10 easy ways to equip your child's skin to fight the Holi onslaught

The carnival of colors is witness to a color riot and all sorts of chemicals are used on unsuspecting targets. In fact, children also use colored water balloons and water guns during Holi.

However, before evolving in a multi-colored canvas, you should think about the effects such myriad colors will have on your child’s skin.

Dr Chiranjiv Chhabra, dermatologist, Skin Alive, Delhi, says, “Chemical and metallic colors are health hazards capable of creating allergies, brittle hair and skin rashes amongst others. Ask your child to play Holi with natural and herbal colors. Further, either ask your child to go for a hair cut before Holi or wear caps for protection.”

She lists the following tips children must follow in order to stop skin and scalp damage:

• Use coconut or mustard oil all over the body, to easily wash off the colors. One can also use cold creams to help the skin gain its natural color back.
• One should wear clothes that cover the entire body. Long sleeve shirts and trousers play a vital role in minimising exposure to the colors.
• Since it is going to sunny and hot, it increases your chances of getting affected by sun’s harmful UV radiation. It’s advisable to apply sunscreen and wear sunglasses.
• Chemical colors can harm the skin along with enhancing dryness. In order to tackle this issue, it’s advisable to apply some petroleum jelly.

Get your children to drink as much water as possible before they head out to play Holi

• Presence of strong chemicals in colors can irritate and dehydrate the skin. This increases the need to turn to organic colors, which don’t harm the skin as much. So, keep yourself hydrated and drink lots of water before the onslaught of Holi begins.
• Use lukewarm water to wash off colors from the face. Applying a mixture of glycerin, sea salt and aroma oil to help fight bacteria and infections.
• In case of dry hair, apply oil overnight. Wash it properly the next day using shampoo and conditioner.
• You can use ripe and mashed papaya to remove the colours.
• Trim their fingernails properly to protect the nails from toxic colors.
• Use lip balm for moisturising and protecting the lips.

While Holi is a festival of colorful memories, it also comes with its baggage of health hazards. So let’s play it in a safe manner and ensure that our skin remains unblemished.

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(Image courtesy: Hindu, GettyImages, Familiesmagazine)