Holi is all about togetherness, fun, laughter and filling the air with colors of warmth and love. But this beautiful festival of colors could turn into a nightmare if you use cheap, toxic chemicals for playing Holi.
The colors contain toxic chemicals which come in contact with your skin and cause allergic reactions like itching, swelling and dermatitis.They can also cause redness, irritation and eye infections.Excessive use of dry black color which contains lead oxide that can affect the kidney.Chlorine iodine in purple color can trigger breathing problems like asthma.The color can damage your hair and make it dry and brittle.
So, the best way to ensure a safe and joyous Holi is to make your own herbal colors
HOW TO MAKE HERBAL COLORS AT HOME
You can make your own colors at home and protect yourself and your loved ones from toxic effects of the chemicals used in synthetic colors. Here are some easy to make herbal colors:
1 . Yellow
For dry yellow colour, mix two teaspoons of haldi / turmeric powder with double the quantity of besan (gram flour). You can use the ordinary haldi or “kasturi” haldi which is very fragrant and has enhanced therapeutic effects. Besan can be substituted by atta, maida, rice flour, arrowroot powder or multani mitti.
2 . Red
Use red sandalwood powder / Raktachandan / Lalchandan (Pterocarpus santalinus) for a beautiful red color . It is also extremely beneficial for the skin and is used in face packs.You can use it instead of red gulal.
3 . Pink
Soak kachnar (bauhinia variegata) flowers (pink variety) in water overnight, or boil for a pinkish color.
4 . Black
Boil dried fruits of amla (indian gooseberry) in an iron vessel and leave overnight. Dilute with water and use.
WAYS TO REMOVE COLORS SAFELY
An hour prior to playing holi, apply cold cream on your skin and coconut oil to your hair to form a protective layer, making it easier to rinse away colors later.Once you are done playing holi, you can take off the colors from your hair and face by any of these methods:
-To remove color from your hair, apply curd and leave it for about 45 minutes before washing it off with a mild shampoo.Make sure not to use hot water as it will solidify the color.
-To remove color from the skin, apply coconut oil before washing with soap. You can also try rubbing lemon wedges on the skin with oil and wheat flour mixture before washing it off with soap.
-Ubtan also helps to get rid of color safely. Or else apply an hour-long pre-soaked Multhani Mitti. When the pack dries, rinse it off to remove the color.
-To get rid of the itchiness, use a combination of glycerin with rose water on your face and rinse it with warm water.
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So, go ahead and enjoy the festival of Holi with home made and safe herbal colors. Stay Happy, Stay healthy!