Holi, the festival of colours, is one of the most vibrant and fun-filled festivals in our country. However, the use of synthetic colours during Holi has led to a lot of skin-related problems such as rashes, itching, and allergies. When these synthetic colours get mixed with water or soil, it pollutes the Earth as well. Therefore, making skin-friendly Holi colours at home is a great option to take care of ourselves and our Earth.
The tradition of making natural Holi colours at home is an age-old tradition and its ingredients can be easily found in your kitchen or surroundings. The ingredients used to make natural colours are biodegradable and do not cause any harm to your skin and environment. The whole process of making natural dry or water Holi colours is easy and can be done in 20-30 minutes.
For making dry Holi colours-
Materials required: Cornflour or rice flour, juices/dry powders as per colour, and utensils for mixing and drying.
1. Make the juice of the vegetables to extract the colour. In the case of dried powders like
turmeric, mix the powder with water. Use any one of the given options to get the required
colours.
a. Green colour-Spinach, Neem, Bilwa Leaves (Bel Patta)
b. Yellow colour- Fresh or powdered Turmeric, Flame of forest flowers (Palash)
c. Pink colour- Fresh Beetroot
d. Red colour- Dried or fresh Hibiscus flowers, Red Sandalwood powder
e. Blue colour- Dried or fresh Blue Butterfly Pea flower
f. Orange colour- Dried or fresh Marigold flowers
g. Brown colour- Red soil, Pomegranate peels
2. Take a wide-open vessel and put the desired cornflour/rice flower.
3. Add the juice/water of the chosen colour and now rub the flour till the juice is mixed
uniformly. On an estimate, have 50-80 gm liquid for making 250 gms. of colour.
4. Add the juice slowly to ensure that the flour is not sticky like chapatti dough. It should be a
powdery/grainy consistency which will ensure faster drying.
5. Take the colour-mixed flour out on a plate and keep it for shade dry for one night.
6. Once it is dried properly, grind it in the mixer to get a smooth texture.
7. If you want a brighter colour, repeat step number 3 onwards. Add extracted juice/water to the dried colour mixture. This process can be done twice or thrice as well.
Shortcut recipe (In case you don’t have time to make dry colours)
Use these powders directly or add cornflour/rice flour in a 1:2-flour to powder ratio to increase their quantity.
a. Brown/red Sandalwood powder
b. Rose petal powders
c. Turmeric powder
d. Hibiscus powder
e. Neem/Tulsi powder
For making water-based Holi colours.
Boil the desired amount of water for 2-3 mins.
2. Add the dried or fresh ingredients as per the colour you want to make. Refer to the list of ingredients for the required colour written above.
3. Cover the container with a lid and leave the water on simmer till the ingredient leaves its colour in the water.
4. Turn off the flame and let it colour down.
5. Strain the peels to get the water. In the case of powder, strain the powder using the cotton cloth.
Making skin-friendly Holi colours at home is an easy and effective way to enjoy the festival without compromising on your skin and Earth’s health. So, this Holi, let's celebrate the festival with natural colours and spread the message of love, peace, and harmony.
Happy and safe Holi to you and your family!