Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween Costume

Halloween only comes once a year and, as such, can create a buy it, use it one-time, dispose it attitude. Instead, this year, make your own cheaper, better Halloween...Costume.

With Halloween just around the corner, children and adults are mapping out plans for their costumes and that spooky buzz is in the air. Costume stores are bombarded this time of year with customers who are aspiring pirates, witches, and monsters. People line up for the cashier, prepared to drop lots of dollars on fake hair, bright makeup, and generic outfits. Plenty of these costumes that are so popular each year can easily be made with items you've got laying around your house. Not only can this happen at virtually no additional cost to you, but it's always better on the environment to reuse, too.

Here are some commonly bought Halloween costume items and the common household items that can replace the store-bought versions or at least provide solid alternatives to them.

1. Fake Hair.
   Instead of buying a wig for Halloween, consider incorporating a head wrap or hat into your outfit instead. A hat can go with most costume ideas, be creative! For instance, if you want to be a 'sexy cop' this year, you don't need a blond wig that stretches to your waist. Try piling up all of your hair in a hat that can act as a cop hat instead.
   
2. Bold Makeup.
   If you, or a female in your life, enjoy makeup on a regular basis, you shouldn't need to buy makeup that is Halloween specific. All you need is a regular stick of concealer and you can break it into chunks from there and dye them separately yourself-with natural ingredients at that! For instance, a chunk of concealer mashed with pomegranate juice will create a blood red.
   
3. The Outfit.
   Think twice before you buy a Halloween outfit. Could you make that jagged black witch skirt from a piece of fabric you already have around the house? Could you paint black stripes on white panty hose for that pirate outfit? Maybe you could paper mache your own monster mask?
   

Read more about making your Halloween Green:
How to Go Green: Halloween
Buy Green: Halloween Candy
How to Throw a Spooky Eco-Fab Halloween Party
How to Put Your Face On A Jack-O-Lantern
Decorate with Nature, and More Eco Friendly Halloween Tips
Do it Yourself Halloween Cobweb From Cotton Balls
4 Easy Eco Friendly Halloween Tips
Make Your Own Broadway-Inspired Wicked Halloween Costume
Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween...Mask
Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween...Witch Costume
Make a Halloween Costume You Can't Find at Wal-mart
DIY Halloween Crafts from Maura Madden's Crafternoon

Also be sure to check out more hair-raising Halloween how-to's on How Stuff Works.

More on Celebrating a Green Halloween::
Reverse Trick-or-Treating for A Fair Trade Halloween Rid Your Kids Room of Monsters
Reclaimed Halloween Nesting Buckets
TreeHugger TV:Vampire Power

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