Holistic Holi

Indian festivals are not just mere celebrations. They are a mishmash of rich heritage, tradition, culture and some fun-filled moments that leave memories for a lifetime.

Every year Holi brings in new trends and we cannot let this ‘Rang Barse’ festival just go like that. Let’s plan for this long weekend with necessary preventive measures.

Go Organic

Colours can treat each one very differently. With the growing trend of celebrating every festival with a natural touch, herbal colours are definitely in. Urvashi Vats, expert at Momspresso expresses, “Distribution of happiness and sweetness in relations through putting colour on each other is the sole purpose of celebrating Holi, but colours available often have chemicals, which are very harmful to skin. Why not use natural colours to play Holi? So that this festival of colours should really become a festival of happiness.”

Home-made recipes

Green- With mehendi mix cornflour and you can make a dry green colour. Always remember that gooseberry should not be mixed with mehendi. If you want to make it dark then mix water in it.

Yellow - Turmeric and gram flour can be mixed to prepare yellow. The proportion in of gram flour and turmeric should be 1:2. It can be usually used as a facepack too and makes the skin glow. Instead of gram flour, you can also use talcum powder.

Red - Red sandalwood powder if mixed with dry hibiscus flower makes a beautiful and fragrant. For wet red colour boil two spoons of red sandalwood powder in one litre of water.

Pink - Beetroot can be used. Take a beetroot, cut it into slices and grind it and soak it in one litre of water for a night. In morning boil this water and make it thick.

What’s IN

Though we are often suggested to wear old clothes, Holi cannot leave fashion out of track. According to Delhi-based designer Ashima Sharma, fusion wear is quite a trend for traditional Holi this season. Indian fabric is used for making an outfit with western silhouette like crop top in zari with a pleated raw silk skirt. Also the colour block trend is very popular with the youth where two colours are used to make an outfit that stand out. “The newest celeb spotted donning the colour block trend is Sonam Kapoor who wore a colour block neon green and pink gown during an award function recently. Other than the celeb-inspired trends there are some more Holi looks this season that are sure to be watched out for. The most prominent of all is the return of loose white kurtis and printed dupattas. Also this year more subtle shades like pastels can be seen making up Holi fashionable,” says Ashima

Be party ready

Says Neeleshwari Basak, a world-wide acknowledged beauty expert, Indians love  colours and Holi is celebrated with food, water balloons and lots fun and frolic. Along with it we get long-lasting colour stains too on our skin and cake fizzy and damaged hair.

Here are some tips to rock your Holi party.

She recommends to begin the day by applying olive or coconut oil to your body. One should apply a thick layer of sunscreen on face and body too.

“This one simple step should be the foundation of your skin care before you step out to play Holi.

Those who want to wear make-up, need to use waterproof make-up so that it stays longer till the party gets over,” she says.

You can apply red lipstick and rainbow eye-shadow to pop up your party look. For nails you can apply two to three different colours of nail-paint to completely rock your party. You can apply very thin layer of foundation for a perfect  snap to post on your social handle. After the party, to remove color stains from your face with organic methods like curd and lemon paste. Use of lukewarm water for shower and avoiding soap are effective ways to manage stains.

Safe Holi

For Ayurveda expert Dr Partap Chauhan, no country in the world celebrates spring as extravagantly as India does. From Holi to Vasant Utsav to Bihu, the entire nation celebrates spring with great pomp and joy. While you enjoy the festival of colours, make sure that your skin remains protected.

Here are some simple tips.

A day before Holi, apply mustard oil all over the body. Apply generously on face, hands and legs as these are exposed areas to colour. This will not only keep your skin protected, it will also allow you to remove the colours with ease.

On your hair apply plenty of coconut oil. This acts as a protecting agent and prevents colours from penetrating deep into the roots.

Alternatively you can also use a lotion. This is also very effective in keeping yourself clear of colours later, and will clean even the strongest of colours.

If dry colour gets into your eyes quickly rinse it with water. On the day of Holi keep washing your eyes regularly with water.  Apply some rose water in your eyes. This will relax the eyes.

Use organic colours and in case you observe rashes on your skin, follow these simple tips:

If the colour has been applied by rubbing it in, it is best to use face wash instead of soap to remove it. Be gentle while washing as this process can harm your skin.

Before going out to play, soak some multani mitti for about an hour. Once you are done, apply the multani mitti on affected areas. This will prevent future rashes too.

One good home remedy is to mix gram flour, sweet oil and milk cream in rose water and use the paste on your body.

Some colours are prepared from harmful substances like acids, glass and strong chemicals which are hard to remove.

A few home remedies will help removing these strong chemicals.

*Take half a bowl of curd in two spoons of lime juice. Apply it on the areas having colour and take a bath with lukewarm water. Home-made pack is another handy remedy.

*Avoid scrubbing your skin too hard. The skin gets affected with synthetic colour. Also, avoid going out in the sun after all festivities.

If you feel like bored and not participate in the same age-old holi rituals, don’t panic yet. You can leave the neighbourhood Holi traditions behind and head to a nearby hotel for a sumptuous holi brunch. But, if you are bored with what’s going on in Delhi anymore, give yourself a treat by visiting any of these places to get a fresh start in holi.

Weekend ahoy!

A lot of people are looking for options for weekend getaway. With an extended weekend, travel enthusiasts and singles can indulge in firming up plans to head out to nearby destinations and spend a mini-vacation.

If not yet, plan for the weekend and go hippie this Holi. Shruti Singh, a Delhi-based digital marketer wants to make the most of this extended break and do something different planning a road trip to Mathura with friends.

While Ankita Desai, a Mumbai-based content manager plans to go to Goa, for Shigmotsav to experiance the colourful parades and folk dances organised by the locals.

The idea is enjoy and yet be safe.