Let us play Safe And Eco Friendly Holi.
Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get a buzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can be seen on the roadside days before the festival.
Harmful Chemicals in Holi Paste type colors:
According to their researched fact sheet on Holi, the pastes contain very toxic chemicals. Which can have severe health effects.
Please check the table below colors to about the chemical used in various Holi colors and their harmful effects on human body.
| Color | Chemical Used | Health Effects |
| Black | Lead Oxide | Affects the Kidney |
| Green | Copper Sulphate | Eye Allergy, Puffiness and Temporary Blindness |
| Silver | Aluminum Bromide | Carcinogenic effects |
| Blue | Prussian Blue | Contract Dermatitis |
| Red | Mercury Sulphide | Highly Toxic, Can cause skin cancer |
Harmful Chemicals In Gulal
The dry colors, commonly known as gulals, have two components –
a colorant that is toxic and a base which could be either asbestos or silica, both of which health problems.
Heavy metals contained in the colorants can cause asthma, skin diseases and adversely affect eyes.
Harms of Wet Holi Colors
Wet colors, mostly use Gentian violet as a color concentrate which can cause skin dis-coloration and dermatitis.
These days, Holi colors are sold loosely, on the roads, by small traders who often do not know the source.
Sometimes, the colors come in boxes that specifically say “For industrial use only‟.
Holi Safety Tips
- Apply cream to your face before and after the play.
- Apply Vaseline petroleum jelly at hand and body to avoid the color stain on finger and nails.
- Oil your hair well, so that color doesn”t stick on your hair and can be washed off easily later.
- Use hat or caps to protect your hair from being colored with hard-to-rinse dyes.
- Don`t get boisterous and do not let others to be rude on you.
- Play with natural home-made colors such as gulal.
- Use more of red or pink colors which looks good and can easily taken off.
- Gaudy purple, green, yellow, orange have more harmful chemicals in them and should be avoided.
- The best option would be to play with natural home-made colors.
Moreover
- Your skin and hair will feel tampered with the use of skin friendly natural products.
- If natural colors are not possible, then ensure a better quality colors. Buy colors from a reputed shop or vendor.
- Apply thick coating of paint on your nails- both in fingers and toes so that they remain protected.
- Make sure that powder or any other product does not get inside your eyes. Eyes are extremely vulnerable on Holi because of their strategic place in body and also because of the use of harmful chemicals in colors these days.
- Use dental caps to save your teeth from any unwanted stains.
- Try to save yourself off from all possible attacks on the face. In case your such attempts fail, keep your eyes and lips tightly shut if you are attacked on your face.
- When traveling keep the car windows thoroughly shut, even if you don’t have an AC car. Do not bump into the frenzied group of mob if you take to streets. Better you cross the road to the sidewalk across. Or simply stay at a safe distance.
- Do not use permanent dyes. If someone has applied it on you, do not rub the face with soap immediately in order to get rid off it, especially when it is wet. Instead, use good quality cleansing milk for removal. It’s better than using soap, which will dry up your skin.
- If you are prone to skin allergies, avoid playing with gulal altogether.
- Avoid running on jumping on wet floors, so that you don’t slip and injure yourself. Bones are specially vulnerable on this day.
- Do not drive if you are high on alcohol or bhang.
In addition:
- Keep handy pain killers, anti-oxidants, anti-allergic tablets if all the above tips have been disregarded.
- For removing color from the skin, a mild moisturizer soap with lukewarm water works best.
- To lighten the color on your skin, rubbing lemon wedges followed by a mixture of wheat flour and oil is a good option.
- Apply castor/olive/coconut/almond oil to your hair.
- People take advantage of women on the pretext of coloring them. Be with a group that doesn”t take advantage of you.
- Play Holi only with a group of close friends and relatives as against strangers.
- Avoid over indulgence in bhang, drinks or food so that you don`t repent later.
- Don`t allow children to play holi with eggs, sand or drainage water.
Respect the feelings of others while celebrating the festival of colours.
DO NOT :
- play colours with unwilling persons.
- Offend sensitivity of others.
- throw water or balloons at passers.
- throw dirt and chemicals on people.
- indulge in eve teasing.
Eco Friendly Holi
- Say NO to colors which are artificially made.
- The burning of fuel wood in order to perform the Holi Bonfire or “Holika Dahan” would be ideal if people burning their waste wood material instead of useful fuel wooden logs.
- Celebrating an safe and Eco-Friendly Holi not only saves Nature but also saves you from Harmful Effects of Chemical Colors.
- People throw plastic bags and balloons filled with colored water on Holi. The remains of these plastics create environmental pollution.
- Use of natural colors is the best way to save water as they do not require much water to remove the color.
- Taking frequent bath is waste of water and washing the face again and again, will ruin your skin. Take a bath much later after the entire Holi celebration is over.
- To save water on Holi, we should use a limited amount of water on Holi. Use pichkari to save water. If possible then play water f
Use Natural Colors : Natural colours can be made from flowers , fruits, vegetable extracts and leaves. Play safe and eco friendly Holi with natural colours which can be easily made at home.
Thank you for reading.
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