Holi special: Easy tips to protect your skin, hair

Holi, the festival of colours is just round the corner. People make most of the festival by playing with colours, water guns, water filled balloons, etc. But this vibrant festival can also cause damage to your skin and hair. Here are few tips to make your Holi safe and joyful:

- Make sure that you apply a good sunscreen or moisturizer before or after you play with colours.

- Use vaseline, olive oil, coconut oil, mustard oil on your face and body.

- Oil your hair with coconut, olive or castor oil. Doing so will protect your hair from damage by harmful chemicals. It will also make it easier to remove while washing off colours.

- You can also cover your head with a thick scarf to protect your hair from being soaked in colour.

- Protect your lips by using a good lip gloss/lip balm.

- Paint your nail- both in fingers and toes with transparent nail polish (preferably red or pink colours) to protect your nails from harsh effects of colours.

- If you are prone to rashes or allergies, consult a dermatologist whether you need to take preventive measures for your skin.

- Before stepping out to play with colours, you should use a toner to close your skin pores and to reduce the chances of damage on your skin.

- You can protect your skin by wearing long sleeves and full length bottoms.

- Never sit in sunlight after playing with colours as it will make difficult to remove as well as harm your skin.

- Try using natural colours such as henna, turmeric, marigold flowers, tomatoes and tea leaves for a safe and skin-friendly Holi.

- Always clean your face with a cleansing milk or lotion with a cotton wool after playing with colours. Never wash your face with harsh soaps, especially when it is wet, doing so can damage your skin causing further dryness.

- You can also massage your face and body with til oil to remove colours.

- Rinse your hair with plenty of water to wash off colours. Use mild and herbal shampoo to avoid further damage. You can also add lemon juice to a mug and use it as a last rinse to restore cid-alkaline balance of the scalp.

- You can also apply a hair pack- one good option is a mixture of henna powder, lemon juice and curd. You can apply this on your hair and wash off after an hour.

- Ensure that your eyes are well protected with glasses at all times. Eyes are extremely vulnerable during Holi due to the use of harmful chemicals in colours.

- Do not take bath immediately after the play since taking frequent baths and washing your face and hair repeatedly will ruin your skin as well as your scalp. Do it much later after the celebration is over.

So, here’s wishing you all a happy and safe holi.