SHABIHA NUR KHATOON
The charm of the festival of colours lies in uninhibited, even boisterous,
celebrations. But banishing toxic colours doesn’t mean we take all the hues out of Holi. Dermatologists and experts say that herbal hues will sooner rather than later elbow out chemical dyes with highly detrimental effects on the skin and hair
The festival of colours is full of fun and frolic. The joy of smearing the faces of friends and near and dear ones is great indeed; even strangers become friends on Holi. The festival of colours not only brings happiness, however; it also triggers health and skin-related problems.
While it is true that Holi celebrations are stale without colours, these days experts are urging people to go for natural colours instead of chemical ones as these may lead to severe complications. Some colours contain harmful chemical compounds such as oxides, metals, glass particles and substances used as a base in textile dyes which can be extremely dangerous for health.
Meeta Mohanty, Science teacher of DPS Damanjodi, says the festival of colours is meaningless without colours and ahead of it various packaged and loose colours, dyes and sprays have flooded the market. Also, a large number of people buy open and unhygienic powders and wet colours without caring for either their skin or hair. Chemical colours have solvents such as tetrathyline, lead, benzene and aromatic compounds that can lead to dry skin.
Explaining the chemical composition of colours, Meeta says: “Dark colours like red, black and green have a high content of mercuric sulphite, lead oxide and copper sulphate which could cause skin cancer. Many people are not aware of the harmful effects of chemical colours. They cause rashes and allergy. The hair could turn brittle and dry if not washed immediately after the colours are applied.”
Meeta exhorts everybody to go for organic and herbal colours that could be prepared at home.
“People can enjoy Holi without the fear of negative side effects of chemical colours. It is best to go for homemade natural colours like haldi (turmeric) which is yellow. It could be mixed with besan or gram flour to increase volume. Flowers like marigold can also be crushed to derive a yellow dye. Henna and gulmohar leaves can also be dried and made into a fine green powder. Dried rose petals can be substituted for red,” adds the teacher.
Herbal and organic colours, made from flower extracts, tree barks and leaves, do not cause any harm when they come into contact with the skin.
Shedding light on the ill effects of chemical colours, Meeta says that applying synthetic colours made of chemicals pose a threat to the eyes.
“Exposure to chemicals can result in eye allergy, temporary blindness and conjunctivitis. Therefore, when somebody is spraying water colours on your face, keep your eyes shut. Eye specialists advise people not to put on contact lenses as there is the possibility that could get smeared.”
Doctors say that despite all the warnings that are issued every year, there are cases of accidents happening. Youngsters hardly pay heed to what doctors or the elderly tell them. If only wild plans and pranks are avoided, the risk of accidents would reduce.
The preference for dark and long-lasting colours, chemicals and metal oxides are used to give a thick texture to colours. Oxidised metals or industrial dyes mixed with solvents are very often used in such colours which poses significant health risks,” added Meeta.
“Those who want to play eco-friendly Holi this year should use various natural products to make homemade colours. To get the yellow colour, turmeric powder can be mixed with flour to make yellow gulal,” informs Jeeta Patnaik, a beautician.
“Similarly, hibiscus flowers can be used for creating the maroon colour, neem leaves for green and dry petals of red roses for the traditional ‘lal gulal’,” she says.
“However, to get thicker colours one can go for packaged ‘gulal’ and mix them with flour to reduce their harmful effects,” Jeeta adds.
M Srichandan, a Bhubaneswar-based dermatologist, says: “Chemical colours may cause irritation or respiratory allergy and cause damage to the skin and the eyes. The skin may develop itchiness, burns or may become parched. There may also be aggravation of pimples. These colours can exacerbate asthma, cause or increase dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) or conjunctivitis/keratitis (inflammation of the eye). What we must realise is that not only Holi colours, but the way we remove them may be cause for concern too. Alkaline soaps, detergents, nail polish remover, kerosene, spirit, solvents or paint diluents used to remove chemical colours, industrial paints or laboratory dyes used as Holi colours irritate the skin and/or exacerbate pre-existing dermatitis.”
“Natural colours are prepared from fruits, vegetables, flowers, roots, cereals, soil and minerals. Neem, haldi, bilva, mehendi, kumkum, saffron and palash or forest flame are some of the plant products used for preparing natural colours. These are expected to cause less health hazards than synthetic colours,” Srichandan says.
Asked what safety one should take who has skin related problems.
He says that harsh chemicals used in colours can cause itching and rashes which could lead to eczema or dermatitis. Dry skin leaves a lot of scope for damage from harmful chemicals as the skin layer allows the colours to penetrate easily.
“People who have eczema or atopic dermatitis run greater risk as they develop allergic contact dermatitis more readily which manifests in itching, rashes and swelling,” adds Srichandan.
The dermatologist shares a few tips to celebrate the festival safely. They are:
• Cover your head
• Put oil on your hair
• Wear long sleeves and full length bottoms
• Apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly or oil on your face and exposed parts
• Keep eyes/lips tightly shut if smeared on the face
• Warm water/ moisturising soap should be used to wash off colour
Today there are certain variants available in the market. But are non-toxic colours really natural?
Asked about the properties of non-toxic colours, the skin specialist said:?“Non-toxic colours are not natural, they may cause health related issues in human beings, which include allergies and irritations. Many colours are sold in the market as ‘natural colours’ but may actually contain chemical colours or industrial dyes to enhance the colour quality. Just to furnish an example: many of henna (mehndi) pastes sold in the market as natural henna leaf pastes contain the chemical used to prepare hair dye, namely PPD, short for para phenyl diamine, which causes severe skin allergies such as itching, blistering and oozing in individuals with sensitive skin.”
