Blog Posts by TheDailyGreen.com

Spend less and get more creative this year but making your own Halloween costume from reused materials! Here are some of our favorite homemade Halloween costumes, from the Web and from our audience.

Find inspiration in these 100 homemade Halloween costumes, and vote on your favorites!

1. The Human Etch a Sketch
This is the perfect costume for a technophobe adult in the age of the iPhone. Show the world the last piece of handheld technology that you felt comfortable with!

This crafter posted his design on Instructables.com for a functional Etch a Sketch costume, which he made from a piece of glass and a dry erase marker. Clever!

Creativity tip: Don't you want to draw on this guy, and then watch him shake it off? Everyone loves an interactive costume. Invite your friends to build your costume throughout the night, and you'll go home more made-up than when you left.

Check out the bicycle chain bracelet and more of our favorite DIY projects from Instructables.com.

2. & Read More »from 10 Creative Homemade Halloween Costumes for Adults

Although beauty products don't have to list their ingredients, they often contain pthalates, formaldehyde, parabens and other chemicals that have been shown to harm animals in lab tests, and which are being phased out in Europe in favor of less toxic alternatives. Prenatal exposure to pthalates, for example, has been linked to liver and kidney damage and effects on baby boys' reproductive organs, and the chemical has been implicated in male obesity (here's how to protect your baby). The CDC found the potentially harmful sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone in 97% of Americans tested.

Why not get beautiful in less risky ways? Remember that many of these recipes can be put into reusable containers - which can also be decorated and given as unique, homemade gifts.

Honey-Avocado Invigorating and Revitalizing Hair Treatment
Avocado oil is packed with essential nutrients like vitamin E and folic acid, both of which aid in hair growth and nourishment. It also contains natural sunscreen properties

Read More »from Get Pretty the Healthy Way with Luxurious, Natural Beauty Treatments

Vitamin C helps the body maintain healthy tissues and a strong immune system, and it aids in the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is considered a powerful ally if you're trying to avoid or kick a cold or other illness. Together with calcium and iron, it's also an important part of a diet that counteracts lead poisoning.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adult men is 90 mg and for adult women it's 75 mg, and recent research has called into question the efficacy of vitamin C pills. Get your vitamin C naturally with these top five food sources, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You may be surprised to find oranges don't rank No. 1.



Guava
Guava is rich in vitamin C -- one half cup of the fruit contains 188 mg of vitamin C and 56 calories. Eat the fruit raw, or try guava-infused vodka. Okay, so it probably negates the nutrients, but it sure is tasty, and it's one of the less weird uses for vodka (see other surprising ways you can use the drink).




Red Sweet

Read More »from Prep for Cold Season with These Surprising Sources of Vitamin C

Everyone loves a deal, but what are the best deals this time of year? The Daily Green talked to four experts to find out how to become a "Discount Druid," as Jeff Yeager, The Daily Green's Green Cheapskate and the author most recently of The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means, calls end-of-season bargain-hunting specialists.

"They're the folks in Sports Authority trying on 50%-off Speedos right now, as the full-price winter parkas are being put on display," Yeager says. But there's a lot more to fall bargain-hunting than eeny teeny bikinis:

Back-to-School - for Supplies and (Some) Clothes
Believe the hype! Back-to-school sales are generally the best time to stock up on things like pens, pencils, notebooks and backpacks, according to Brooke Kalein, the deals editor for Wisebread.com, a community of bloggers who aim to "live large on a small budget." She says, "They run the lowest prices right at the beginning of the school year."

Read More »from 5 Surprising Deals You Shouldn't Miss This Fall

From shipping container homes to houses built into caves, these are some of the strangest - and smartest - homes out there.

1. Shipping Container Home
Not just for resourceful squatters, container architecture is taking the world by storm. Recycled freight containers bring efficiency, flexibility and affordability to innovative green buildings, from small vacation cabins to movable cafes, schools and skyscrapers.

With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House by De Maria Design turns heads. The luxury beachside showpiece was built from eight prefabricated, recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are "nearly indestructible," as well as resistant to mold, fire, and termites. Seventy percent of the building was efficiently assembled in a shop, saving time, money and resources.

Related: Check out photos of vacation homes, student housing and even a coffee shop

Read More »from 7 of the Strangest Homes on Earth

No one said packing a healthy lunch day after day was easy. It's not. You can pack a great lunch, only to have it swapped for junk or discarded in the cafeteria trash. Or you can resort to packaged foods that you know your kid will eat, but which may be loaded with salt, sugar and empty calories. That's why choosing a few cleverly prepared superfoods can be a great way to make sure your kid is getting the nutrients he needs - and in a form he'll eat. Related: How to Make Food Shopping Healthy

Carrots
Carrots are the No. 1 kid-friendly source of vitamin A and beta carotene, two essential nutrients for strong vision in the classroom, strong bones on the playground and a strong immune system for the crowded school bus. Carrots are also a top source of lycopene, a disease-fighting phytonutrient.

The good news is that kids will often eat carrots plain and raw. Cut them into kid-friendly spears, or get creative with the cutting board to keep enticing them. Be aware, however, that carrots

Read More »from 5 Healthy Superfoods Your Kids Will Want to Take for Lunch

While new research shows that vitamin C or E pills may not protect against cancer or heart disease, there's no doubt these nutrients are essential if consumed as part of a healthy diet. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and could play a role in preventing a range of diseases. It's also considered important for maintaining healthy, youthful skin.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin E is 15 mg a day for adults. According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines, most Americans need to increase their consumption of foods rich in vitamin E, which can be tricky because foods high in vitamin E tend to be eaten in smaller amounts. Here are the foods where you'll find the greatest concentration of this nutrient.



Fortified Cereals
Fortified ready-to-eat cereals will give you anywhere from 1.6 to 12.8 mg of vitamin E per serving.

If you're looking for a departure from the bowl, try these Cereal Tarts with Yogurt and Fresh Fruit.

Related: Eat Right Tips That Really Matter




Nuts

Read More »from Eat This for Glowing Skin

Kids today spend 55 hours a week indoors using electronics, and less and less time outdoors. But how do you get your kid to experience the wonders of nature, develop creativity and learn to appreciate the virtues of quiet? These tips will help families get a daily dose of nature-to improve children's physical, mental and emotional well-being.


Camp Out in the Backyard
The outdoor vacation is making a comeback! Hiking and camping have been increasingly popular in recent years, and there's no better way to introduce your child to the wonders of the outdoors. But if your family's not quite ready for wilderness camping, organize a campout in your own backyard! It's cheap, fun and easier than you think.

Or get away at summer camps for kids and adults.


Buddy Up with the Birds
City, country, or anywhere in between, birds are probably the most familiar wildlife we see each day. Invite them to your own green space by making homemade feeders or nesting boxes for songbirds and hummingbirds. Or,

Read More »from Six Fun Ways to Get Your Kids to Play Outside