Prepare well in this Holi

By Dr. Neetu Saini

Holi is never complete without colors bright colors, lavish sweets, water balloons and

melodious songs are the perfect ingredients of Holi. 

Traditionally, colors were made up from flowers and herbs. But with time, dyes have replaced these natural ingredients. Make sure that it doesn’t do any sort of severe damage to your skin or hair. Harsh chemicals in these colors can cause itching and rashes which can lead to eczemas upon scratching.  

Every time during holi period, we heard that people suffers due to the use of colors that contains harmful chemicals. Extreme usage of these chemicals into your skin not only harms it but can leads to serious lifestyle issue also. Gone are those days when people use natural gulal or scented flowers for holi. Now-a -days colors are made up of acids, mica, glass powder and alkalis which cause serious injuries like eczema, redness, blisters, extreme redness and flaking of skin. To minimize the potential effects of these on the skin and hair, it's best to take precautions. 

Please go by these useful tips mentioned below for your hair and skin protection 

Get prepared – Dry skin leaves a lot of scope for these harmful chemicals as the skin layer allows the color to penetrate easily so it’s always good to moisturize your skin well and also oil your hair before started playing holi so that the color couldn’t get absorb easily on your skin and hair. The cream acts as a barrier and does not let the pores of the skin soak up the colors directly. 

Use natural colors: It’s always best to use natural colors that are made from turmeric and flowers. They are not only safe for the skin but can also be washed off easily. Apart from this you can use more of red or pink colors, which can easily be taken off. Gaudy ones like purple, green, yellow and orange have more harmful chemicals in them and should be avoided. 

Wear loose clothes - Wear clothes that cover most of your body. Avoid heavy fabrics like denim that don’t dry easily try wearing cotton fabrics. 

Take care of your eyes too - Don’t wear lenses when you go out to play. While Holi colors cause irritability, lenses have a tendency to absorb the color, thereby making things worse. Wear glasses and keep wiping them clean from time to time. 

Keep yourself away from sunlight - Avoid sitting in the hot sun, with the colors still on your face or body, after playing holi, especially if you have used chemical colors. This makes the colors stronger and difficult to wash off. Sit in a shade even if you are outdoors.