From among all the festivals of India, Holi is the most colorful festival. In fact, Holi is essentially the festival of colors. In ancient times, the festival of holi was welcomed by making a lots of natural holi colors with the help of flowers and household ingredients. With time, people became busy and also in want of permanent colors, started using chemical laden holi colors sold in markets. This had a negative health effect on people in form of skin rashes and allergies, dry brittle hair, eye injury etc. Whatever be the harms of playing with colors, people in India cannot let go the occasion of merrymaking with colors. So, play holi and use a lots of holi colors but take some precautions before holi and some measures after holi to keep your skin, hair, eye etc. intact from harmful effects of Holi. Here are some hair care
and skin care tips for a safe holi this year.
Use Herbal Holi Colors
Use only herbal holi colors. Its true that you can't tell people coming to your home to bring herbal colors. However, you can buy a lots of herbal holi colors and offer to play holi with them only with your guests. Remember, this may cost you a little more but your skin and hair will be safe. Moreover, the cost of dermatologist
and other medical expenses resulting from use of chemical holi colors will be saved. When buying herbal holi colors, feel them. They should be soft and must feel powdery, like talc or refined flour (maida) and not grainy or gritty. For a cheaper option, you can even make natural colors by doing it yourself. Tips for making such DIY herbal holi colors are given in the last section of this article.
Apply Protective Lotions or Oils Before Playing Holi
Skin Care Tips
Skin Care Tips
Prepare yourself for the holi colors. Although its good to wear comfortable clothes but ensure that your clothes cover the maximum of your body. Apply some oil (best ones are coconut oil and mustard oil) all over the exposed skin of your body. Paint your nails with nail polish. Apply petroleum jelly under nails, behind ears, on lips- wherever, there is the possibility of colors getting stuck. If possible, use shower cap to cover your hair. Apply some hair oil (olive oil or coconut oil) on the scalp and hair length. Oil forms a layer on your skin and hair and prevents the color from going deep into skin or hair roots. Also the holi colors come off easily when washed later. Also apply sunscreen lotion on skin after letting the oil absorb for 15 minutes. This will prevent UV rays from doing harm to skin by mixing with colors. Remove Holi Colors Gently After Playing Holi
Try to wash off the wet holi colors as soon as possible. For dry holi colors, just rub them off gently. If you can not remove the colors immediately, don't worry about it. Enjoy the Holi with herbal colors and use the following tips to remove the colors from your skin and hair.


* Wash off your hair first with plain water so that most of the color comes off. Then use a mild herbal shampoo or home made shampoo ( made with shikakai, reetha and amla or Indian gooseberry soaked overnight, boiled and strained in the morning). If you have taken hair care and had applied oil before, you will not have any difficulty in washing off the holi colors from your hair.
* For removing the holi colors from skin, first wash with cold water. Rub some lemon wedges over the skin (lemon is a natural bleaching agent that helps remove stains). Wash it off. Apply lots of moisturizer and leave it for at least 15 minutes. You can even use cleanser for the purpose. Put some drops of lemon juice in your lukewarm bathing water (not hot) and have a bath using a mild moisturizing soap. Take care to rub the skin gently.
* If the color doesn't come off, apply some warm olive oil. Rub the skin with a soft cloth gently. Apply curd or a herbal pack made with gram flour and milk afterwards. It will soften the skin. Use face pack made by mixing gram flour & curd till it becomes a smooth paste then apply it on face & massage gently to take out the traces of color left. Avoid bleaching, waxing or facial for a week after holi (even before holi).

DIY Herbal Holi Colors
Natural Herbal Holi Colors
Natural Herbal Holi Colors
Make your own natural herbal holi colors! And this can be done with the help of flowers, herbs, leaves and other household ingredients found in the kitchen. Here are some tips on how to make herbal holi colors?

Yellow Color- In ancient India, Palaash or tesu flowers were used for making bright yellow color. The Vedas say, “"If clothes soaked in this color are worn, then that color will have its effect on our bodies by entering through the pores of the skin, and will save us from contagious diseases." Soak these flowers overnight and boil to get natural rich yellow holi color. More easily available Marigold flowers can also be dried and their paste can be used for yellow color. Turmeric powder or raw turmeric can also be soaked in water to get yellow color. To make light yellow color mix it with gram flour.

Green Color- Take Henna leaves, dry and powder them to get dry holi color. For wet color, soak it in water. For lighter and darker shades, mix it with wheat flour or refined flour. Leafy vegetables like
spinach and coriander can also be used after grinding them with water. This green color paste is a natural wet holi color.

Red Color- Use red sandalwood powder or vermilion for red color. Dried rose petals can be used for making gulal or dry color. Soak red hibiscus flowers or grated beetroot in water overnight for getting wet red color.

Blue Color- Dry Jacaranda flowers in shade and ground them to get a beautiful blue holi color. The blue Hibiscus can also be dried and powdered. For wet color, crush berries of Indigo tree and add them to water for desired shade of the color blue. Leaves of some species of Indigo tree give rich blue color when boiled in water.