There’s something really satisfying about warming up and unwinding after a cold day out and about – whether you were hitting the ski slopes or just walking from store to store while holiday shopping. We all have our favorite ways to do it: curling up on a blanket in front of a roaring fire, drinking a cup of hot cocoa, taking a hot bath or getting cozy in some soft and warm pajamas. Here are 7 eco-friendly cold-weather comforts to enjoy when the weather outside is frightful (and as a group, they’d make a great gift basket!).
Peppermint shower steamers – These aromatherapy shower steamers are seriously little balls of absolute heaven, especially when you don’t have time to take a bath. You just place one on your shower floor just outside the stream of water and it slowly releases a relaxing minty aroma. Perfect for when you want some quick pampering or when you feel like you’re getting sick. (They also come in lavender, citrus and eucalyptus scents!)
Cozy organic robe – The unisex organic cotton terry hooded robe from EcoBodyWear is the perfect thing to wrap yourself in after getting out of the bath or shower. It’s made from certified organically grown, dye-free cotton and reaches to the mid-calf.
Organic fair trade spicy hot cocoa – On cold days, there’s just nothing more satisfying than a big mug of piping hot cocoa. It’s a must-have. Cocoa is combined with cinnamon and a kick of cayenne in this spicy fair trade offering from Equal Exchange.
Arnica muscle balm – After a long day of winter activities like skiing, snowboarding or ice skating, your muscles are bound to be a bit sore. I love this all natural arnica muscle rub from FaerieMade, which features arnica flowers infused in pure olive oil, unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter and beeswax. Menthol, lavender and peppermint essential oils give it a heavenly smell and add to the pain-relieving effects.
Mulled wine – Make yourself a big punch bowl full of organic mulled wine with your favorite bottle of red wine and some organic spices like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, vanilla beans and cardamom pods. You can find a pre-packaged mulled wine spice sachet at your local health food store or just get all the ingredients from the bulk section, along with a reusable cotton tea bag. Epicurious has easy instructions.
Those peppermint shower balls sound fabulous! I’m cursed (CURSED!!!) in that my bathtub is unusable for actual baths (I go to the hot tub at the gym several times a week and use my friend’s tub in the Catskills whenever I can) so this would be a good compromise until I install the Eco Chick Wonder Tub (patent pending, LOL).
12/10/08 » 12:08 pm »