Top 10 Green Eco Friendly Christmas Gift Ideas from Chartreuse Products!

So the crunch is upon us! Less than 20 days til Christmas and most of us still have a lot of shopping ahead of us. This year it was my goal to educate my family and friends about what it means to be earth friendly and more conscious of the products that they are using on a regular basis. After fighting through a lot of green washing and false advertising, I have decided to talk about my top ten products from Chartreuse Products that my family will be enjoying this year.

1. Peppermint Shower Gel. Nothing says the holidays like the scents of peppermint and cinnamon in the air. Whether through baking or soy candles this is a definite favorite among many. Some of my family will be discovering the Chartreuse Products Peppermint Shower Gel in their stockings. Not only is this my personal favorite scent, but is free from Sodium lauryl sulfate, diethanolamine, and butylene glycol. Of course this has never been tested on animals, no animal byproducts contained in the shower gel and contains no artificial coloring. preservatives or any of the extra bonus items you get when picking up a body wash at your local store. The essential oil peppermint is also a pleasing scent year round not only at the holiday season.

2. Soap Nuts. The most unique gift I am giving this year has to be Soap Nuts. Some of my friends are just not ready to try them and others while they may be intrigued haven't taken the plunge yet. These magical little berries contain saponin, a naturally occurring soap and fabric softener. Not only do these little guys take much better care of my clothes since I started using them, but some of my husband's favorite shirts have been lasting much longer! If you are allergic to nuts, well you are in luck because even though they are called soap nuts they are truly a berry. With cold washes I have been getting 5-7 washes out of each pouch of 3-5 berries. The best part is that they are cheaper than regular laundry detergent, and you will no longer need fabric softener-double bonus!! For those less adventurous there is also an easier version-liquid soap nuts.

3. Reusable Dryer Sheets. To compliment the soap nuts, are the reusable dryer sheets. Each dryer sheet lasts at least 500 loads of laundry, and contains no chemicals! Your regular dryer sheets contain items which are contained on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list including the two well know chemicals chloroform and benzyl acetate. As you use the dryer sheets these chemicals transfer from the sheets to your clothes. Rumor has it that in Canada women who are fighting breast cancer and recovering from breast cancer are urged to stay away from dryer sheets due to the potential effects it could have. Again, there is also huge cost savings here with the reusable sheets. On average each use of the reusable dryer sheet will be about $.03!

4. Facial Cream. The facial cream is a product I personally use every day. This is actually one of the most popular products for me! It has a light scent and actually contains avocado! A perfect gift for all of my California friends :)A little tub will last them 3 months or so and is made with all natural ingredients-which means no ingredients that they can't pronounce.

6. Reusable Produce Bags. I have a few sets already picked out for my grandmother. Typical Italian grandmother always spending her time in the kitchen cooking and baking. I have transitioned her from paper and plastic bags to reusable bags, now onto the produce bags! She buys enough produce each week to feed a small army. With the reusable produce bags she will be able to reduce all of the plastic bags she is using and throwing away on a weekly basis and it comes in a small carrier which is stylish enough for her to clip onto her current reusable bags so she always remembers them. The mesh bags are easy to use and if they get dirty they can go right into the wash-to be washed with her new soap nuts! Small steps but I am slowly showing her the green way. Now the only decision is what color to buy for her?

7. Not a Paper Cup. Regular readers of the blog will know that the Not a Paper Cup is one of my new favorite cups! Not only is the size perfect for carrying and fitting into my cars cup holder, it is definitely eye catching as well. People don't realize that it is actually a ceramic cup! For all of my coffee drinking friends and family one of these will be making an appearance in their stocking. This eliminates the waste of a paper cup-or even worse a Styrofoam cup, along with a plastic lid which is likely leaking at least BPA and possibly other chemicals into your delicious morning coffee. Since they are easy to wash and come with a silicon top I figure this will be an easy transition for most. Plus once they see how hot the drink will stay, they will LOVE it! Chartreuse Products also introduced a different version call the Eco Cup. This cup is the same design-ceramic base with a silicon top, except it is not insulated. So this is great for the people on your list that like their morning coffee but like it to cool off a bit on the ride to work before drinking it.

8. Foaming Hand Soap. Ok, ok, so everyone loves that soap is foamy. And the more it foams the more it is cleaning your hands right? Wrong! The foam in soap is actually a chemical reaction occurring on your hands that has nothing to do with getting clean. In fact it could be causing more damage as your skin absorbs these wonderful chemicals right into your skin. Chartreuse foaming hand soap is an all natural soap which is forced through a few screens adding air to the product before it is delivered on your hand through the pump. No chemicals included here, just all natural soap with a little air! These great soaps are scented with essential oils and never tested on animals, and also contain no animal byproducts or artificial colors or preservatives.

9. All Purpose Cleaner/Bathroom Cleaner set. The cleaning set will work perfectly for almost anyone on my Christmas list. As I work to get my friends and family to understand the dangers of using Bleach and other chemical laden cleaners, this provides the perfect alternative. All of the cleaners are made from all natural ingredients and scented with essential oils. The All Purpose Cleaner is ok to use on any water safe surface including wood, porcelain, plastic, stone, leather, stainless steel and fabric, removing stubborn stains, household germs and odors and yet it is safe enough to wash baby’s toys and pet toys. You can also use 1/2 of the pouch of cleaner and mix that with water as it is highly concentrated. With the bathroom cleaner, it is safe to use on your tub, tile, toilets and floors, and for those things needing extra help, sprinkle a little baking soda on the surface and scrub away.

10. Organic Baby Bath Sets. So this year there have been a few new additions that have arrived and a few more coming after Christmas! This makes the perfect gift for the baby or coming baby. An organic towel to wrap the little one in after a nice warm bath, along with baby / kids body wash in a soothing citrus essential oil scent. There are also some complimenting products of Organic Body Lotion, a soothing bath soak, and the best item of all! Dry baby wipes, instead of using the chemical filled wipes that come from the store, you spray a mixture of soothing bath soak mixed with water and use a dry disposable wipe. They are chemical free and can but cut in half or smaller to make for more efficient use of each wipe.

I hope this list provides you with some great ideas for your own Christmas shopping! Any of the above can be found at www.TheGreenerEarth.com . I would love to hear about your green gift ideas so feel free to share them here.