It is that time of the year when you are ready to welcome the vibrant color of spring. The advent of Spring brings with it the festival of colors that we all enjoy. This year, make your Holi memorable as you indulge in a spa-like treatment while playing with your favorite wholly natural and organic Holi Colours.
Go organic this Holi.
The festival of Holi is synonymous with lots of fun, delight, and colors. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, and people smear colors on each other to celebrate the victory.
However, in the past few years, there has been a rise in the usage of colors that are filled with harsh chemicals and toxins that play havoc with your skin and hair. You need to know that it isn’t good for the earth either because you are polluting the surroundings.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you found natural alternatives and made colors for yourself at your home? Not only would they be safe to use, but you know what is in them, which saves your skin from the harsh alternatives available in the market. Let’s have a look at the health hazards most of the chemical colors available in the market pose for you.
The green color is made with copper sulfate and, in most severe reactions, can cause a lot of eye allergies and even temporary blindness. Red color, also known as gulal can contain mercury sulfite, which can cause skin cancer and is a known agent that triggers a stroke. Purple color can contain chromium iodide that can trigger various respiratory allergies. Silver color can include aluminum bromide, which is a known carcinogenic agent involved in causing cancer.
Making your own natural colors
It is easy to make your own natural colors at home to add fun and joy to the beautiful festival of colors. Ready? Let’s look at the wide range of colors you can make right in the comfort of your home.
Mellow Yellow
You can mix turmeric (haldi) and gram flour (besan) to create a vibrant yellow color. What more? These two ingredients make excellent skin food, too. If you are ready to invest in a few days of preparation, then dry some yellow chrysanthemums or marigold flowers and make them into a fine powder. Mix this with gram flour to get a beautiful hue of yellow.
Ravishing Red
Gulal is everyone’s favorite Holi color, and you can use various options to create your own gulal. Mix dried rose petals that have been ground to a fine powder with red sandalwood powder, which is also very good for the skin. You can also dry hibiscus flowers and grind them in a mixer to make a fine powder to use as gulal. Soak the flowers in water overnight to get rich red water that you can splash in!
Soft Saffron
Ancient mythology states that saffron is Lord Krishna’s favorite color, and it was made using the tesu flowers, which was also known as the Flame of the Forest. If you want to play with colored water, boil the tesu flowers and let them cool, or soak them in water overnight to get a lovely orange color. You can also crush these dried tesu flowers to a powder and then mix them with sandalwood powder.
Go Green
You can make your own green color by mixing henna powder (mehendi) with any suitable flour for a lovely green shade. It is essential to note that the mehendi leaves a bright orange color only when wet, and brushing off the dry mehendi is easy. Avoid using this as a wet color. You can also dry the leaves of gulmohur and grind them in a mixer to get a fine powder.
Pretty Pink
Slice a few beetroots and let them soak overnight in a pail of water to get a bright and vibrant pink wet color for Holi.
Spa for your skin and hair
Taking care of your skin and braids in the festival of colors is essential. We recommend playing with organic colors and following particular skin and hair care tips to ensure your skin and hair are cared for.
Taking care of your hair
Before playing Holi
Indulge in a massage Keshin Thailam hair oil. Apply the oil generously on the scalp and hair length. Oiling your hair will protect it from excessive dryness caused by colors, and since the oil forms a protective layer over the hair, it will be easy to wash the colors off easily.
After playing Holi
You need to clean your tresses really well to wash out the color from them. Use a gentle Purifying Shampoo to wash off the colors from the hair gently. Using a mild shampoo will not strip your hair of the natural oils and will clean it well. Use a mild, Gentle Conditioner that will nourish and hydrate hair, which is a must if you have played with colors because it can cause dryness and itchiness to the scalp.
If your hair still feels dry, warm some Keshin Thailam hair oil and massage on the scalp gently. Follow this with a hot towel treatment to further nourish your hair. You can use a Hair Mask the next day, followed by shampoo and conditioner.
Taking care of your skin
Before playing Holi
You need to protect your skin from the colors so that they are not absorbed. Apply a body oil like a complexion oil, or use the daily body moisturizer on all exposed body parts in generous quantities. Let the skin absorb it for 15 minutes. A moisturizer will act as a natural sunblock, prevent drying, and form a barrier to protect your skin from potential allergens. Apply a lip balm to protect your lips from getting stained, dried, and chapped.
After playing Holi
After the hulla of Holi, bathe with a mild and moisturizing bath bar, a glycerine-based soap. Wash your body with lukewarm and your face with cold water; hot water makes the color fast and thus challenging to get rid of them. Use a gentle cleanser to clear your face of all colors and impurities. Liberally apply daily body moisturizer, on damp skin on the entire body immediately after the bath to replenish, rejuvenate, and regain lost skin moisture.
Natural herbal colors sometimes stain the skin. Although this causes absolutely no harm to the skin, if you want to get rid of it, massage warm oil into your skin (heavy oils like mustard/coconut are the best), and let the oil seep in for 15 minutes. Follow with washing with a bath bar and warm water to wash off the oil.
Rub lemon wedges and apply wheat flour and oil mixture to lighten the color. Make it into a smooth paste and then apply all skin types ubtan on the face & massage gently to remove the traces of color left.
A vital nutrition tip – Drink plenty of water during the day and a glass of pineapple juice after the celebrations to flush out inhaled or consumed colors.
Herbal Holi colors are therapeutic and cause no damage to your skin or hair. Experts say the chemicals in the colors found in the market can cause a lot of damage to your skin and hair and, in some cases, can also cause respiratory issues. The outbreak of allergies post-Holi is very common, and it is advisable to use organic and natural colors that are safe to use. Make a pact to go organic this Holi, and you’ll enjoy a wonderful Holi! So, play Holi the natural way!
