My No-Amazon, No-Toxins Gift Guide Is Here!
Small-business gems, sustainable goods, free & homemade gift ideas, and non-toxic beauty picks!
Looking for a gift guide from someone who is really cool, has impeccable taste, and lowkey hates overconsumption, billionaires and giant corporations? Perfect!!! You’re in the right place.
I am not a grinch and giving gifts is a lovely way to celebrate the holidays. But I hate linking to plastic junk on Amazon and the pressure of spending tons of money. The holidays are stressful enough as it is. Top it off with the burden of shopping for all of your friends and relatives and the joy of the season quickly fades.
My first tip: start a gift swap (secret Santa, white elephant, etc.) Get your group together (this works best with adults - most kids will not approve of this plan) and have everyone pick a name out of a hat (or use a platform like Elfster so that it all happens virtually). No one wants to buy seven different gifts. And ‘quality over quantity’ is a saying that I have truly begun to support after the age of 16.
Now, whether or not you were able to significantly decrease the number of gifts you are responsible for this year, I want to help with some high-quality & low-tox ideas. If anyone in your life is interested in cooking, health, or wellness this list will be perfect for them. FYI, none of these links will send you to Amazon. Happy Holidays to everyone except Jeff Bezos.
Some these links are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission without any extra cost to you (usually with a discount for you)!
For the Meal Prepping Queen:
Annual Subscription to this Substack: This is truly such a fun gift idea (and I’m totally not biased) because it keeps giving all year long—every single week, to be exact. A paid subscription gives complete access to the full archives (every recipe I’ve ever posted), detailed weekly meal-prep guides with multiple nutrient-dense recipes and a shopping list, plus all exclusive posts, tips, and deep-dives. It’s the perfect gift for a friend who wants a sustainable way to support their health, someone getting into cooking nourishing food, or your spouse, partner, or roommate so they meal prep for you each week :) Plus, you’re supporting a small business (hi, it’s literally just me, a 5’5” girl 👧). I’m running a big sale and annual subscriptions are a whopping 40% off, so gift away or grab one for yourself. It comes out to $5/month aka less than $1 per weekly meal prep guide!!
In an effort to push back against the insane consumerism of the holidays (and save some money 💰), I really love hand making gifts every year. A homemade gift is also such a nice way to show love and appreciation to your family, friends or neighbors or even as a gift for the host if you’re going to a holiday party. Here are some things I have made and were a hit! Plus, as a last minute gifter myself these are super quick and simple.
Sourdough Starter: For a very affordable gift, split some sourdough starter from your own batch and gift it in a nice jar with a bow!
Refined Sugar-Free Instant Hot Cocoa Mix: In a coffee or spice grinder combine 1/2 cup raw cacao powder, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 5 cardamom pods, 2 tsp cinnamon and a good pinch of sea salt and blend until smooth. Add this mixture to a 8 oz mason jar (you can pour it through a fine mesh sieve to trap any large bits). Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips. This will make 1 gift jar, so scale up the recipe to make as many gifts as you need. Attach a card with directions to stir 3 tbsp of the mixture in 1 cup of warm milk to make instant hot cocoa!
Beeswax Candle: Attach a wick to the bottom of a 4 oz mason jar with a glue gun. Melt 100% organic beeswax and pour it into each jar. You can add essential oils if you want some fragrance. Let it sit until it’s hard then snip the wick.
DIY Simmer Pot Kit: Use a dehydrator or your oven at 180F for 6-8 hours to dry out slices of orange, lemon, grapefruit, and cranberries. In a bag or glass jar add 1-2 slice of each citrus, some cranberries, a cinnamon stick, and a few whole cloves and you have beautiful, non-toxic simmer pot gifts!
Ceramics Class: Find a local ceramics studio and gift a few sessions. Someone buy this for me please and also attend the class with me!! okay thanks!!
Sports Lessons (tennis, golf): If your giftee is trying to pick up a new hobby, find a local pro and gift some lessons. I need to buy this for my fiancé so he can actually return the tennis ball to me 🙃
Music Classes: Inspire someone to invest in their creativity this year and gift them a few lessons for a new instrument, like piano or guitar. I am quickly realizing these are all just things that I want…
Virtual Kombucha Brewing Class ($50): Buying someone access to this virtual class is such a fun gift idea, you could even make it a group activity and brew together!
Kombucha Scoby ($15): Buying someone a squishy SCOBY is peak gift giving. Get them started on making homemade kombucha!
My Cookbook Nutrient-Dense Meal Prep!! ($19): Perfect for someone who is wanting an easy introduction into nutrient-dense cooking and meal prep. I am always honored to be present in your kitchens ❤️
Fermentation Kit ($22): A creative idea to inspire the at-home cook in your life to experiment with making their own fermented veggies!
Organic Coffee ($24): Give the coffee lover in your life the best tasting coffee but also a major health upgrade with this organic, mold-free coffee!
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($38 — code REVOLVE15 for discount): I love this single origin olive oil from Spain and use it every day in my kitchen. Plus, it’s an affordable price point for EVOO of this quality!
Foraging Kit ($40): This is the coolest gift ideas for the foraging freak in your life who is always finding berries on the side of the road.
Seasonal Produce Calendar ($44): Calendar that doubles as art?! Yes please. Perfect for people who love to learn about eating seasonally! Once again, I need this. Someone buy this for me.
Sourdough Making Kit ($55): Everything needed to make the most delicious loaf of bread. This is secretly a gift for yourself because your friend/family member will provide you with the best bread ever.
Wooden Cutting Board ($60+): A really nice cutting board is the thing that everyone wants (and needs) but won’t necessarily buy themselves.
Diaspora Co. Chai Kit ($84): Sometimes the best gift is taking something your friend really loves and turning it into a simple but very elevated gift, like this set with a beautiful mug and quality chai mix.
Instant Pot ($99): Anyone who wants to meal prep nutrient-dense food with minimal effort needs one of these. The stainless steel insert is key, so swap this for your slow cooker with toxic nonstick coating asap.
Non-Toxic Air Fryer ($199): You will win holiday gifting if you buy someone this! Most air fryers are coated with super toxic materials, so upgrade your friend who loves airfrying.
Glass Blender ($299): My favorite blender that I constantly get questions about because it’s glass! I use this thing every day and love it so much.
Click here for a ton more ideas…
Blackout Sleep Mask ($37): Anyone who cares about their health is focused on sleep and this is the best gift for someone who wants to optimize sleep!
Non-Toxic Candle ($40 — code PRIMALHEALTH for discount): Cozy winter vibes without the hormone disrupting environmental toxins 😊
Acupressure Mat ($78): So amazing for stressed out people in your life with back pain or who need some nervous system support.
Brick ($47): I know so many people who would be super excited to receive this gift. It’s an amazing tool for reducing screen time and it has totally changed my life. If someone you know wants to disconnect from their phone, this is the gift!
Blue Light Blocking Glasses ($97): A good night’s sleep is especially critical during the holidays. Watch your late night holiday movies & protect your circadian rhythm.
Plastic-Free Tea ($55): I have a few people in my life that really love tea and I always think adding to someone’s quality tea collection is a great gift.
Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit ($80): Maybe not the sexiest gift you can give, but there is definitely someone on your list who would appreciate this.
Red Light Therapy Panel ($224): One of the best wellness tools you can gift someone. Great for skin care, anti aging benefits, supporting joint health, or even supporting your aging dog’s health.
Water Filter ($275): Give the ultimate gift of clean drinking water. This is truly the gift that keeps on giving, since they will use it all day every day.
Function Health Comprehensive Lab Work ($365): The ultimate gift for your holistic wellness friends or a family member who wants to improve their health — it includes 2 rounds of comprehensive lab work that tests for key nutrients, metabolic health, detailed hormone panel, and so much more!
Air Filter ($359): Any wellness lover in your life will be so grateful for this gift so that they can improve their indoor air quality!
Infrared Sauna Blanket ($524): This is seriously one of my favorite gifts to give for a wellness lover who wants to reap the benefits of sauna at home!
My Favorite Lip Balm ($16): This is on the pricier side of lip balms but its the best I have ever used and one container has lasted me over a year — hello sustainability!!
Dry Brush ($17 — code PRIMALHEALTH for discount): Lymphatic drainage that will make you feel like you’re at the spa when you’re actually just in your parents‘ guest bathroom.
Body Butter ($27 — code PRIMALHEALTH for discount): The most luxurious body cream made with quality ingredients and no synthetic fragrances!
Facial Massage Subscription ($25+): People always ask which facial massage program I follow, so if you have a friend or loved one who is interested in a natural approach to minimizing wrinkles a subscription to this program with daily videos is a great gift idea! Plus, supporting a small business :)
Luxurious Non-Toxic Hand Cream ($28): There’s a reason hand cream is the best christmas gift and it is because my hands resemble lizard skin right now. I recently made the life decision to be that girl who has hand cream in her bag and this one is so good and made with clean ingredients.
Facial Cups ($28 — code PRIMALHEALTH for discount): I am obsessed with these facial suction cup tools to do Traditional Chinese Medicine cupping for lymph flow and circulation to reduce fine lines and puffiness.
Non-Toxic 5 Minute Makeup Kit ($176): If the makeup lover in your life wants to swap out their products for non-toxic options this is the best gift. It has every staple product you need with clean ingredients!
Even more non-toxic beauty ideas here…
Aside from big gifts, I also love adding fun health & wellness items as stocking stuffer presents. Here are some of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas that I will be using this year.
And don’t forget that my substack subscription is 40% but only until December 19, so go snatch one as a gift or buy it for yourself and secure a whole year of weekly nutrient-dense meal plans with recipes and shopping lists!
Do you have any favorite gifts that were truly useful or you just really loved?? Drop them in the comments so we can give each other ideas :)
if we're already subscribed, is there any way to get the discounted year plan? or i'll just switch to the year plan anyway since i don't plan to stop anytime soon :)