Keep Your Skin & Hair Healthy after a Colourful Splash of Holi

Planning to make a colourful splash on Holi, and also little scared assuming the ill-effects of colours on your skin and hair!! No need to worry. By taking little precautions while selecting the right colour and by following some beneficial skin care and hair care recommendations of derma experts, you can enjoy Holi, submerged in different shades of gulals, water colours and pastes of your choice.

Holi can be enjoyed in a most lively manner with great vigour and fervent only if we remain cautious towards post Holi effects on skin and hair, in advance, says Dr. Sachin Dhawan, Director, Clinical & Aesthetic Dermatology (Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon).
On the request note, Dr. Dhawan has suggested some of the most effective skin care and hair care tips to enjoy a safe Holi.

In a questionnaire organized by us, Dr. Dhawan gave his expert overview on the below mentioned queries.

We asked: ‘What precautionary steps should be taken to protect skin & hair on Holi?
Dr. Dhawan stated: “Protect your hair by applying oil before playing Holi. For skin care, apply a thick coat of vaseline petroleum jelly or coconut oil all over your body to avoid harsh effect of Holi colours. Also, use good sunscreen to safeguard your face and hands, as Holi is mostly played in open. Avoid use of highly toxic permanent colours which contain heavy metals like lead, arsenic and mercury that have tendency to cause allergies. Instead, use natural colours made out of flowers, turmeric, and indigo.

Along with skin and hair, we must also take proper care of our eyes and nails. For protecting nails, Dr. Dhawan suggested, “Coat your nails properly with nail enamel before playing Holi.” For eyes, he recommended, “Be cautious that colour does not get into your eyes and cause problem. If, in any case, colour does get into your eyes, wash them repeatedly with clean water and if the irritation still persists, see a doctor.”

On our query regarding, ‘How to pamper our skin & hair after Holi?’ Dr. Dhawan suggested some easy steps to revitalize skin and hair after Holi. He added, “Using natural home based skin care remedies helps a lot in removing Holi colours from skin. While for cleaning hair, we should select some mild shampoo followed by a good conditioner.”

A step-wise ways to make your skin supple and smooth & your hair shiny and healthy is detailed below:

• Wash the Holi colour off using besan and malai instead of strong soaps and detergents.
• Apply paste of besan and yoghurt pack as it is also highly effective in removing colour and revitalizing skin.
• Follow it up by a deep moisturizing agent like almond oil or a moisturizing cream.
• Use a mild shampoo to wash off hair colours and condition them using a pH balanced conditioner.
• A hydrating and detanning facial is also a good option to pamper the damaged skin, post Holi.
• Go in for a manicure and pedicure to cleanse the colours off the nails.
• If possible visit a dermatologist post Holi to get a microdermabrasion or a peel treatment done to strip off the damaged layers followed by a hydrating mask to make the skin soft and supple.
• Mesothreapy (Mesoglow) is another option to regain the lost charm of skin. In this therapy superficial injections of vitamins and other skin brightening agents are imbibed in the skin with a gunshot.

As Holi ushers during severe climatic change so this is another major reason it is recommended to be extra careful towards skin and hair in Holi. With emerging dry season, the skin and scalp faces excessive dryness which leads to conditions like dandruff in hair, dry skin problems, etc. So, use of adequate moisture and sunscreen for skin and proper conditioning of hair using mild natural oil like olive oil or almond oil is suggested to keep both skin and hair healthy during Holi season.

Be little conscious and get on colourful water, pastes and gulals to enjoy a memorable Holi this season.