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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.

Many are trying to help the planet and not add to their carbon footprint by consuming less and buying sustainable “eco-friendly” products only. This can make it very difficult to buy for some people, I know I am one of them, as my parents remind me every birthday and Christmas! So, I have put together a simple list of essential and cute gift ideas to buy this holiday, whether your gift receiver is a sustainable queen already, a wannabe, or the gift is just perfect for them and might inspire them to look at these alternatives for the future! 

Let’s get right into it, with some easy, accessible stocking filler gifts to start, then onto more expensive bulkier presents!

Bamboo Toothbrushes – very essential, everyone needs a new toothbrush pretty frequently, so it will not go to waste. An easy gift to buy, which you can find in most shops. There’s a wide variety of cheaper singles, or a pack of them, I found on the Peace With The Wild website Alternatively, if you need presents asap just pop to your nearest Superdrug or Boots, which will likely have a bamboo toothbrush. They can range anywhere from £1-£12 depending whether you buy singular or multipacks.

Reusable makeup pads – A cute gift for the makeup wearers, or anyone who uses cotton pads in their skincare routine. These can be found in all different shapes, sizes, colours and patterns. Your nearest sustainable shop might sell some locally made ones, which will be worth a look if you have time. If not, Superdrug and Boots usually sell plain circular ones. Etsy sells some with the coolest and cutest designs on. Peace in the wild have a range of different options, from colourful designs to plain cheaper ones, price ranging from £6.50+.

Shampoo/conditioner/shaving/body BARS! -Yes bars! Although many people will be sceptical about these (more so for the shampoo and conditioner bars) and whether they will work for everyone’s hair, I think they are such a cute gift. Most people are intrigued about whether they actually work as well as bottled liquid products, but get put off as they don’t want to waste money buying it if it doesn’t work – but you’ll never know if you never try! So why not buy someone a haircare bar for Christmas, for them to give it a go, you might inspire, or stay safe and buy a nice smelling body bar, which I’m sure will get used up. There are loads of eco-friendly bars with only natural ingredients in most sustainable shops and websites, including Lush which we all know smell amazing! Alternatively, you can find them in Boots and Superdrug, with even Garnier selling their versions of shampoo bars. 

Reusable Razor – From my personal experience, this gift was great, it saves me so much money, and looks cuter than the throw-away plastic ones. I recommend the two I personally have tried: the ffs Razor Kit which includes a metal razor of your colour of choice, a holder to stick on the shower wall, a case for the razor head, and a pack of razor heads for when you need to change it. This is £26.45 on the website, with the option to engrave a name for £5, to personalise your gift! The other razor I recommend is the Safety Razor by Wild & Stone, which comes with a stand as a bundle, costing £25.50, from a choice of several colours. This is more eco-friendly I would say, as you only have to replace the blade inside (a thin single piece of metal) rather than a whole razor head, however, I’m sure some will prefer the first one, as it’s similar to the common single use razors that are everywhere! Alternatively, Peace in the Wild has a range of different reusable razors from all different brands that you can browse through. 

Still haven’t found a gift? No worries, there are sustainable marketplaces full of sustainable eco-friendly products you can browse through, from skincare to specific Christmas gifts on the Peace with the Wild or the Sustainable Market Place which has everything from clothing, fashion accessories to home gifts.

Don’t forget to check your local sustainable shops first, as you might find some cute gifts from more local brands, which can be meaningful as well as supporting your local economy! And a quick tip: try using old newspapers or magazines as wrapping paper this year, it adds a cool vintage look to your wrapping!

Have a great Christmas!

Millie Bateman

Nottingham '24

Millie Bateman is a Welsh writer for the Nottingham Chapter of Her Campus, passionate about sustainability and mitigating climate change, one individual at a time. Her interests include getting involved with local projects helping the community, supporting local businesses and discovering new eco-friendly products. Millie is a final year Environmental Biology student at the University of Nottingham, currently completing her dissertation by examining under-utilised crops in the UK, and researching protein content of crops for plant-based diets and future food security to reduce climate change. In her free time, she enjoys playing netball weekly, training for varsity cheerleading at university, going to the gym, watching movies with a hot chocolate and keeping in touch with her family daily. She is eager to discover loads fo sustainable daily products, from makeup brands to local refill stations, aiming to switch to a fully sustainable lifestyle.