The festival of Holi will be celebrated on 21st March this
year. The long weekend makes it perfect to have a gala time with friends and
family. Everyone seems to be gearing up to celebrate by bringing home a range
of colours, preparing traditional Holi sweets and snacks, decorating the house,
inviting people over home, so on and so forth. While it is a great time for
get-togethers, one mustn't forget to pay attention to his or her health and
beauty. The store-brought colours can cause a lot of harm because they contain
artificial substances. Holi was traditionally played with natural colours made
from flowers and herbs, but now they have been replaced by chemicals.
The artificial dyes and chemicals after a period of time
can make your skin dry and rash. Those with sensitive skin can even suffer from
skin allergies, irritation leading to chronic skin eczemas, amyloidosis, and
even serious injuries upon scratching. We often tend to get carried away while
we are playing Holi, failing to take any precautions. We also tend to cause
further damage to our skin while bathing to wash the colours away as we
excessively scrub ourselves. All these factors can really hamper our skin and
hair post the festival. So here are 10 tips to protect your skin before playing
Holi:
1. Apply Coconut and
Mustard Oils
Since
dry skin easily allows chemicals to penetrate the body, always apply coconut
oil(preferably) on your entire body and apply mustard oil on your hair, at
least an hour before playing. Note: It is very important to oil between
fingertips, near fingernails and behind the ear.
2. Don't Forget
Sunscreen
Don’t
forget to apply sunscreen after oiling your body, and make sure it is gel
based, waterproof and of SPF 25. If you’re in the sun for more than 3 hours,
remember to re-apply the sunscreen.
3. Apply Nail Paint
Apply
a thick coat of dark nail paint, preferable the darkest colour possible, and
remove it after playing Holi.
4. Wear Sunglasses
Wear
glasses or sunglasses while playing Holi to protect your eyes. The eyes are
extremely sensitive, and the chemical content in the colours can lead to
irritation, causing allergy. Always wash your eyes with cold water. In case
irritation persists even a few hours after playing Holi, contact an eye
specialist.
5. Beware of Cuts and Wounds
Hurt yourself while playing Holi?
Immediately wash that particular area and put ice on it. Clean with an
antibacterial lotion to avoid absorption of chemicals, and get a tetanus
injection in case you haven’t taken one in the last 4-5 months. If you already
have an open wound or cut on your body before Holi, do use a band-aid so as to
avoid the entry and absorption of any harmful chemicals.
6. Use Herbal Colours
Since it is difficult to tell the
difference between natural colours and dye colours, it is necessary to take
precautions. Either buy herbal colours, or else make colours at home from
flowers such as tesu or genda, even beetroot juice. Request your guests to
bring only herbal colours as well.
7. Don't Stay in Wet
Clothes
Make
sure you don’t stay in wet clothes for any longer than two hours. If you’re
playing dry Holi (which is definitely better), try to keep washing your face
and hands regularly. And if you’re hosting the party, then apply curd on each
other’s face so the colour fades away and the skin gets moisturized too.
8. Stay Hydrated
Last but not the least, it is very
important for you to stay hydrated. So drink clean water throughout to keep
your energy levels high.
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