11 Simple Ways To Remove Holi Colours From Your Face, Skin And Hair

The festival of colours is eagerly awaited in many parts of the country. It is an occasion of not only smearing others but also getting yourself soaked in colours. In those joyful hours people usually forget that most of the colours that they are playing with are made of chemicals which can do a lot more harm than perceived; and could even cause permanent damage to your hair and skin. So not only should you be well prepared to play holi, you should also be prepared with the solutions to take those colours out of your skin and hair.

These techniques of removing colours from your hair and skin are simple and do not require much effort and can be made from things that are easily accessible. I swear by applying oil prior to going out of my house to play holi, as that is the most effective way to prevent the colours to penetrate your skin, making it much easier to take them off.

We bring to you some easy ways to get rid of those tough stubborn Holi colours:

1. First things first

Proper preparation will save you a lot of time and effort that is needed to take the colours off. Therefore, before going out to play Holi, apply coconut/ Olive/ castor oil to your whole body, face and hair. This would make a layer over the skin and scalp and would stop the colours to penetrate into your skin. You can also apply a layer of foundation on your face and petroleum jelly on your lips to reduce the damage caused by colours. Also, usage of dark nail paint on your nails prevents the colours to spread through.

2. Cold /lukewarm water only

Keep in mind that in order to remove the colours from your body, you should only use cold or lukewarm water. Hot water has a tendency to solidify the colours which would make it even tougher to take them off.

3. Dust off

Prior to rinsing your skin/hair, you must always dust off the dry colours. This will reduce the amount of colours from your hair/skin, thereby making it comparatively easier for you to take off the rest. However, rinsing without dusting off the excess colour would make the colours further spread through water and even more difficult to remove.

4. Cleansers with aloe vera and lemon

It is advisable to use cleansers which are lemon and aloe vera based for better results. Not only are they good for removing colours, they would also take care of your skin. One can also use cetaphil cleansers or antiseptic creams.

5. Rub less

For those stubborn colours, do not keep rubbing again and again as that would cause more harm to the skin than the colour itself would. Rub initially and if it doesn’t come off then give it some rest. Rubbing again would result in redness, rashes or skin damage.

6. No facial treatments

Make sure you do not indulge in any facial treatments such as threading, facial, bleach etc till about a week from then on.

7. Mild Herbal Shampoo

To remove the colours effectively, use a mild herbal shampoo as it would go easy on the already troubled hair.

8. Hair packs

In order to remove colours and leave a healthier impact on hair, you can make hair packs, apply them and leave on for 30 minutes before shampooing.

The hair packs can be made from :

• Soaked fenugreek seeds (methi dana) in about 4 tablespoons of curd and apply.
• Egg yolk alone or combined with curd.
• Soaked shikakai, amla and reetha.
• One tablespoon lemon juice combined with curd (aprrox 1 cup).

9. Face packs

To remove colours from your face, you can make face packs out the following and apply:

• Multani mitti: Also known as fuller’s earth, you can mix it with water/ curd to make a paste and apply it on your skin. Wash it off after it has completely dried off.

• Glycerine: If your skin is sensitive and is prone to itching, then you might want to use a pack made from half a tablespoon of glycerine and one cup of rosewater. Wash it off after an hour of application to the coloured parts.

• Amchur powder: Restricted to only oily skin, a pack made from half a cup of soaked amchur powder and water can be applied to the skin and washed off after about 30 minutes. Although, it is to be kept in mind that amchur powder can cause dryness and you should use a good moisturiser/ massage oil after that.

• Besan pack: A pack made from besan and curd can also be applied to skin, and washed off after 10 minutes.

10. Lemon wonders

Known for its cleansing properties and for being a natural bleaching agent, you can rub lemon wedges on the skin to lighten the colour.

11. Use oils

Stubborn oil paints can be removed by applying mustard or coconut oil on a ball of cotton and rubbing it gently over the skin.

Now that we’ve prepared you, you can enjoy this festival with utmost joy and a carefree mind. So, happy playing!