The festival of colors is almost here and the excitement can be felt in the air. Days are getting warmer with spirits soaring high. The liberating blend of colors and excitement is knocking on our doors. We’re all ready to welcome and embrace the joyful fun that the festival of Holi brings. Rows of colour shops have already cropped up in busy marketplaces with a variety of fountain guns and colour balloons available for purchase. But precautions must be taken as playing Holi can be harmful for your skin and hair. Although organic colors do come to the rescue but not everyone buys them and you never know what gets thrown at you.
Hence, in order to protect your skin and hair from harmful and possibly toxic chemicals, we give you some effective pre and post Holi hair and skincare tips. Go ahead, arm yourself!
Pre-Holi
Skincare: Mix 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and olive oil and apply the mixture all over your face and neck. Be sure to reach the area behind your ears as well. You can also use mustard oil for the same purpose. Sunscreen too helps in protecting your skin while playing with colours. Additionally, try wearing full clothes in order to avoid direct contact with colours. Moreover, it is highly recommended that you refrain from putting any kind of make-up while playing Holi. Let the colours decorate your face!
Haircare: Be sure to oil your hair properly before playing Holi. Colours usually stick to your scalp and can cause all kinds of hair problems. You can use any oil but coconut oil is the most popular choice. If you have long hair, then it would be wise to tie your hair into a knot or a ponytail.
Lips: Lips too retain colours and you can use any lip balm or even lipstick to protect your lips. You can also apply ghee on your lips as it helps in protecting your lips.
Nails: Colours generally penetrate the cuticles of your fingers and the effect can be damaging. It is recommended that you paint your nails bright or immerse your fingers in a mixture of coconut and olive oil. You can also add castor oil to the mixture.
Post-Holi
Skincare: Firstly, don’t use normal bathing soaps to scrub off colors. Use a cleansing cream-based soap or oil to get rid of colors. You must not rub your skin harshly at any point. Gently massage with a cream-based soap and oil. Secondly, keep hydrating your skin by applying moisturizing cream. Lastly, if colors tend to stay on, you can apply a simple mixture of besan (gram flour), milk powder, and lavender oil on your body and leave it for about 20 minutes. Take a bath and repeat if needed.
For Oily Skin: Prepare a mixture of milk powder, papaya, and lemon juice. Apply it and leave it for about half an hour. Wash and rinse with water.
For Dry Skin: Mash some bananas and mix them with 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey. Now add a pinch of salt and scrub for about 10 minutes. Wash and rinse with water.
Haircare: Wash your head and scalp using only water first. Now use shampoo and conditioner to wash your head again. You can also apply coconut oil or olive oil and leave it for half an hour. Take a shower and rinse properly using shampoo.
Strictly speaking, both pre and post Holi skin and haircare tips are instrumental in providing you complete protection from harmful and possibly toxic colours used during Holi. Moreover, you can always take a stand for organic colours and encourage others to use them instead of ordinary colours. Be careful while playing Holi and avoid targeting eyes, ears, and other vital body parts. Here’s wishing you a very Happy and Safe Holi!
(Main Image Credits: browngirlmagazine.com)