Who among us has not walked to their closets and dresser drawers with dread, bored to tears of everything inside and knowing that they can’t just buy a whole new wardrobe just because their picky heart desired it?  Sometimes all that is needed is a creative spark of inspiration, scissors, some string and/or thread, and nimble fingers.

I’m talking about renewing that wardrobe by reusing the clothes in fun inventive ways, so essentially recycling the wardrobe items.  Need some ideas?

With strategic snips of the scissors and skilled ribbon use, a shirt can get new ruched sides that will flatter the waistline and draw visual interest!

Sleeves can be tinkered with by cutting them completely off, shortening them, cutting slits into them for butterfly sleeves.  A strategic cut into the neckline can create a v-cut neck to the shirt.  With a glue gun and crystals or a bedazzler, exciting sparkle can liven up even the most dull shirts.  If feeling really adventurous, mixing up a bucket of dye and changing the total look of the shirt is an idea.  Fabric markers or decals can also be used on the shirt for personalized designs.  There are many options for the thrifty soul who wants to make totally new items from their old shirts.

Jeans that have become ratty on the bottom can become broken in, just like new capris or shorts!  Cut off the bottom part of the jeans as short as you are trying to go and then either leave the hem frayed for a cut-offs look or hem the new pair of shorts.

Have a plain item of clothing that you want to look different?  Buy ribbon or extra materials and add spizazz to it!  No need to have boring looks if you don’t want them.

A rather ingenious way to turn old clothes that you are tired of into something enjoyable is to create accessories out of them.  That outdated denim skirt can become a totally cool clutch handbag with the right sewing!  Love the pattern on a skirt but utterly tired of the fit?  Cut out strips and make it into a headband!  Belt loops on a pair of denim shorts can be cut off along with the rivets on the on the jean’s pockets, glue the rivets onto the belt loop with hot glue and seal it into a loop for a cute new ring.  Turn that old college sweatshirt in to a one-of-a-kind bag!

Seeing the same old clothes in a wardrobe can be oh so boring, but refashioning them in an unexpected, fun way can liven it up enough that it all seems like new!

Each day, as you shower and get ready to face the outside world, do you think about what in your beauty products actually makes your hair shiny or your lipstick last? You should. According to Safe Cosmetics, beauty and body care products of all kinds contain tons of chemicals, many of which are linked to cancer. The average woman in the United States uses about 12 personal care products a day, and men use about six—and each of these products contain a dozen or more chemicals! Of these hundreds of chemicals, less than twenty have been evaluated by the industry’s consumer safety panel—so it is a big mystery what they are doing to us!  Thankfully, there are ways to replace these dangerous chemicals in your daily usage with natural products that won’t make you sick. Here are five of the best, natural solutions to our beauty (or handsome-ness) dilemmas:

1. Need to control your frizz? Instead of Infusium 23 Complete Frizz Control Treatment, try Got2b Glossy Anti-Frizz Shine Serum. Where Infusium contains eight ingredients known to be dangerous to your health, Got2b has infinitely fewer ingredients and only one that may be questionable.

2. The shampoo you use to wash your baby’s hair is also a place where dangerous chemicals hide. Instead of Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash, use Method Baby Squeaky Green Hair + Body Wash. Method’s product only contains only four ingredients of low concern, while Johnson’s has over 30 ingredients, nine of which pose some health concern.

3. When you are washing your own hair, look out for Nexxus. Their Botanoil Botanical Treatment Shampoo contains at least one ingredient that is a suspected immunotoxicant, not to mention the company’s disregard for the climate and ethics in their manufacturing practices. Instead, use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Citrus Hair Rinse—it contains only ten ingredients, most of which are natural oils, and only two of low health concern.

4. If lipstick is your thing, switch out Stila for Peacekeeper’s colors. Stila’s lipstick has an ingredient, Oxybenzone, that is a suspected skin or sense organ toxicant. Peacekeeper’s Paint Me Accepting Lipstick has no ingredients that raise a health concern, and they make their product while reducing climate change emissions and giving back to their local community.

5. We know you can’t live without your deodorant—or at least, we don’t want you to. Instead of Arm and Hammer’s Ultramax Victory deodorant, which has the very dangerous Triclosan in it, try Burt’s Bees Herbal Deodorant. It has no ingredients that raise a health concern, and is made of five ingredients that are all natural.

Until the government regulates the chemicals that are allowed into beauty products, our choices are frequently going to have to be between the greater and lesser evils. To see how your favorite products rank in terms of health, environment and ethics, check out www.goodguide.com. If you can, switch to products that will help you, rather than hurt you.

By now you should know—the greenest clothes possible are the ones you already own. Re-wearing your clothes as long as you possibly can is simply the best way to make up for the resources their production (and shipping) depleted. But if you must buy new clothes (let’s face it, most people *me included* like doing this from time to time), there are a few things you should keep your eyes open for.

1. Try to choose clothes made from materials that can be cold washed and line dried—anything more advanced (i.e. dry-clean only) continues to tax the environment significantly as it ages.

2. Buy clothes you know will last! The longer you can wear them, the better.

3. Check out thrift shops. They are the equivalent of clothing recyclers and as an added bonus, a great way to cheaply restock your wardrobe.

4. Shop around for clothing made from reused materials. This can be anything from recycled plastic bottles to grocery bags! If you are cold, look for fleece fabric made from spun bottles.

5. Try to buy organically grown materials. In the United States, ten percent of all agricultural chemicals are used to grow cotton that only covers one percent of farmland! Organic materials won’t poison the earth with fertilizers and pesticides. You can find organic cotton, wool, linen, flax and hemp.

6. If you can’t buy organic, the next best thing are materials derived from wood pulp, bamboo, soy and corn. When they can no longer be worn, simply throw the garment into your compost heap!

With everything you do, paying attention to the effects your choices have on the environment is of the utmost importance. Nothing matters more than protecting our planet. So before you run out to replace your jeans, shop around—the earth will thank you!