Choose Holi colours wisely

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

So guys, Holi is here, again. I am sure you all love playing with colours, as much as I do.

But then, what about the effects of these colours on your skin and hair? Have you thought about it? Yes, lots of colours you get in the market these days are industrial colours, full of chemicals and these take a huge toll on your skin, hair and eyes. Yes, human greed has led to use of chemicals in preparation of colours, which though long-lasting but quite toxic in nature. Containing mica, acids, alkalis and pieces of glass in varying degrees, the industrial colours are so long-lasting that they cannot be removed by normal washing and drying, let alone decompose under normal climatic conditions unlike herbal colours. It’s no wonder then than post-Holi there are huge number of people visiting doctors with various skin and hair related problems.

“Irritation, redness, itching, swelling, weakened eyesight and in extreme cases, blindness, are some of the problems caused due to use of synthetic colours. Try using  herbal dry colours as these are the best for playing Holi,” says Dr. Vaibhav Sharma, Eye Specialist at VPS Rockland Hospital.

“Irritation in eyes is the first symptom, so as soon as you get this immediately wash you eyes with clean water and visit a doctor. People using lenses should make sure that colour doesn’t enter their eye otherwise it can lead to I-corneal ulcer too,” he adds.

“Skin and hair are very sensitive to colours and are easily affected. I would suggest you apply  a thick layer of moisturiser or coconut oil on skin before going out to play. Non herbal colours can easily lead to allergies, rashes, swelling, eczema and irritation to the skin. Scalp can be severely affected with dryness, roughness, hair fall, scalp allergies, irritation and constant itchiness. Some cases I have got in past years have been so serious that patients had to be kept on short course of steroids for treatment,” says Dr. Jasdeep Kaur, Dermatologist at VPS Rockland Hospital.

Here we give you some quick tips for buying colours:

Say no to colours which made of glass powder. If you look carefully, you can easily see small shiny shreds of glass. Do not any such colour powder.

Before buying a colour, smell it. Through the smell you can easily make out whether it is made of engine oil or other chemicals.

Read the instructions on the packet carefully, and strictly avoid colours which have specific industrial instructions.

Say no to colours that are not sold in packets. Do not buy loose colours, go only for branded and trademarked colours.

Avoid dark and strong colours

Go for organic, herbal and eco-friendly colours. They not only smell good but are also easy on skin and eyes.