9 Holi Hair & Skincare Tips To Protect Yourself Before You Go Out To Play This Year

9 Holi Hair & Skincare Tips To Protect Yourself Before You Go Out To Play This Year

Holi, the vivid festival of colours, is around the corner, and that means you’re in for a vibrant treat. The art of throwing colour might have originated in India, but it has become a global phenomenon over the years.

Unfortunately, like most things, the repercussions can be detrimental. Partying along with the colours, both in liquid and powder form, can be harsh for your skin and hair, leaving you with a heavy price to pay for the next couple of weeks.

So that you don’t keep thinking of the damages yet to come and can actually enjoy your holi, here a 9 tips by which you can prep your skin and hair before drowning yourself in that colour (which will hopefully be organic and not a chemical mix).

 

SKIN

1. Stock up on sunscreen before stepping out of the house. Pick a product that consists of zinc oxide and create a barrier so that neither the UV rays nor the colour gets to your epidermis. Make sure you layer up, especially around those areas that are exposed the most.

 

Avene Hard Protection Spray SPF 50+ (Rs 1,870)

 

2. For all those nooks and crannies, such as your ears, nose and lips, lather on some petroleum jelly. This will prevent your skin from drying up and also prevent the colour from settling into those hard-to-reach areas.

 

Vaseline Pure Skin Jelly (Rs 83)

 

3. If you want to walk around with pink stained nails, then by all means skip this step; but if you want to prevent the colour from settling into your nail beds, apply a coat of transparent nail polish (even around the nail beds), and then put on a darker colour on your nails. Voilà! No haldi-looking stains post the colour bash.

 

Sally Hansen Top Coat (Rs 925)

 

4. If you think sunscreen isn’t enough to keep your skin hydrated and protected, then dab on a little oil — coconut, sesame, olive — anything will do. As long as it creates a barrier between the colour and your skin, you’re safe.

Make sure that you DO NOT run back and reapply a moisturising agent over the colour, as it might lock the stains inside. Also, do not bathe in the oil, as sometimes it has a tendency to dissolve the chemicals, which can penetrate into your skin. Ewww!

5. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the event — this means a whole lot of water and juice, and not the other ‘special’ liquids that are being passed around during the festivities.

HAIR

6. If oil is your friend, coconut oil is your BFF! Rub in some coconut oil into your hair, especially the ends. Try not to massage it into your scalp too much, just enough to prevent the colour from damaging the cuticle and cortex.

 

Kama Ayurveda Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Rs 595)

7. Tie your hair into a bun or sleek ponytail — in other words, do not leave it open. Hair left open means more surface area for colour to settle in and soak it all up.

8. If you want to be extra protective, then wrap your hair under a bandana or a scarf. This will prevent most of your hair from getting soaked in colour, and hey, it’s stylish too.

9. Do not wear any hair accessories such as bobby pins or little clips, as these tug on the weak roots once wet and will break your hair. It’s a chance you shouldn’t be willing to take.

Tatiana Dias

Tiny but fierce, our Fashion & Beauty Writer grooves to her own soundtrack. An animal lover at heart, she plays proxy mommy to pretty much all the strays she meets.

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