Holi is round the corner and you all are geared up to celebrate it with full fervour, but before you jump in to chalk out your plans for the event it would be wise to acquaint yourself with of some quick, easy beauty hacks for Holi - particularly a detailed breakdown of Pre- Holi and Post-Holi skin care and hair care tips that is, a lowdown on your best self care treatment before and after playing Holi.
Holi, the festival of colors
Holi, popularly known as festival of colors or even festival of love is celebrated in India , paraticualry North India with much pomp and show an dlots of enthusiasm! Holi marks the arrival of vasanta ritu (spring )and signifies the triumph of good over evil.
Being such a vibrant, colorful & gay festival, the various aspects of it is so significant for our lives. Holi gets us so close to our culture, helps to bring society together and strengthens the secular fabric of our country.
This festival is celebrated by non-hindus too, as everybody likes to be a part of such a colorful and joyous festival.
Also, the tradition of Holi is such that even enemies turn friends and forget any hard feelings or misgivings that they might have had. Besides, on this day people do not differentiate between rich and poor and everybody celebrates the festival with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood.
Also, the tradition of Holi is such that even enemies turn friends and forget any hard feelings or misgivings that they might have had. Besides, on this day people do not differentiate between rich and poor and everybody celebrates the festival with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood.
Harmful colours that may damage your skin & hair while playing Holi - the dark side of Holi festival
No doubt, Holi is played with great pomp and fervor all over the country, but amidst all the enjoyment there is a dark side to it as well.
Like most festivals, Holi has been commercialised to a great extent and all sorts of synthetic harmful colors are being used these days. These colours contain hazardous ingredients like lead oxide, mercury sulphide, aluminium bromide, copper sulphate, Prussian blue, and many more.
These are extremely harmful and toxic to our body and can cause many health issues such as skin rashes, contact dermatitis, skin abrasions, skin scarring, irritation, itching, eye allergies and can sometimes even lead to blindness. Such colours are an environmental hazard as well.
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In earlier days, Holi was played with natural dyes extracted from herbs, flowers and the like and these colours were in fact beneficial. In olden days it was believed that these natural dyes which penetrated the skin through the pores would have the effect of strengthening the ions in the body and adding beauty and lustre to the skin. However over the years, synthetic colours have replaced them.
Use safe herbal, organic colours this holi
Stay away for chemical colors this holi, rather buy only organic herbal colours and gulal, preferably made from natural dyes to play Holi. Don't go for cheaper brands and do check out for the expiry date of these colours.Apprise your near and dear ones and acquaintances beforehand about the harmful effects of chemical holi colors on skin and hair and ask them to use only safe colours and take safety precautions while celebrating the festival. You may also gift these non-toxic, organic, herbal and natural colors that are skin and hair friendly to your friends and relatives.
Holi - Dressing Tips
- Preferably, while playing holi rummage through your wardrobe and pull out your old clothes which you were thinking of disposing off & wear them without any worries.
- But if you are style conscious and do not like to wear old clothes, choose from a wide variety of holi dresses available online from here and here or in your local market.
- Choose the right material and see to it that your holi dresses do not cling to your body like a second skin while you are enjoying the festival drenched in water colors.
- Avoid wearing synthetic fabrics as they can easily cling to your body once wet.
- Though dark clothes are better for playing with colors, it is against the tradition to dress in dark colors.
- Most people stick to white when playing holi. If you do not have a white dress, don't waste your money buying a new one. Instead, wear any light color clothes that you have in your closet.
- Wear full-sleeved clothes or clothes that cover your whole body as it will act as a protection from harmful colours on your skin.
- Preferably avoid sleeveless clothes.
- Ladies, better have a scarf, stole or a dupatta to cover yourself when you get completely drenched with water to avoid feeling uncomfortable. You can even use dupatta or a cap to cover your hair for extra protection.
Hair care tips to protect your hair during Holi
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| Oil your hair to protect it from colors before venturing out to splash colours. |
Precautions to protect your hair before playing Holi
- Oil your hair before going out on Holi.
- Massage the entire length of your hair with coconut, mustard, olive, almond or any oil that suits your hair.
- Application of oil creates a protective layering on your hair against artificial Holi colours and dust. And hair that is soaked in oil will absorb minimal colors sprayed on it.
- Instead of oil, you may apply leave-in hair serum such as this, this or this.
- As mentioned earlier, cover your hair with a cap or a scarf for additional protection.
- Also don't forget to tie your hair. Un-tied hair is a strict no-no.
Post Holi Hair care tips
- Wash off your hair properly with plain water to get off all the colors from the hair first. You could just stand under the shower and let the flowing water on your scalp wash away all the colours
- Next gently wash your hair with a mild protein based shampoo such as this.
- Next apply a good conditioner & let it sit sit on your hair for a few minutes. Leaving the conditioner such as this or this for sometime nourishes your damaged tresses and helps them regain the softness.
- You can make up for the damage caused to your hair and also nourish it post Holi by applying a natural hair pack.
- Some post holi natural hair care packs:
a) Make your own hair pack by mixing henna powder, lemon juice and curd. Apply it on hair and wash after an hour.
b) Take 1 cup of raw milk, 1 tsp of olive oil and mix that with 1 tablespoon of honey. Apply it to your roots along the length of the hair. Leave for an hour and wash off.
c) Take egg yolk, add some 1 tsp of olive oil / coconut oil and pour the contents of a broken vitamin E capsule and apply it the hair. You can also try egg based hair care recipes from the post Eggs for beautiful hair. - If you find your hair dry & frizzy even after washing it off, do the hot oil treatment for about a week. Warm coconut oil / sesame oil / mustard oil / olive oil or almond oil and apply it all over your scalp and entire length. Then dip a towel in hot water, wring out the water and wrap the hot towel around the head like a turban for a few minutes. Repeat this hot towel treatment 3-4 times. Wash your hair after an hour. Do this treatment for a week and you'll be surprised at the results.
- If you dislike applying oil to your hair, you might try an overnight hair serum such as this or this to repair your damaged strands.
Skin Care Tips for Holi
Pre-Holi Skin care tips or precautions to be taken before Holi
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| Apply oil or lotion to your whole body before playing Holi |
- Apply mustard oil / sesame oil the previous night day before playing Holi all over your face, hands and legs. That way, the colour will not adhere to your skin easily and even if it does it can be removed easily.
- If you do not like oil, then apply some body lotion all over your body before going out to celebrate the festival of colors.
- Also apply water-proof sunscreens of SPF 30 or more all over your face and body to safeguard your skin from harmful colours. Most sunscreens have built-in moisturizers also.
- Also don't forget to apply a layer of lip balm with SPF on your lips.
- And wear full length clothes that cover the maximum part of your body for extra skin protection.
Skin & body care tips after Holi or Post-Holi skin care tips
Quick tips to remove holi colours from your skin
- Do not use hard soaps or cosmetic scrubbers to remove colour off your face as they would make your skin rough.
- Use a makeup remover or coconut oil to gently remove the first layers of colours from your face. Then use a face wash to wash your face.
- Make a face pack with one spoon of masoor dal, one tsp of flour, rose water and a pinch of turmeric. Apply it on your face and after 15 minutes wash it off with water.
- Soak multani mitti in water about an hour before taking bath.. Before taking bath apply this multani mitti pack with the addition of 2 tbsp of oil of your choice on your body stained with colour. Wait for 5-7 minutes and then wash it off. this mud pack acts as a mild scrub and helps remove colour from the body effectively.
- Mix besan (gramflour), sweet almond oil and milk cream with rose water. Make a thick paste of it and apply it to your face, hands and legs. After 15 minutes, gently remove it and wash it off. Colour from your skin can be easily removed this way
- Add half a bowl of curds in 2 tsp of lime juice and apply it on stained skin. Then take a bath with lukewarm water. This too helps get rid of colours without damaging the skin.
- You can make use of various ubtans also to get rid of Holi colours.
- Always follow up with a moisturizer, lotion or cream after application of these face packs, body packs or scrubs to keep prevent dryness and to keep it soft and supple.
- To replenish and rejuvenate skin, post-holi, try this pack - Add soya bean flour or besan with milk. Add a little sea salt, glycerine, and a few drops of aroma oil. Apply this face pack to nourish your skin.
Teeth Care Tips for Holi
To safeguard your teeth from stains due to coloured dyes, wear dental caps.Nail Care Tips for Holi
Together with skin and body, nails also should be taken care of. To keep the nails safe from the effect of colours, apply a transparent nail polish or varnish on them. And do cut the long nails.Eye Care Tips For Holi
- Before going out to play Holi, it's better if you wear some form of eye gear like glasses or sun glasses to protect your eyes.
- If some dry colour or gulal does get into your eyes, splash cold water on them several times. But do not rub your eyes as this may cause irritation.
- Remember to wash your eyes several times with water while playing holi.
- Post-Holi after washing colours from your face, soak a cotton ball with rose water and place it on your tired, closed eyes and rest for 10 minutes. Alternatively you may use cucumber slices or aloevera gel soaked cotton gauzes for your eyes.
Care of jewellery during Holi
Do not wear any precious, valuable jewellery while playing Holi. Besides a chance of losing them or getting stolen, there is also a possibility of those exotic pieces getting stained by colours and losing their sheen and getting spoilt. You are better off without costly jewellery on Holi day.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the things you need to do before and after Holi and your skin, hair and body will thank you for it. So this Holi, keep all the above tips in mind and splash colors without any fear or inhibitions. Wishing you all a safe, fun-filled and vibrant Holi.
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