If you’re going to be scared this Halloween, it should be because of dangling spiders and glowing pumpkins - not the ingredients that make up most Halloween must-haves. So ditch the stuff from the store and try these natural tips for Halloween.

Masks –Make Your Own!
Masks from the store can be an easy go-to for any kids costume – but did you know that many contain lead paint, chemical plasticizers and other gross ingredients? So we recommend skipping the store-bought mask and opting for a homemade option instead. For ideas, we love this Instruction link to popular Halloween masks.

Candles – Spooky & Scary
Candles can lend a spooky element to your haunted house, but unfortunately the ingredients they usually contain can be much scarier. Not only do scented candles soak the air with synthetic fragrances and paraffin (an ingredient that releases carcinogenic chemicals into the environment when burned) but they can be a hot danger for tiny trick-or-treaters too. So instead of lighting candles this year, we recommend this “glowing eyes” tutorial. Spooky for the kids, but not too scary for the parents ;)

Face-Paint – It's Scary Stuff
Many parents – and kids – consider face paint a must-have. But how can parents apply it worry-free when the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics tested 10 face paints for heavy metals and found lead in every one of them. Uh, hello! How scary is that? As distressing as this can be for a lot of parents, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do about it. Of course, you can make your own (we like this recipe here), but you can also take simple steps to handle the ones you do choose to buy more safely. Check out all of the steps recommended by the Environment Working Group here.

Cosmetics – Why Not Go Natural?
Okay, we know that we’ve covered this before (and probably will again), but how can we skip talking natural cosmetics in a Halloween blog post? Because a great deal of traditional makeup contains parabens, phthalates, lead, aluminum, and many other components we’ve written about in the past, we recommend stocking up on natural alternatives for this spooky season. 

Happy Halloween, everyone!