Eek-o-Friendly Costumes: Halloween masks and store-bought costumes often contain PVC plastic – which is made of chemicals linked to health problems. Making your own costumes is a lot of fun, provides a wonderful learning experience for kids and is much cheaper and healthier!
Face paints may contain lead, a neurotoxin, and other toxic chemicals. Make your own face paints, glitter gel and more!
FACEPAINT: Recipe: 10 tsp cornstarch, 2 tsp white flour, 5 tsp vegetable shortening and 1/4 tsp vegetable glycerin. Mash together with a fork until the mixture balls up. Once this is mixed together, you can add a bit more glycerin as needed. This will make a white base. Separate into different white blobs and add the necessary color. I’ve made a tan (for a lion or cat) using some water collected from coffee crystals. This mixture is relatively “pasty” and will not give you clean lines, but it works. Another option is to add basically equally parts lotion and cornstarch. ex: 1 tblsp baby lotion and 1 tblsp cornstarch. The white made with lotion will still be a little translucent, but if you make colors, it will give you cleaner lines, particularly if you use a cosmetic brush to paint.
FAIRY GLITTER: Use aloe vera gel (you can get at almost any natural food store), and mix in some fine glitter. This should be kept away from the eyes. Alternatively, use mineral makeup.
FAKE BLOOD: Use light corn syrup, a dash of castile liquid soap (to make clean easier), and red coloring. Easiest to use is red food color. If you want darker blood or more realistic blood, add a dash of blue or some chocolate syrup.
Facepaint tips thanks to The Smart Mama (Facebook @thesmartmamawebsite)
