Celebrate the Spirit of Holi in a Swachh Way This Year

The festival of colours and joy has finally arrived. While on the positive side you have fond memories of gulal, rain dancing, and pichkaris, but there are other problems which you might face pertaining to skin, hair and eye allergies. Moreover, you can’t just ignore the tons of calories which add up to the bulges.

So this Holi, let’s pledge to make it better and swachh for everyone around.

Embracing the True Spirit of Holi—With a Sparkle of Safety

No wonder, we love to get soaked in Holi colours. But recent studies have shown a negative side of these beautiful colours. It suggests that no matter in what form they are being produced—be it paste, dry colours or water colours—they come with several safety issues.

The artificial colours can seriously affect the skin, hair, eyes, lungs, and other body organs. Previously, people used to play Holi with natural colours. The motif has completely vanished today.

To have a safe Holi, one should avoid using harmful products like oil paints, petrol, mud and other chemical-based colours. That’s why natural homemade colours are generally recommended. Just like the good old days, this Holi, make colours at home and celebrate. You can do so by mixing natural colour-producing ingredients and making a paste with besan (gram flour) and turmeric/haldi.

Risks of Using Artificial Colours During Holi

• Being highly structured polymers, artificial colours are difficult to decompose biologically. Hence, they prove hazardous to the environment (both soil and water).
• Prepared using acids, mica, glass powder, alkalis, dolomite, chalk powder, artificial colours are extremely harmful to the body.
• They have lead-oxides present in them which directly affect the kidney and reduce mental growth in children.
• They have harmful elements present in them like chromium, mercury and bromide. While bromide causes cancer, chromium and mercury affect the respiratory system and eyes, respectively.

Learn more about: Best Cancer Treatment Hospital in Delhi, India and What is Cancer and Its Different Types?

How Artificial Colours Affect the Body: What the Holi Sparkle Hides

One of the most common dangers of using artificial Holi colours is skin damage. Contact dermatitis may happen to people with delicate skin, eczema, or atopic dermatitis if they get exposed to artificial colours.

Similarly, if hair gets exposed to them, problems like loss of natural colour, texture, scalp itching may occur, which often results in dandruff, split ends etc.

Explore More: Dermatology Services: Why Are Essential for Skin Health and Types of Skin Infections: Common Causes and Symptoms.

Artificial colours are also harmful to the eyes. Problems like eye flu (conjunctivitis), and allergies may result if artificial colours come in contact with eyes. One of the major elements present in these colours is silica, which can cause lung infection.

Read more about: Top 6 Effective Home Remedies for Eye Flu.

Apart from this, the heavy metals present in Holi colours can harm the immune system of a person. Out of these heavy metals, lead is the most dangerous as it can affect the physical health and mental growth of a person and can have serious implications on the nervous and reproductive system.

Moreover, if pregnant women get exposed to the colours containing lead, it can even harm the foetus.

If we talk about particular colours:

• Red colour contains mercury, a very toxic metal. It enters the body through skin and inhalation. It can also pass through the brain and placenta and affect sensitive organs like the kidney and liver.
• Blue colour majorly contains copper and tremendously affects the eyes, respiratory system, and other important functions.

It is believed that the more colourful the product is, the more harmful it is for the body.

Also read: Dermatologists vs Skin Specialists and Eating Festival: Impact on Health & Obesity Risks.

Choose Dry Colours and Celebrate Holi the Eco-Friendly Way

You must have seen people throwing small plastic bags and balloons filled with water on each other on Holi. It is a growing trend but it can cause severe repercussions.

You may be wondering how? Well, there is no denying the fact that plastics lead to environmental pollution. Not only this, someone can actually get hurt by this. We need to realize that one’s way of enjoyment must not cause any harm to others.

Moreover, during Holi, we tend to waste a lot of water in order to remove artificial Holi colours from our bodies. However, wasting water has become a normal scenario these days. Ironically, we owe so much to the “Save Water, Save Life” slogan but we fail to do so, especially on occasions like Holi.

This Holi, Spread Joy with a Swachh Holi Sparkle

The best way to tackle all these problems is to play Holi with dry, eco-friendly colours and enjoy to the maximum—keeping intact its grace and elegance.

Let’s play swachh, healthy, and eco-friendly Holi. So this season, let’s pledge to celebrate this beautiful and colourful festival in a delightful and swachh manner and inspire others as well!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I celebrate the spirit of Holi in an eco-friendly way?

You can celebrate the spirit of Holi in an eco-friendly way by using natural, homemade dry colours, avoiding chemical-based products, and reducing water usage. Choosing eco-conscious celebrations ensures joy for all without harming your skin, health, or the environment.

2. Why should we avoid artificial Holi colours?

Artificial Holi colours often contain toxic substances like lead, mercury, and silica. These can lead to skin allergies, eye infections, respiratory problems, and environmental damage. Choosing safe, natural alternatives is better for both personal health and the planet.

3. What are the health risks of chemical-based Holi colours?

Chemical colours may cause skin irritation, rashes, eczema, and scalp issues. They can also trigger conjunctivitis or eye flu, affect the respiratory system, and even disrupt mental and physical growth in children due to heavy metal content like lead and mercury.

4. What is a swachh Holi sparkle?

A swachh Holi sparkle means celebrating Holi in a clean, safe, and responsible manner. This includes avoiding harmful colours and plastic waste, conserving water, and encouraging the use of natural colours to maintain the festive joy while being environmentally conscious.

5. How can natural colours be made at home for Holi?

You can make natural colours using turmeric (yellow), beetroot (pink), spinach or henna (green), and marigold petals (orange). These can be dried, powdered, or turned into pastes with gram flour (besan) to create vibrant and safe Holi colours at home.