Lucknow: Holi, the most favorite festival of summer, has started. Holi festival has formally started from Barsana. Holi festival holds a special place in the hearts of Indians. For centuries, we celebrate this sacred festival by playing colors with each other. In ancient times, organic colors were used to play Holi, which brought glow to hair and skin and natural colors also had a positive effect on health. But in the last few years, this festival is being celebrated globally.
On the other hand, it seems that organic colors have been replaced by chemical colors, the use of which spoils hair, skin and health. Groups of young people are seen selling water in the market with water guns, water bottles, dye and gulal, saying, “Don’t feel bad, it’s Holi.” Harmful chemicals like mica and lead are mixed in the colors used by the hair due to which the hair and skin become dry and lifeless, hair starts falling and the skin starts burning and itching.
However, some people celebrate Holi. To avoid colors, people confine themselves to their homes, but I believe that instead of avoiding colors, you should enjoy this festival to the fullest with some precautions.
First of all, my advice is to protect children below the age of six months from chemical-rich colors because their skin is very delicate and their immunity is also very weak, due to which chemical-rich colors can cause more harm to them. Do not forget to give red sandalwood tilak to the baby as a loving gesture of Holi festival because this is his first Holi. Often while playing Holi, we care less about the safety of our eyes which sometimes proves fatal.
Do not use contact lenses while playing Holi because colors can enter your eyes through contact lenses and you can become a victim of color infection. Instead of contact lenses, use sunglasses/goggles so that the colors do not enter your eyes. Do not rub your eyes repeatedly while playing Holi, this can make you a victim of infection and if there is any minor infection, it can increase.
When going to play Holi, wear full-sleeved clothes so that your skin does not come in direct contact with the colors. Before going to play Holi, moisturize the exposed parts of the skin because this will prevent the colors from penetrating through the pores of your skin. You will also find it easier to remove colors. If you are suffering from any respiratory problem then stay away from the crowd and celebrate Holi only with your close relatives or family members.
Holi festival is mostly played in the open sky due to which the heat of the sun has adverse effects on the skin. Harmful UV in the open sky Due to rays as well as lack of moisture, the skin color darkens. After playing Holi the skin becomes lifeless. To protect your skin during the holy festival of Holi, apply 20 SPF on the skin 20 minutes before playing Holi. Apply sunscreen. If you have boils, pimples etc. on your skin then use 20 S.S.P.F. Sunscreen should be used higher than recommended. Moisturizer is present in most sunscreens. If your skin is very dry, then after applying sunscreen, apply moisturizer on the skin only after waiting for some time.
Use moisturizer lotion or cream on your arms and all exposed parts.
Before playing Holi, use hair serum or conditioner on your hair. This will protect the hair from dryness caused by the colors of gulal and will also protect it from damage caused by the sun’s rays.
Nowadays, hair cream including sunscreen is easily available in the market. Take some hair cream, spread it on both the palms and massage the hair lightly. For this, you can also massage pure coconut oil on your hair. With this, damage caused to hair due to chemical colors can also be prevented.
To protect the nails from Holi colors, nail varnish should be massaged on the nails. Removing the colors from skin and hair after playing Holi is a very difficult task. For that, first of all wash the face repeatedly with clean water and then apply cleansing cream or lotion and after some time wash it with wet cotton wool. Don’t forget to gently clean the area around the eyes. Cleansing gel helps a lot in washing and removing the colors accumulated on the face. To make your own homemade cleanser, mix sesame, olive, sunflower or any vegetable oil in half a cup of cold milk. Dip a cotton wool pad in this mixture and use it to clean the skin. Sesame oil massage plays an important role in removing chemical colors from the body. This will not only remove the chemical colors but will also provide additional protection to the skin.
Massage with sesame oil helps in repairing the damage caused by sun rays. While bathing, scrub the body with the help of loofah or wash cloth and immediately after bathing, use moisturizer on the body and face. This will help in maintaining moisture in the body.
If there is itching in the skin, then mix two spoons of vinegar in a mug of water and use it on the skin and this will eliminate the itching. Even after this, itching in the skin continues and if red rashes and rashes appear on the skin, then your skin should be treated.
You are allergic to cows and for this you should definitely consult a doctor for necessary advice. To clean the hair, wash the hair repeatedly with plain fresh water to remove the dried colors and mica stuck in the hair. After this, wash the hair with mild herbal shampoo and with the help of fingers, spread the shampoo all over the head and after applying it completely, wash it thoroughly with water.
Beer can be used as the ultimate weapon for the last wash of hair. Mix lemon juice in beer and pour it on the head after shampoo. Leave it on the hair for a few minutes and then wash it with clean water.
The next day of Holi, mix two spoons of honey in half a cup of curd, add a little turmeric and apply this mixture on the face, arms and all open parts. Leave it for 20 minutes and later wash it with clean fresh water. This will remove blackness from the skin and the skin will become soft. Replenish your skin and hair with nutrients during the days following Holi. Mix one spoon castor oil in one spoon pure coconut oil, heat it and apply it on your hair. Soak a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the towel on the head and leave it tied on the head like a turban for 5 minutes. Repeat this process 4-5 times as it helps the oil to settle on the scalp. After one hour, wash the hair with clean fresh water.
( The author is an internationally renowned beauty expert and is popularly known as the Herbal Queen. )
