India is a great country with multiple cultures and religions, and the best thing about living here is that we get to celebrate an array of festivals. Every year the series of festivals start with Holi, the festival of colors.
Holi is celebrated to welcome the onset of the spring season and no doubt is loved by many. And why not, there are so many factors that make this festival so amazing. A wide spectrum of vivid colors, delicious sweets, never-ending fun, mismatched dance moves and the spirit that brings us together, makes this festival special.
However, with increasing carelessness and ignorance among us, Holi has started taking a toll on the environment as well as our health now. It is time when we need to learn about how to celebrate eco-friendly Holi. All you need to do is opt for natural solutions to celebrate eco-friendly Holi, mentioned in this post.
The vivid colors of Holi may indeed look exuberant to the eye, but they defiantly can take a toll on your eyes, hair, and skin when in contact. To avoid any temporary or permanent damage to we should be careful and protect them from any harm. The real culprit here is the products you get over the counter. Most of these colors are laden with chemicals that’ll do more harm than good.
When it comes to side-effects of celebrating Holi with unnatural colors, our eyes, skin, and hair are the first to take the damage. In this post, we will be discussing how you can protect your eyes, skin, and hair before and after Holi.
Precautions you should take before Holi to protect your eyes, skin, and hair
- A day before Holi, remember to apply body oil all over your body and gently massage it into the skin. This will hydrate your skin and it will absorb less color while celebrating Holi the next day.
- Oil your hair with almond oil or coconut oil to form a protective shield on strands. By doing this you can restrict any form of colors from penetrating your hair shafts. A night before the Holi celebration, gently massage your hair with warm coconut oil or a mix of jojoba and castor oil. This will provide extra nutrition that won’t dry your hair due to colors.
- Avoid shampooing a day before Holi. Let the natural oils on your scalp can act as a barrier against colors. This will also help you to wash the colors easily post the Holi celebration. And yes, keep them tied well.
- If the re-bonding of your hair was done in the last four to five days then avoid playing Holi at all.
- If you have a sensitive scalp, worry not. Apply a few drops of lemon juice to your scalp before you head out. The lemon juice will act as a protective shield against the harsh colors on your scalp.
- On the day of celebration, just an hour before you plan to move out to celebrate Holi, generously apply body lotion on your body. Be more generous with comparatively drier body parts such as elbows & knees. This will add a layer between your skin and colors.
- Before you head out to apply some coconut oil or almond oil to your face. This will help to create a barrier and protect your face from the harmful toxic colors.
- Prefer to wear a simple and light color dress like loose salwar-kameez or kurta-pajama. Remember to put on full-sleeved cotton clothing to avoid direct exposure to hazardous colors and do not get translucent after getting wet.
- Protect your eyes and the area around by applying Vaseline. Rub a dash of baby oil on eyelashes and nails to discourage colors from getting trapped into them. You can also use a pair of sunglasses to prevent any sudden direct contact of colors with eyes.
- We celebrate Holi during the daytime. So, it will be beneficial to apply a broad SPF sunscreen at least 15 minutes before heading out. It will be helpful in guarding your skin against sun damage.
- Protect your lips by coating them with any good quality natural lip balm.
- Do a minimal makeup if you need it or best, avoid using makeup at all. It’s anyway not going to be visible after you are soaked into colors and gulals.
Apart from the above-mentioned steps for protecting your protect skin and hair during Holi, there is still a lot that you can do to protect the environment too. For example, use sugarcane pulp tableware which is eco-friendly and 100% backyard compostable to treat your guests. Want to pack some sweets for them, instead of using plastic bags, use these eco-friendly boxes made from sugarcane pulp. You can get your eco-friendly disposable tableware from Ecoware Shop. You just need to be a little bit more thoughtful towards your surroundings. The celebration of Holi with a bit of responsibility can help us lead a sustainable life. And to lead a sustainable lifestyle, products from us, the shop for good things can help.