Holi is the beautiful festival of colors, where we all love to smear ourselves with bright colors. These days colors used on Holi are loaded with synthetic pigments that not only damage skin and hair but are also harmful to health. These colors can cause hair to become dull and brittle and damage our skin. It is important to take complete care skin but cannot ignore hair. It is crucial to keep your skin and hair safe, but it is important to keep certain tips in mind to protect the skin & hair before and after celebration.
Follow these tips to take care of your skin as you enjoy the festival:
Organic oil- Gently massage your skin with the coconut oil or olive oil, It acts as protective layer because oil is Emollient in nature and water repellent which will make your skin ready to brave water colours.
Say No to Facials – Please avoid any kind of as it does exfoliation and peeling of the epidermis layer of the skin leading to open pores.
Apply sunscreen- Tanning, pigmentation, sun allergy and more can occur due to staying outdoors for long in the sun. To prevent sun damage, wear a water-resistant sunblock with at least SPF30 for UVA and UVB protection.
Protect your eyes – colours getting into the eyes is a common problem on holi so it is recommended to wear glasses to avoid eye irritation.
Lip Barriers- Don’t ignore your lips, apply lip balm which contains SPF, it will protect your lips from colour and sun damage.
- You should wear full sleeved synthetic clothes to prevent extra water retention.
- Paint your nails with vibrant colors from getting into minute nail corners and nail folds.
Some tips for post- holi celebration:
- Use an oil/mild scrub to gently rub of the dry colour before getting into the shower. Or you can use home remedies, such as mix of besan, curd, turmeric to clean your body and face.
- Use any mild soap or natural body cleanser.
- After shower, apply a thick a layer of moisturizer for deep moisturizing all over the body to hydrate it as well as repair the barrier function & soothe irritated skin.
- Drink tons of water.
Follow these tips to take care of your hair & scalp as you enjoy the festival:
- Oiling Hair- Massage your scalp because dryness makes hair more vulnerable to toxic colors that can penetrate deep easily and cause more damage. These are also tough to remove. Gently massage your scalp with essential oil an hour before stepping out to play Holi. Oil prevents the color from settling down into hair and also makes it easier to remove. It acts as a protective layer whereby the colors are not able to penetrate into hair shaft. Always go for natural vegetable hair oils such as argan, sesame, olive and almond. One should avoid using synthetic mineral oil.
- Cover your Tresses- Tie up your hair to minimize hair contact with colors. If possible, cover your hair with scarf or a bandana to protect from the damage.
- Avoid sitting in sun exposure while playing holi, this makes the colors stronger and difficult to wash off.
- Wash your hair- To cleanse Holi Colors off your hair, you should use mild natural cleansing shampoo as they are completely free of chemicals. You can also add 2-3 drops of lemon juice with shampoo to help restore the chemical balance of the scalp. These products will help to retain natural shine of your hair.
- Hair Conditioning- Hair should be deep conditioned after wash, apply hair mask daily for 2-3 days to cure the damage.
- For colored hair- You can use shower cap to prevent from harmful colors.
- Use Natural/Herbal Colors that will good for your hair and skin also. You can make your own colors with the help of easily available kitchen ingredients. Preparing Natural colors at home may take some time, but it’s not all that difficult.
Some DIY tips for making Natural Holi Colors:
RED Color- Take some dry red hibiscus flowers until they are crisp & then grind them into a fine powder. You can also use red sandalwood for this one. To increase the volume of the powder you can add rice flour in equal quantity.
For wet colors, boil peels of POMEGRANATE in water.
Beetroot also can be sliced, dried in sun and then powdered to ger rich red color. Beet root based color is very strong so it is recommended to blend it with oats powder or white flour.
YELLOW Color- You can blend TURMERIC powder with gram flour in a ratio 1:2 to make dry gulal or yellow colored flowers like MARIGOLD can be crushed & combined in water for wet colors.
GREEN Color- To obtain green-colored gulal, you can use HENNA or MEHENDI powder with flour. Remember that henna soaked in water may leave slight stain on skin.
Pooja Nagdev
(Founder)
INATUR Ayurveda & Aromatherapy
