Follow these pre-and post-Holi care tips to protect your hair and skin from damage

New Delhi: Summertime is here and one of the most fun-filled festivals — Holi — is right around the corner.
Almost everyone enjoys playing with colours and the fun day seems to end way too soon, leading to the dreadful phase of scrubbing the ‘pakka colour’ of our dry and irritated faces for the next two weeks. If you love playing Holi but are afraid, you’ll ruin your skin and hair, fret no more as we have some super easy and quick tips to help you have a happy Holi without stressing a bit.

PRE HOLI TIPS
Our skin is very sensitive, especially to the harsh chemicals in most of the colours used in the festival. To save our skin from damage, we need to create a barrier between our skin and the colour. This can be done by applying sunscreen, oil and/or moisturiser, at least 30 minutes before stepping out to play.

Remember to moisturise not just your face, but your ears and neck as well. All the exposed body parts should definitely be moisturised.
While our clothes can also act as a barrier, if we wear thin fabric like a cotton tee, then chances are that the colour may seep underneath as well. It is therefore advisable to wear comparatively thick fabrics and go for full sleeves to ensure our bare skin gets the least (chemical-loaded) colour exposure.

Another tricky issue is that the colour often gets stuck in and on our nails, failing to wash away days after the festival.
To save oneself from future misery, trim your nails and coat them with nail paint. Those who refrain from using nail paint can apply clear-coated nail polish. A pro-tip is to apply the polish to the skin around your nails so that no colour seeps or gets stuck around your nails.

To protect your hair from getting damaged, oil them overnight. One can use any oil available – coconut, mustard or olive. This step requires drenching your hair in oil, so avoid using your expensive bottles.

An effective hair hack is to tie your hair in a tight bun. This way, most of your hair length would be tucked in, away from any direct exposure.

Lastly, drink plenty of water throughout the day, to keep yourself hydrated from within.

POST HOLI HACKS
Now that your friends have dumped your organic colours down the drain and smeared your face with a combination of black, pink and other indecipherable colour shades, here’s how you can avoid looking ghost-like for the rest of the week.

Once you head back home, instead of stepping straight into the shower, take off the colours with oil first. Some Holi colours only worsen when they come in contact with water. So, use oil for your rescue and try to remove as much colour as possible by dabbing an old cloth with oil and using it to remove the colours off your skin.

In the shower, do not use hot water. Always use cold or lukewarm water, for effective removal of the colour from your skin.

Remember to not exfoliate or scrub your pink-or-green-stained arms. It will only worsen your skin and make it more sensitive to damage.

Use gentle soap and shampoo products instead of harsh ones. Be patient and do not set unrealistic goals, hoping to clean up within a day.

Once you are done with your shower, moisture your skin well. If you have religiously followed the pre-holi tips, your post-Holi efforts will most definitely be reduced.

Lastly, while you may be tempted to go for a relaxing salon treatment, avoid having one around Holi as the skin and hair get more vulnerable to damage

With these easy-to-do and effective tips up your sleeves, have a Happy and colourful Holi 2022.