It Ain't Easy Being Green: Great Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas For Women

It is sad to say that you can ask the average person about eco-friendly gift ideas and they come up with a complete and total blank. You may even be one of these people - and you are charged with the task of coming up with a meaningful present for someone in your life who is passionate about environmental sustainability, natural resources, or organic products. For you, here is a list of great environmentally-friendly gift ideas for women:

1. Soy candles

Soy candles are cool eco-friendly alternatives to regular aromatic candles that are made out of paraffin wax. Soy is referable to paraffin because it does not contain chemical preservatives or synthetic materials. Soy wax is a renewable, cost-effective natural resource made from soybeans. Best of all, candles may from soy wax have been found to last even longer than other candles. Typically, fragrances used are all natural and derived from essential oils.

2. Organic skin care and makeup

Organic skin care and makeup are hot "green" products on the marketplace. Many skin cleansers and makeup lines have earned a nasty reputation for use of animal testing, unnatural chemical preservatives, or are harsh on the skin. While some lines claim to use organic ingredients, sometimes you have to read between the fine lines and realize that the use of natural ingredients is simply a marketing ploy; the majority of the ingredients are made from some mish-mash of synthetics and man-made chemical preservatives.

3. Organic bath and body products

Bath and body products are one of the most popular gift ideas you can find - and they are increasingly being manufactured from organic materials. Gift ideas here include organic soaps made out of natural glycerin and massage creams infused with aromatic oils. Sugar and salts are used to create exfoliating body scrubs for soft, supple, youthful looking skin. Moisturizers are often made out of shea butter as a natural emollient derived from Africa. Similar to the skin care items, always made sure that your purchase is 100% organic rather than "featuring" herbal or natural ingredients.

4. Recycled accessories

Recycled jewelry is another great eco-friendly gift idea. Very creative artisans have challenged themselves to use another mediums, creating beautiful bejeweled adornments out of reusable materials. You will find recycled jewelry made from different glass, metals, even materials such as pottery. Other accessories are also crafted out of recycleable materials like outdated newspapers and magazine covers and repurposed as handbags, wallets, and tote bags.

Other eco-friendly gift ideas to explore include plush organic bath linens and bedding, kitchen cookware made recyclable ingredients for your aspiring "green" gourmet, and home accents made out of sustainable materials such as bamboo to create a comfortable, contemporary, environmentally-responsible living space.