Handy Holi Safety Tips

Here are a few tips and suggestion to make your holi safe and joyous.

• Play safe. Don't get to boisterous and do not let others to be rude on you. • Synthetic colours used during Holi often contain lead oxide, engine oil, diesel, chromium iodine and copper sulphate, which cause skin irritation and even blindness in cases of extreme exposure. • The best option would be to play with eco- friendly, natural or homemade natural colours. Your skin and hair will feel tampered with the use of skin friendly natural products. • If natural colours are not possible, then ensure a better quality of colours. Buy colours from a reputed shop or vendor. • Use more of red or pink colours which looks good and can easily taken off. Gaudy purple, green, yellow, orange have more harmful chemicals in them and should be avoided. • Make sure that your face is well creamed before and after the play. • Apply thick coating of paint on your nails- both in fingers and toes so that they remain protected. • Oil your hair well, so that colour doesn't stick on your hair and can be washed off easily later. • Cover your hair. Make use of hat or caps to protect your hair from being coloured with hard-to-rinse dyes. • Make sure that powder or any other product does not get inside your eyes. Eyes are extremely vulnerable on Holi because of their strategic place in body and also because of the use of harmful chemicals in colors these days. Please ensure that your eyes remain protected at all times. Use a sunglass to protect your eyes from a misfire of colour filled darts or water jets. • Use dental caps to save your teeth from any unwanted stains. • Put on your worst clothes so that you won't have to take on the hassles of an immediate washing. • Rags like tattered denims and bright shades like black, blue, green, purple are highly recommended. • Try to save yourself off from all possible attacks on the face. In case your such attempts fail, keep your eyes and lips tightly shut if you are attacked on your face.

If possible avoid going outside your home, atleast for the peak hours of celebration. The premises of your home ensure that you are safe from pouncing hooligans, even friends who can be a little rough on the day. • When traveling keep the car windows thoroughly shut, even if you don't have an AC car. Do not bump into the frenzied group of mob if you take to streets. Better you cross the road to the sidewalk across. Or, simply stay at a safe distance. • Do not use permanent dyes. If someone has applied it on you, do not rub the face with soap immediately in order to get rid off it, especially when it is wet. Instead, use good quality cleansing milk for removal. It's better than using soap, which will dry up your skin. • Rotten eggs when thrown on your head, flying missiles from locality buildings…are still not too bad, will be smelly yet is a good conditioner for your hair. But tar, shit, Mobil, stones and all the rubbish that you can be hit with is not. Avoid being a prey to hooligans. • Remember you also have police on your side and if any untoward revelers misbehave, you can make your complaint. Mark out the locality, building and if possible the person. • Take a bath much later after the entire Holi celebration is over. Taking frequent baths, washing the face again and again, will ruin your skin. You will also lose hair, for too much soap/shampoo has a drying effect. • If you are prone to skin allergies, avoid playing with gulal altogether. Going to a dermatologist (skin specialist) serves no purpose, after the damage is done. • Avoid running on jumping on wet floors, so that you don't slip and injure yourself. Bones are specially vulnerable on this day. • Avoid over indulgence in bhang, drinks or food... so that you don't repent later. • Do not drive if you are high on alcohol or bhang. • Keep handy pain killers, anti-oxidants, anti-allergic tablets if all the above tips have been disregarded. Bright colours, water balloons, lavish gujiyas (sweets) and melodious songs' are the ingredients of perfect Holi. Let’s together enjoy the festival of love, friendship, happiness, fun and brotherhood and spread colourful love and joy across the globe Wish you a very happy, colourful and wonderful Holi. With Colors of Love and Gratitude, Team GreenYatra