! You can see 2020 and 2021 DIY gift ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
You’ve got this! Today is November 12th, and we have approximately 6.5 weeks until Christmas. I don’t say this to panic anyone, but more to say, we have time! Today is the perfect day to start making your list and slowly work towards knocking out your holiday gifting needs. I am not one to panic purchase, I don’t like to feel pressured EVER, and so for me, starting to work on this list early is a gift to myself. This is current Jess doing future Jess a favor, and I love it.
So pull out that paper or excel sheet and start noodling. I’m also not a huge fan of Black Friday pandemonium, BUT if I know what I want to purchase, and it coincides with significant cost savings around Black Friday, then it’s a no brainer. If I was already going to do it, I might as well save money on it! Starting today with your list, will allow you to take advantage of those deals in a no-pressure way once they start (and a little bird told me that the Beautycounter Black Friday sale this year will be EPIC so consider that!).
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed and/or want more B-corporation recommendations for gifting, feel free to hit REPLY here and shoot me a line, always happy to help!
TL;DR:
Understand your why behind gifting safer products
Know your budget
Know your people
Consider DIY-ing your gifting this year
Make your plan early so you can take advantage of cost-savings
See you again next week friend. Next week we are doing to get real nerdy with the topic of ingredient safety…what does that even mean??? I’ll tell you my friend!
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