The golden skin and hair care Holi rule? Come rain or shine, your skin, body and hair need extra TLC before and after playing with colours. Extreme dryness, rashes, irritation and acne breakouts are just a few ways in which the festival can take a toll on your skin and tresses. So, we spoke to a few experts for their top tips to keep all these concerns at bay.
1. “Avoid using AHA/BHAs and retinol-based products two nights before Holi. Instead, load up on a moisturizer that is rich in ceramides,” says Dr Kiran Sethi, founder and dermatologist at Isya Aesthetics. While AHA/BHAs and retinol make your skin more susceptible to sensitivity and sun damage, ceramides are the building blocks that strengthen it and lock in moisture.
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2. When it comes to skin and hair protection, oils are your BFFs. “Use rosehip or grapeseed facial oils as barriers to protect your skin from coming in direct contact with colours,” recommends Dr Sethi. And, your best bet to keeping your mane in shape is to avoid all kinds of hair colouring processes and bleaching pre-Holi. Saturate your scalp and hair with coconut, jojoba or olive oil and tie it up in a bun.
3. Wearing sunscreen is non-negotiable. But how much? Dr Sethi recommends slathering on two tablespoons of sunblock on your face. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies of your body like the tips of your ears, back of your knees and your nape.
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4. “Soak a cotton ball in coconut oil and wipe off the colours from your face. Follow this with a mild cleanser and avoid washing your face more than twice. That’ll just irritate your skin and dry it out further,” says Dr Madhuri Agarwal, dermatologist and the founder of Yavana Aesthetics Clinic.
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5. “Playing with toxic colours can exacerbate breakouts and using a benzoyl peroxide-based face wash daily can help clear acne. Then, use bentonite clay or multani mitti-based mask,” says Dr Sethi. “A topical treatment like Clindamycin Gel will prevent breakouts from getting worse or infected,” says Dr Agarwal.
Experts tried and tested DIY recipes:
To repair the damage done to your hair, Dr Sethi recommends making a concoction of beer, apple cider vinegar, honey, egg yolk and buttermilk and applying this to your hair. Rinse after an hour for shiny tresses. “For an added dose of nourishment, make a paste out of curd and methi seed powder and use it regularly,” says Dr Agarwal.
Dr Sethi’s secret weapon to combat dry skin is a homemade coconut oil and brown sugar scrub. Dr Agarwal, meanwhile recommends prepping your face with a moisturizing cucumber and yoghurt mask, since hydrated skin absorbs lesser colour. Post-Holi, she suggests using a skin-soothing honey and yoghurt mask to undo the damage.
Photographs: Manav Manglani (Kriti Sanon), Unsplash
