Don’t let harsh chemicals dampen your spirits. All you have to do is raid your kitchen, kitchen garden or your granny’s spice rack and celebrate it organically. The best part, at the end of all the merriment your skin will glow. Here’s how:
YELLOW:
Yellow denotes energy, intellect and awakening of new blooms in the spring season.
- Mix two teaspoons of turmeric powder (haldi) with two teaspoons of gram flour (besan). Add some sandalwood paste or powder for a beautiful fragrance. Dried tesu flowers can be powdered and added to this mixture to obtain a yellow gulal
- Boil one teaspoon of haldi in two litres of water to yield deep yellow colour
- Dry the petals of flowers like amaltas, marigold or yellow chrysanthemums and grind them to yield different shades of yellow powder. Soak 50 marigold flowers in 2 litres of water and boil it to get a yellow solution
RED:
- Dry red rose petals by spreading them on newspaper. Grind these rose petals and use this red powder as gulal
- Red sandalwood powder can be used as red gulal. It is beneficial for skin and can also be used in face packs
- Boil two teaspoons of red sandalwood powder in five litres of water. Dilute it with twenty litres of water to get a red solution
- Water can be boiled with peels of red pomegranate or wood of Madder Tree to give a lovely red colour
- Tomato, beet and carrot juice diluted with enough water for natural red colour for Holi not only flushes your cheeks with colour but also nourishes the skin with their vitamins and mineral contents
SAFFRON:
It’s said that Lord Krishna played Holi with tesu flowers, known as the Flame of the Forest (butea monosperma). Saffron and orange colours are often associated with festivity, happiness, joyousness and optimism.
- Add little turmeric and sandalwood powder to rose water to make a saffron-coloured solution
- Traditionally, tesu flowers are boiled to give a deeper yellowish-orange-coloured solution. You can either boil these flowers or soak them overnight to obtain a nice smelling orange colour. You can also crush these dried tesu flowers to a powder, and then mix with sandalwood powder. It smells great and gives a very smooth touch GREEN:
The soothing green colour is found in abundance in nature. It represents compassion, purity and harmony. It has a calming and healing effect, in its natural and herbal form.
- Gulmohar, spinach, coriander, mint, celery and mehndi leaves give rich green colour. They can be dried and powdered to get a fine green powder
- Experiment with different shades of green by mixing henna powder with equal quantity of any flour
- To get a green solution, you can mix two teaspoons of mehndi in one litre of water and stir well
PINK:
Is about breaking old attitudes, steering clear of obsessions and forgetting what has passed away. It is the colour of new beginnings and creative expression.
- Grate one beetroot and soak it in one litre of water overnight for a deep magenta-coloured solution. Dilute it with water for desired colour strength
- For a wet pink, slice a few beetroots and soak them overnight in water or boil for a few minutes
BLACK:
You can boil gooseberries (fruits of amla) in an iron container for a few minutes and then keep it aside for a while. Dilute it with water and use. It also works as a conditioner!
BLUE:
- The blue Hibiscus flowers can be dried and powdered to get blue gulal
- The leaves of Indigo plant can yield rich blue colour, when boiled in water
Before you leave your home make sure you massage oil (mustard/olive) into your scalp, hair and whole body. Also paint your nails to avoid colour getting on them. To wash off colour use a paste of gram flour (besan), wheat bran and milk and scrub yourself and then take a shower. You can also add turmeric, which is an antiseptic, to this mixture. After you take a shower remember to moisturize.
