Halloween Archives - Big Green Purse

Non-Toxic Face Paint for Halloween: 6 Safest Options

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 21:13:27 +0000

Conventional face paint may contain all sorts of nasty elements like lead, arsenic, and mercury that you really shouldn’t be putting on your body, especially not near your eyes or on your lips, where you could accidentally eat them. Fortunately, there’s plenty of non-toxic face paint for Halloween to keep you safe as well as spooky.

Here are the 6 safest options you’ll want to try:

1) Buy cosmetics or cosmetic-grade paint. Skip acrylics and oil paints – those are for cloth or paper canvases, not human ones. Don’t use watercolor markers or pencils, either. Given how many colors are available in organic, non-toxic eye shadow, eye liner, eyebrow pencil, bronzer, foundation, blush, lipstick and nail polish, you can probably find everything you need at the make-up counter. Just remember to look for cosmetics that are paraben- and phthalate-free (we list a good selection in our Amazon store here).

2) Avoid metallic glitter. The Food and Drug Administration recommends glitter made from polyester rather than tiny metal fragments. But you would be better off with a reusable, glittery mask. Any kind of glitter makes a mess, both while you’re putting it on and when you’re trying to take it off. Sometimes, glitter particles are so tiny they can get stuck in your eye or you can accidentally inhale them. A mask sprinkled with glitter that’s glued on is the safest to use. BONUS: put it away in a safe spot when Halloween is over, then either update it when you take it out next year or swap it with a friend or neighbor for different ghoulish garb.

3) Consider Go Green Face Paint – This certified organic face paint is ready to use so you do not need to add water. It vows it is lead-free and uses a rice cream as its base, enhanced with jojoba oil and no dyes that contain heavy meals. The Party Pack includes 15 colors and 6 different color sets for faces like Monster Madness, Classic Clown and Superhero Supreme. The paints have a long shelf life, so you can use them beyond Halloween, like decorating for birthdays or other special events.

Want some great ideas for eco-friendly costumes? Don’t miss: Green Halloween Costumes – Swap Before You Shop

4) Check out Natural Earth Paint. Their Natural Face Paint Kit is made from over 70% certified organic ingredients that are clay and mineral-based. They also contain organic, Fair Trade shea butter and organic castor seed oil. Finally, these paints are free of nano particles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and animal products like carmine.

5) Try Glob’s Natural Face Paint – This looks like the tray of watercolors I used to paint with when I was a kid. But the ingredients are much better: botanical extracts, natural colors, certified organic ingredients, and no artificial dyes or hars chemicals.

6) Make your own. Mix creamy fragrance-free skin lotion that’s also free of parabens and phthalates with a few drops of plant-derived food coloring. Spread the “paint” on thinly and let it dry. Or, mix 1 tablespoon solid shortening with 2 tablespoons cornstarch until smooth. Add natural-based food coloring one drop at a time until you get the desired color. Use a clean sponge or fingers to apply where you want it. Remove with warm water and soap.

Organic Halloween Candy Tastes Good, Too!

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6 Ingredients to Avoid In Halloween Candy

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 22:14:20 +0000

Is your Halloween candy going to be a trick, or a treat? It depends on what it’s made from. Sure, candy is supposed to be sweet and tasty. But some of it is so loaded with synthetic additives and manufactured ingredients that you might as well get it from a laboratory instead of the candy counter.

That’s why I pulled together this list of six ingredients to avoid in Halloween candy. Don’t worry – you’ll also find recommendations on what makes Halloween candy better.

TRICKS

1) High Fructose Corn Syrup – HFCS seems to be found in everything sweet these days, including Halloween candy. Kids are eating so much of it, it’s been linked to obesity as well as liver and kidney disease.

2) Artificial Sweeteners – This group includes aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and acesulfame K. Yes, they lower calories. But recent research suggests that artificial sweeteners may increase sugar cravings and lead to weight gain. Given how much candy kids eat on Halloween, the less that contains artificial sweeteners, the better.

3) Artificial Food Coloring and Dye – You’ll be able to recognize these because they’re often accompanied by a number, like Red #3. Others to avoid include Red #40, Yellow #5 and Blue #2. Some research shows a link between food dyes and cancer and ADHD.

4) Preservatives – BHT, BHA, or TBHQ are among the preservatives you’ll want to avoid. Besides, most Halloween candy is consumed pretty much during the week of Halloween and maybe a few days after (it never lasts much longer than that!). No need to buy candy that has so many preservatives in it, you could keep it in your pantry for next year. Trust me, you’ll eat it long before then.

5) Artificial Flavorings – Phony flavors are usually concoctions made up of hundreds of chemicals. That’s why so much candy tastes so distinctly… unnatural. In fact, be aware that the word “flavor” often means that the taste of the candy was fabricated out of chemicals in a lab, not derived from the actual fruit.

6) GMOs – GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been integrated into many conventional agricultural crops, including corn, soybeans, and various grains. Some research groups are concerned that there is a link between consuming foods produced from GMOs and disorders like autism, infertility, and indigestion, as well as allergies.

Need something eco to carry your candy in? Try one of these reusable trick-or-treat bags.

TREATS

Instead of these tricky ingredients, look for candy containing healthier organic and natural ones. Read the label carefully to be sure you know what you’re buying. These are the key product claims to look for:

√ Organic Certification – Candy packages bearing the USDA organic seal indicate that the candy was produced from organic ingredients, including fruit, nuts, grains, and dairy products.

√ Real Food – Eating a peanut butter cup? It should contain real peanuts. Going for a peppermint patty? Look for oil of peppermint or spearmint, not mint “flavor.” If you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce the ingredients listed on the package, chances are they’re not natural!

√ Real Fruit Juice – Fruit juices impart natural color, flavor and sweetness. Plus, doesn’t it make a lot more sense to eat a cherry lollipop made from real cherries and cherry juice instead of synthetic cherry flavor?

√ Natural sweeteners – Those could include molasses, honey and agave, along with sweet fruit juices.

√ Non-GMOs – Candy made without GMO ingredients probably contains the NON GMO Project Verified label.

Bottom Line…

Read the label before you buy so you know what you’re actually getting. Look for organic and natural ingredients, or at the very least, the words “no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives.” Even if you can’t bear to give up your favorite candy bar or gummy worm, maybe you can switch out some of the other “regular” candy you buy for options that are healthier and just as satisfying.

Organic Halloween Candy Tastes Good, Too!

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Bats Aren’t Zombies – and Other Reasons Why You Should Love Bats!

admin — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:50:18 +0000

Bats get a bad rap on Halloween. They’re the ultimate symbol of spooky, creepy creatures that most people would rather not come across. But that’s not fair! According to Christina Kocer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Region, bats are among the most valuable animals on the planet. Christina says why, in this special guest post for the Big Green Purse community:

It’s almost Halloween, and that means zombies, witches and images of bats silhouetted against a full moon abound.

Encountering a zombie does not sit well with me, but bats are a different story. Despite their spooky image, bats are far from terrifying, and I can assure you, they really don’t want anything to do with your hair.

What DON’T bats do?

As long as we are clearing the air, bats will not fly into your hair; will not suck your blood; will not try to eat you alive; and will not chew through your siding, your shutters, or your attic vents. The claim that all bats are rabid is yet another fear perpetuated by popular media.

While it’s true that bats can carry rabies, less than 1 percent of wild bats are actually infected with the disease. Even so, don’t go picking up any bats you might find on the ground. That bat may be sick or injured, and it won’t be worth the mandatory rabies shots you’ll have to get if you try to handle it. Call your local wildlife biologist for help.

If bats don’t have rabies and aren’t going to attack me in my sleep, build nests in my hair, or try to eat my brains, what the heck are they, and what do they do?

What’s COOL about bats?

Bats are mammals — the only mammals capable of flight. They are covered in soft fur and give birth to live young (pups) which are nursed until they are old enough to venture out on their own.

Though some think they look like flying mice, they are not closely related to rodents. The bones in their wings are the same bones you have in your own hand.

Bats make up about one quarter of all mammals. They range from the world’s smallest mammal, the small bumblebee bat, to the large flying fox with its 6-foot wingspan. And they do a lot more than fly. They pollinate fruit plants and fruit trees, help spread seeds around, and devour mosquitoes and other pesky insects. In fact, here in the Northeast U.S., our native bats are small, with most weighing about the same as a few pennies.

The thousands of insects they eat nightly save farmers millions of dollars on insect control and crop damage. That makes bats our most organic form of insect control! These agile fliers are adept at navigating through thick forests in search of their insect prey, readily devouring the pests that eat our food crops and trees, and spread disease.

Bats are in DANGER

Unfortunately, bats have something to fear themselves – white-nose syndrome, a rapidly spreading fungal disease that has resulted in the catastrophic decline of bats throughout eastern North America.

Over 5.7 million bats have already died, and because bats are long-lived and produce so few young, it will take many generations for populations to recover from this disease.

What can you DO?

While there is no reason for us to fear these beneficial critters, I admit, it’s unnerving to have a bat flying circles in your living room. But, if that happens to you, gather your wits, remember why bats are good, and help the little guy escape safely by opening a window so the bat can fly out.

Despite what you may have seen on TV, the world is a better place for everyone with bats in it.

——————-

Build a Bat House

You can get lots of great ideas for protecting bats from the Organization for Bat Conservation.

Or check out the Wildlife Protection department of our Amazon store for books on how to build a bat house and pre-fab bat houses you can put up in your yard.

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