Happy & Safe Holi

 Dear Freinds,

Holi, the festival of colours, heralds the arrival of spring. This vibrant festival is particularly popular in India where people smear each other with loads of powdered colours and throw coloured water at each other. There's a lot of bonhomie and good humour.  

 Play holi but with natural colours, do not use harmful chemicals. For example I came across a advertisement, you too may have seen some of them, so use natural & pure colours instead of harmful & toxic colours which threaten the environment & our health.

There is a downside to this exuberance. The synthetic dyes and colours that flood our markets have a very harsh and toxic effect. Children are particularly vulnerable to these inferior quality colours that contain dangerous toxins such as lead and mercury. Using these toxic colours and industrial dyes can lead to severe skin allergies and eye problems.

It is safer to opt for natural substances, such as turmeric (haldi), henna, and herbal colours that are now available in markets. These herbal colours can even be prepared at home!

• You can make gulal at home by mixing red sandalwood powder with a bit of maida or atta. You can also boil the red sandalwood powder with water to make red coloured water.
• Mix haldi and besan (gram flour) to get a bright yellow powder.
• Mix the paste of green leafy vegetables in water to make green coloured water.
• Plain henna powder mixed in water will give you a vibrant orange colour.
• You can mix henna powder containing amla in water for a bright brown colour.

Precautions should I take during Holi: To enjoy a safe Holi,

• do not buy synthetic colours and loose powdered dyes. Instead opt for skin friendly vegetable or natural colours.
• apply a thick layer of moisturizer, petroleum jelly or coconut oil on your face and other exposed parts to prevent dyes and colours from coming into direct contact with your skin.
• oil your hair well so that residue from the dyes does not get stuck to your hair and scalp.
• wear clothes with long sleeves and full length bottoms to protect your skin.
• stay away from intoxicants, such as bhang especially if you are pregnant or nursing.

These guidelines are taken from the following source as such, because I did not want to change the impact of the wordings used.

http://www.babycenter.in/baby/traditions/holi/