The festival of colours, Holi, is fun as we paint the town in hues of the rainbow. But, at the same time, your hair, skin and eyes have to brave the chemicals those pretty colours contain
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The festival of colours, Holi, is fun as we paint the town in hues of the rainbow. But, at the same time, your hair, skin and eyes have to brave the chemicals those pretty colours contain. Dr Batul Patel, Dermatologist & Medical Director, The Bombay Skin Clinic gives a lowdown
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One common problem that can crop up during holi is intense itching. The holi colors tend to contain ingredients like lead oxide (black), copper sulfate and malachite green (green), aluminum bromide (silver), mercury sulphate (red) etc. These give an eczematous and allergic reaction to the metal and color. Dry colors tend to contain two components, colorant and a base both of which cause cutaneous problems. The best way to fix this problem is to use color that are organic and natural extracts of fruits, leaves and barks with a fusion of flowers and herbs.
Mica dust is often added as a sparkling agent to dry holi powders. This dust can microtrauma in form of tiny punctures in the skin and then lead to infection. Best is to stay away from powder which have a lot of sparkles.
Skin infections like bacterial infection are very common during holi. They occur mostly because of using contaminated starch or wheat flour which are used as a base for making of the holi color. Also old colors which have been left in the bags for very long get contaminated by bacteria. So it’s always best to use products which have undergone a quality check and are available as a sealed pack.
During holi because of immersion of the hand in water for very long time and constant exposure to water one can develop infection and inflammation of the nail fold. It’s best to keep the nails trimmed short and if there is any fungal infection treat it before playing holi.
Flare of acne is common if a person is already suffering from acne because of the exposure to the chemicals in holi colours such as lead oxide and aluminium bromide. These are the acne aggravating chemicals. Try to use an occlusive moisturiser on the face before you start playing holi as this will form a barrier and prevent direct contact to the chemicals. Also to be on the safer side try to avoid silver and black colours.
Using rough loofah or stone vigorously to remove the holi colours is not recommended.This can leave the skin red and irritated. Its best to use a hydrating body wash and gently try to remove the colour. Application of olive oil on the whole body and trying to remove the colour also helps. Try to make your own scrub like taking a small portion of finely grinded brown sugar with honey and then using this as a scrub.
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