The festival of colors is finally here. It is always incomplete without colors, water balloons, pichkaris, sweets and whatnot. But, the Holi colors have some serious side effects too.
This festival is celebrated in the month of Phalgun, on a full moon day. Holi is a traditional Hindu festival that is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.
Celebration Of Holi
Holi is one of the most awaited Hindu festivals. The celebration begins a few days before the actual Holi itself.
This year, Holi is on the 19th March 2022, on a Saturday. Additionally, after two long years, people will celebrate Holi with great zeal and enthusiasm.
This festival is mainly celebrated in two days. On the evening of the first day, people gather for the ritual of Holika-Dahan. This ritual is a symbol of good winning over evil.
Now, the next day, people celebrate Holi by playing colors. People greet each other on Holi by putting colors on each other faces.
A few years back, colors used during Holi were made up of very natural elements. For instance, turmeric powder for yellow, henna for green, hibiscus flowers for red, and many more.
But, nowadays the colors that are being used are mixed with chemicals. This makes the color harmful for the skin.
Side Effects Of Holi Colors
The colors that we get nowadays are mixed with different chemicals. And because of this, we suffer a lot of problems during Holi.
“All of these are strong colours, which cannot be washed off easily. Liquid colours available in the market are even more harmful than powder colors as they tend to collect in fold areas such as the groin and armpit area,” dermatologist Shital Poojary said.
Firstly, colors contain chemical solvents and toxic agents like copper sulphate, mercury sulphite, etc. And when these elements get inside our body, they can cause damage to our skin.
You must have heard many people complain about skin related problems People face problems like skin allergies and rashes because of these chemical colors.
Secondly, your eyes may also be affected due to these chemical made colors. Moreover, your lungs may also suffer because of this. Apart from this, you may also see side effects like dryness, itching, skin exfoliation, etc.
Also Read: Special Sweets For Holi You Can Try This Year
How To Avoid These Harmful Effects?
Although there are harmful effects of these chemically made colors, you can take some precautions to avoid those.
Firstly, make sure to apply an ample amount of oil to your skin and hair during Holi. This will prevent the chemicals to get inside your skin and cause further damage.
Secondly, when cleaning yourself after playing Holi, splash water on your skin multiple times to wash off the colors. Now, use cleansing wash or cream to clean the residual colors off your face and skin.
Now, when you are scrubbing your face and skin, remember to be very gentle. Otherwise, you will have skin rashes due to excessive scrubbing.
Although sometimes colors do take a few days to wash off completely. You can take a few preventive measures beforehand as well. This way, you will protect your skin and save yourself the excessive trouble to clean off.