Holi is a festival of myriad hues and emotions. Here are four eco-friendly ways in which that you can make colors at home, using your kitchen ingredients.
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It’s time to be a free spirit and play with colors because Holi is arriving! And, of course, the celebrations begin by getting all the basics ready at home. The first thing that tops the list of basics is certainly Holi colors. While you have numerous stores or shops in your vicinity that sell these colors, artificial colors are unsafe for your skin and health.
These synthetic colors have harsh chemicals that can cause irritation, allergies, and dry skin. But, we end up buying them because they are inexpensive and easily available. In case you are wondering if there is any other alternative, that quest ends right here. Take the route less traveled by making natural colors with ingredients easily available in your kitchen.
Here’s how:
Herbal Gulal
Renowned beauty expert Suparna Trikha gives an easy recipe to make Herbal Gulal. Take 200g Arrowroot powder, 100g Haldi, 50g Marigold flowers, 20g Orange peel powder (finely powdered) and 20 drops of Lemon or Sandalwood essential oil. Mix all these ingredients in a large plastic mixing bowl or tub. And, voila! Your natural yellow colored Gulal is all-ready!
Herbal Water Color
Taking it a step above, buy about 100g Tesu flowers and soak them in a bucket overnight. You will get beautiful saffron colored water the next day. You can fill the water cannons and balloons with this safe and natural colored water.
Vegetable Color
Beetroot is an excellent resource to create shades of Pink, such as Magenta. All you need to do is to boil a few pieces of beetroot in a cup of water to create dark magenta colored water. Let it rest for a few hours if you want a deeper color. To get dry powder, crush beetroot to make a uniform paste and let it dry in the sun. You could mix it with Besan or Wheat powder to get the shade of pink.
Alternatively, you could use Hibiscus flower for the same color.
Use various green leafy vegetables to get the green color. Make use of Spinach or Coriander leaves. Just make a paste of the leaves and mix it in water and enjoy.
Saffron Tinge
For Saffron, Orange, and Yellow colored dry powders, take Besan and mix it with Haldi and water. Leave it out in the sun to dry. If you want watercolors, soak Henna leaves in water overnight and use the colored water to play Holi in the morning. You can also use Henna paste for the same.
Let’s do our bit for the environment and try to restore the true meaning of Holi. And while you are at it, don’t forget to take care of your skin before and after Holi. Some beauty essentials that you could have are Ashtagandh Body Lotion, Nari Saundarya Oil, and Kayakey Body Oil.
Read 5 Essential Tips to get Holi-ready this 2019 to know more.
