How to have a hassle-free Holi
Beauty experts tell us their best tips and tricks to keep your skin safe during the festival of colours
The time has come to put away our winter wear and pull out our oldest and most comfortable clothes for the springtime festival of Holi. While the festival today is associated with huge commercial parties, our ancestors played Holi not just to welcome the colourful spring, but also to help the skin shed old cells. They would gently rub the skin with natural herbal powders to help exfoliate the skin.
Unfortunately, these herbal colours have now been replaced with chemical colours, so extra care needs to be taken around this festival to prevent clogging of skin pores, acne, and breakouts. Dr Partap Chauhan, Director at Jiva Ayurveda, suggests that the key way to prevent skin problems is cleansing and gentle exfoliation. He says; “Whatever you apply on your skin eventually gets inside your body. The question we have to ask ourselves is ‘Do I want my body to absorb chemicals or something natural?’ To get rid of colours, first of all, apply sesame oil on your exposed skin before playing Holi. The biggest mistake we do while trying to remove colour is to do it all at once. Aggressive rubbing is bad for skin, so do it in parts. Avoid hard chemical colours as they take a lot of time to come off completely. Mix curd, multani mitti, and a little bit of rose water and apply this paste all over, gently massage in circular movements to remove colours.”
The doctor adds that hydrating the skin can also help the colour to come off more easily. “Always make sure that you keep your skin hydrated because the chemicals in colours have a drying effect. Add two teaspoon multani mitti, half teaspoon sandalwood powder, a generous pinch of turmeric, and one teaspoon lemon juice. Add a little rose water and make a paste. Apply it on the face and neck, leave it on for 10-12 minutes and wash off with normal water. Doing this at least once a week will clear the pores and help the generation of new skin cells. Include carrot, cucumber or aloe face packs in your beauty routine for UV protection and hydration,” he suggests.
While no one wants to miss out on the fun, for Holi lovers it is also a matter of educated choices over simple convenience. Beauty expert Shiv Singh Mann, founder of Desert Splendour, says that if your skin feels tight and itchy at this time of the year, it might be a sign to switch to something more hydrating and soft.
He recommends, “Glycerine, highantioxidant or almond-rich oil products must be preferred to moisturise your skin deeply.
The Jojoba oil is very hydrating and can be a part of daily skin routine to avoid and nourish your skin. It can be used as a cleanser for your skin or it can act as a natural serum that moisturises your skin deeply. If you didn’t oil yourself beforehand, or, for some reason cannot get the colours to come off despite oiling, don’t worry. Take some drops of essential oil and massage it into your skin. This oil is amazing for dissolving all kinds of pigments, be it haldi, sindoor, or artificial chemical gulaal.”