Protect Your Skin And Hair From Harmful Holi Colors: 6 Most-Effective Tips!

Festive seasons allow us to reconnect with our roots, culture, and origins. They free us from our routine life by promoting a common feeling of cheer and enthusiasm amongst us. Festivals help us bid farewell to our problems and enmity while building bonds of affection and cultural harmony.

The festival of colors has already arrived and everyone out there is ready for the festival and many events are also filling up places for the same. People are thrilled to welcome Holi, popularly referred to as “The Festival of Colors”. Playing Holi is indeed fun, but we cannot overlook certain rules in terms of skin and hair protection (from harmful colors).

Holi colors may contain toxic chemicals like copper sulfate, lead oxide, mercury sulfide, and others, which may seep into your skin, resulting in itching, allergies, or a burning sensation. Follow the below-mentioned tips to understand how to protect yourself from the toxic Holi colors.

Tip 1: Dress Properly

When playing with colors, an appropriate outfit is necessary. For instance, girls can protect most of their skin by wearing a typical white salwar suit that fits them well. While taking everything into account, dressing up is an essential part of the festival too. Also, a full-sleeve white salwar suit paired with blue or light-colored jeans should cover most of your skin while being in congruence with the Holi colors. Dressing properly would prevent the colors from having direct contact with your skin and protect it from the toxic chemicals that Holi colors might contain. This would, in turn, avoid allergies and rashes.

Tip 2: Moisturise Your Skin

Apply a quality moisturizing cream over your skin before you hop into the assortment of colors and begin the festive celebration. You can similarly use coconut oil as a moisturizer for your skin. This would surely safeguard your skin from toxic colors. Girls can also put a little make-up on their face while ensuring that it is waterproof. Applying a waterproof base over your face and neck will ensure that the colors won’t stick. You can either go with a long-lasting lipstick or use Vaseline for your lips.

Tip 3: Oil Your Hair

It is totally inconceivable that you can prevent getting color in your hair while playing Holi, so it is smart to be prepared for the same. Upon the arrival of the festival, wash and condition your hair. Then apply coconut or equivalent hair oil to your hair. The oil in your hair will most likely serve as an impervious barrier for watercolors and keep the liquid away from your scalp, avoiding its potential damage. When you are done playing, clean your hair totally with water and soap and let it dry well.

Tip 4: Use Organic Colors

Synthetic colors are the key cause of skin allergies. As it is hard to distinguish between organic colors and synthetic colors, it is crucial to avoid any potential risks. You can either purchase organic colors or, better yet, make colors at home from flowers like Genda or Palash. You can even use beetroot juice as well as turmeric instead of the colors. Also, request your visitors to bring only organic colors along with them. These colors not only replace the harmful synthetic colors you use, but they are also safe for your skin and hair.

Tip 5: Be Careful With Cuts and Wounds

It is not a surprise to get hurt in the wild Holi celebrations. If you get hurt, you should promptly wash that specific region and put ice on it. Then you should clean with an antibacterial liquid to stop the retention of pathogens as well as other synthetic substances. If you have a fresh injury or cut on your body prior to Holi, use a bandage to avoid the passage and retention of any toxic chemicals.

Tip 6: Safeguard Your Nails

Fingernails are pretty much as significant as your skin upon the arrival of Holi, as the sensitivity of your nails is very prominent. So it is ideal to focus on regions like your fingernails and apply olive oil or even Vaseline as a protective covering. Women can also apply a thick layer of nail polish to their nails to protect them. This safeguards the nails from retaining Holi colors and also keeps the stains off.

Bonus: Cleaning Your Skin & Hair After The Holi Celebration

After playing with the colors, you’ll be enticed to rub your skin clean and get rid of them right away. This can cause more harm than good. The initial step is to get into a shower and wash off the colors with soap and water. The subsequent step is to use a gentle cleansing lotion with cotton wipes to remove the colors from your skin. Then, use an organic exfoliant like an orange peel all over the body and clean it later on.

As far as the hair is concerned, make use of gentle shampoo (like baby shampoo). Try not to use a shampoo that is alkaline in nature and makes the skin dry. Extremely heated water likewise dries the skin, so keep it lukewarm or cold.

If the color still doesn’t come off, try rubbing some oil and lemon juice all around the area, leaving it for an hour, and washing once more. Keep away from petroleum products or alcohol on the skin as they’ll worsen the situation.

If your skin gets dried in the process or any allergies occur, gently apply aloe vera gel or Lacto Calamine cream to soothe the skin. You might even take some pills for this, but if your skin still doesn’t heal, it’s advisable to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist the following day. If you do regular facials, do it a few days later, provided that you experience no skin problems.

The festival of colors is the season of enthusiasm and enjoyment, but at the same time, you must take care of your body, especially your skin and hair. The harmful chemicals in the colors can cause skin issues like itching and allergies. Also, if we don’t take appropriate measures to clean the colors, they may penetrate deeply into the skin, causing more grave issues. 

After being done playing with colors make sure that you cleanse yourself with soap and water, and subsequently apply a good moisturizer. So, we hope that you have a safe Holi and take care of yourself by implementing the tips given in the blog above. If you found this blog insightful, share it with your friends so that they can also learn about these tips.