17 DIY Halloween Costumes That Skip the Plastic
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Your Halloween costume is probably plastic. A 2019 survey of 324 costume items found that 83% of the material was oil-based plastic, mostly polyester, and the UK alone generates an estimated 2,079 tons of Halloween costume waste every season. Like all synthetic clothing, polyester costumes shed microplastic fibers, one study found a single 6kg polyester wash load released around 496,030 microfibers, and research shows clothes shed microfibers through their entire lifespan, not just in the wash. A costume worn once and tossed sticks around for centuries.
The fix is the fun kind: make it yourself. Every idea below is built from natural-fiber clothes and low-plastic supplies, and every single supply is linked so you can grab exactly what you need. Most of the clothing picks are cotton basics you will wear again long after Halloween.
Short on time? Here’s the gist:
Store-bought Halloween costumes are overwhelmingly polyester, which sheds microplastic fibers. These 17 DIY costumes use cotton, wool, denim, and cardboard instead. The 7 core craft supplies, wool felt, mineral face paint, canvas treat bags, jute twine, cotton batting, wool yarn, and plant-based glitter, cover the craft side of every costume, and the clothing pieces are linked under each idea. The ideas and the full supply list are below.
The core craft supplies
These 7 reusable supplies cover the craft side of all 17 costumes. Buy once, use for years:
- 100% wool felt fabric. Most craft felt is polyester, which is plastic. Real wool felt cuts clean, holds its shape, and becomes ears, emblems, stems, and patches across 7 of these costumes.
- Natural Earth Paint mineral face paint kit. Mineral-based pigments instead of petroleum dyes, and it replaces plastic masks entirely. One kit covers nearly every idea here. Do a small patch test on the inside of the arm a day ahead.
- Canvas trick-or-treat tote bags. A reusable canvas bag instead of the single-use plastic pumpkin bucket. This is a 3-pack, so siblings are covered.
- Natural jute twine. Ties, belts, straps, and joints for the costumes that need holding together. 100% natural fiber.
- 100% cotton batting. Most quilt batting hides a polypropylene scrim, this one explicitly has none. For the mummy’s padding and the milkshake’s whipped cream.
- 100% wool yarn, 10-pack. Hair, manes, and beards for the scarecrow, lion, rag doll, troll doll, and mad scientist. Wool, not acrylic, so it will not shed microfibers.
- Plant cellulose biodegradable glitter. Regular glitter is microplastic, full stop. This one is made from plant cellulose instead of plastic film. One honest note: research shows even biodegradable glitter can harm freshwater life, so use it sparingly or skip it.
One note on sizing: most of the clothing picks below are adult sizes. The tees come in youth sizes too, but for the dresses, flannel, and overalls, check the listing for kids’ options or hit the thrift store, which is the cheapest and lowest-plastic option anyway.
The 17 DIY Halloween costumes
1. Ghost
The five-minute classic. Drape, mark the eyes, cut two holes, done. Use a real cotton sheet, not a polyester one, or you are wearing the problem. Cut the eye holes smaller than you think and widen as needed, and skip the plastic masks sold next to the bagged costumes, face paint reads better in photos anyway.
What you need: white cotton flat sheet, mineral face paint kit, canvas candy bag
2. Scarecrow
Flannel, denim, and straw-look yarn poking out of every cuff. The face paint does the stitched-mouth work, no plastic mask needed. Stuff the yarn into the cuffs and collar so it pokes out like straw, and tie the waist with jute twine instead of a belt.
What you need: cotton flannel shirt, denim overalls, jute twine, wool yarn, mineral face paint kit
3. Mummy
Tear a cotton sheet into strips, age them with black tea, and wrap over a white outfit. Skip polyester fabric here, it will not take the tea stain anyway. Wrap snug and pin the strips with safety pins so nothing unravels mid-party, and tea-stain a test strip first so you control how ancient you look.
What you need: white cotton flat sheet (tear into strips), cotton batting, mineral face paint kit
4. Skeleton
Black sweats plus white bones. Stencil the bones with freezer paper and fill in with non-toxic white fabric paint, or keep it simple and paint the face. Either way, skip the plastic skeleton mask, the face paint version is more comfortable for a whole night of trick-or-treating.
What you need: black cotton long-sleeve tee, mineral face paint kit
5. Pirate
A white tee and a red bandana do most of the lifting. Build the sword and eye patch from cardboard instead of foam, then paint the details. Roughen up the tee by trimming the collar and cuffs for that swashbuckler edge, and a cardboard sword painted with tempera will not snap in half by 9pm like the foam ones do.
What you need: white cotton tee, red cotton bandana, cardboard sword, jute twine, mineral face paint kit
6. Witch
Black dress, cardboard cone hat, and wool felt trim. No plastic cape, no synthetic wig, just the classics. Roll the poster board into a cone and cut the brim from a second sheet, then edge it with wool felt for a finished look.
What you need: black cotton dress, white poster board (cone hat), wool felt, mineral face paint kit
7. Vampire
Black clothes, pale face paint, and a wool felt collar that stands up on its own. Dapper without a single polyester cape. Cut the felt collar tall and stiff so it frames the face, that is the whole silhouette, and let dark eyes do more work than any plastic fang set.
What you need: black cotton long-sleeve tee, mineral face paint kit, wool felt
8. Black cat
Black shirt and leggings, wool felt triangle ears on a headband, and a tail made from a stuffed sock pinned to the pants. Whiskers in face paint. Glue the felt triangles to a plain headband and let them flop a little, perfect ears are overrated, and a stuffed black sock pinned at the waist makes a tail with the right amount of attitude.
What you need: black cotton long-sleeve tee, mineral face paint kit, wool felt, jute twine
9. Pumpkin
An orange tee, a wool felt stem, and a jack-o-lantern grin in face paint. The easiest group costume on this list. Cut the felt stem tall and a little crooked, real pumpkins are never symmetrical, and line the group up in height order for maximum effect.
What you need: orange cotton tee, wool felt, mineral face paint kit
10. Cardboard robot
Boxes for the body and head, foil for the shine, and twine to tie it together. Tin can lids and washers make perfect rivets. Smooth the foil over the cardboard with a credit card for a clean shine, and tie the panels on with twine instead of tape so you can actually sit down in it.
What you need: cardboard boxes, aluminum foil, jute twine, white poster board (panels and details), mineral face paint kit
11. Superhero
Cut the front and sleeves off an old tee and the back becomes the cape. A wool felt emblem on the back, face paint mask, done. Cut the felt emblem big and bold, it is what people see from across the room, and tie the cape with twine instead of velcro so it releases if it snags.
What you need: white cotton flat sheet (cape), wool felt, mineral face paint kit
12. Bumblebee
A yellow and black striped shirt plus wool felt wings. Cute, comfortable, and warm enough for a cold night of trick-or-treating. Cut the wings from wool felt in a simple oval and attach them to the back of the shirt, and layer a black long-sleeve tee underneath if the night runs cold.
What you need: yellow and black striped cotton shirt, wool felt, jute twine
13. Lion
Tan clothes and a glorious wool yarn mane. The mane is the whole costume, so make it big. Wrap the yarn around a headband so it frames the entire face, and tawny face paint on the nose and cheeks sells it more than any store-bought mane.
What you need: tan cotton tee, wool yarn, mineral face paint kit
14. Rag doll
Plaid dress, wool yarn braids, and stitched-on freckles in face paint. Sweet, simple, and fully thriftable. Braid the yarn into two chunky plaits tied with twine bows, and draw the stitch lines and freckles with the face paint kit, that detail is what makes it read as a doll.
What you need: plaid cotton dress, wool yarn, mineral face paint kit
15. Troll doll
Bright dress and a wild upright shock of wool yarn hair. The louder the color, the better it reads. Tease the yarn upward and pin it into a tall shock, the wilder the better, and a swipe of bright blush with the face paint kit completes the toy-box look.
What you need: bright pink cotton dress, wool yarn, mineral face paint kit
16. Mad scientist
White button-down shirt, wild wool yarn hair, and cardboard props. Face paint for the frazzled eyebrows. Wear the shirt a size too big and untucked for the frazzled-professor effect, and roll beakers from poster board with alarming labels for the full lab.
What you need: white cotton button-down shirt, wool yarn, mineral face paint kit, white poster board (props)
17. Milkshake
Two pieces of poster board taped into a cup, cotton batting for the whipped cream, and a cardboard tube for the straw. The cherry on top is wool felt, obviously. Tape the poster board into a tapered cup and cut armholes so it hangs from the shoulders, and crumple the cotton batting loosely, packed too tight it looks like a pillow.
What you need: white poster board (cup), cotton batting, wool felt, cardboard tube straw
The plastic hiding in craft stores
A few things to watch for when you shop for supplies, because “craft” does not mean plastic-free:
- Craft felt is usually polyester. That is why the supply list calls for real wool felt specifically. It costs a little more and looks better.
- Glitter is microplastic. Even the biodegradable kind deserves caution, research has found both regular and biodegradable glitter can harm freshwater life. When in doubt, skip it.
- Fleece is polyester. A white fleece ghost cape feels cozy, but it is plastic. A cotton sheet is the move.
- Spray paint and acrylic paint are plastic too. Acrylic paint is liquid plastic. For cardboard props, tempera or milk paint works and skips the plastic film.
- Wigs are plastic fibers and they shed all night. Wool yarn hair or your own styled hair wins.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest DIY Halloween costume?
The classic ghost. A white cotton sheet, two eye holes, five minutes. It costs nothing and uses no plastic, as long as the sheet is cotton and not polyester.
How do I make a costume without sewing?
Fabric glue, safety pins, and jute twine hold almost everything on this list together. Wool felt, thrifted clothes, and cardboard all assemble fine without a needle.
How do I keep my DIY costume low-plastic?
Four swaps handle nearly every costume: natural-fiber clothes you own or thrift, wool felt instead of craft felt, cardboard instead of foam, and mineral face paint instead of glitter or plastic masks.
