Here are four ways the ladies at Maxim Hygiene are showing the Fierce Women and friends in our life some love; send us your suggestions or pictures on Twitter (@maximhy) for the chance to be featured in our newsletter!
1. (Period) Care Packages
Sometimes we get so caught up in life, we forget to make the moves needed to take care of ourselves, which could negatively affect the happy and steady flow of any gal pal’s most sacred biological function – menstruation! Fear not friends, we’re here! Choose a friend who’s work picks up this season or someone in need of some major R&R. Grab an empty cereal box from your recycling or an empty Amazon shipping box and begin stuffing it full of customized period care goodies!
In addition to the basic natural menstrual care products, think of guilty pleasures (salty, sweet, and spicy) or the weird snacks they crave when Aunt Flo is in town. If your friend relaxes by cooking, stuff the box with some new seasonal, healthy recipes for inspiration! Then toss in a box of organic tampons or natural cotton pads, in case she doesn’t have time to run to the store during the week, or doesn’t already give her vagina the chemical-free products it deserves. Great for anyone making an effort to be more eco-friendly or go zero-waste, our non-applicator tampons can make the transition less difficult. If she’s a fan of makeup, throw in some organic cotton rounds too! You can also decorate the box you send it in, to upcycle the container and brighten up her (and the postman’s) day. Try using colored sharpies, stickers, magazine cut-outs, or even leftover wrapping paper.
2) Hidden Notes
Great for sisters, moms, roommates (or really any friend whose house you have access to), this is one of the cutest and simplest ways to remind your friend that you’re always there for her, or for you to celebrate the things you admire about her. For instance, on my mother’s desk, there is a heart-shaped sticky note on bottom left of her monitor screen that says- “I love you even when you don’t feed me”; this can be transformed into “I love you for feeding me”, “You are a fabulous cook!”, or “Thank you for all the delicious meals you make.”
If you have tape, try taping the notes in places that only your friend might see — under a flower pot, for instance, or inside the mirror door of the bathroom vanity. Hide them in places that will amp up the fun of whatever she is doing — maybe a love poem folded neatly between bottles in the spice rack or painted onto a wine glass with markers!
3) Pottery Painting
Plan a girls night out at the local pottery painting studio or go on your own and make something unique to give to your gals at Friendsgiving. That’s what Maxim team members will be doing to celebrate the holidays together. There are so many fun pottery items to choose from and then you get to decorate it however you like. Get festive and choose a large platter that could hold a turkey at Thanksgiving dinner or maybe paint some mugs for the tea and coffee you’ll be having with dessert.
No matter what you choose, your friend will appreciate the thought and will have a momentum that will remind her of you for so many more Thanksgiving seasons to come!
4) Homemade Spa Treatments
Some cheap and fun options of gifts to give your girlfriends are homemade/ DIY spa treatments. It’s commonly known that egg whites can be used as a hair mask since the protein is a good conditioner, but who actually sits down and makes these concoctions? We say take a rainy Sunday in the kitchen and whip up some organic bath products like Apple Pie Skin Polish and Peppermint Lib Scrub. They can be easily stored in leftover jam or mason jars from the kitchen (or other people’s recycling bins).
Using fresh seasonal products like pine needles (for fresh smelling candles), cinnamon (for potpourri sachets), peppermint oil, and ground walnut shells (for its cellulite-attacking properties) will make you appreciate the season in a different way. If you write letters, try pressing some colorful fall leaves or flowers between the papers for a colorful surprise too!