...Holi Aayee Re, Aayee Re, Dekho Holi Aayee Re...

Holi is here and so are its multiple hues.

- Rinky Marwaha

The shade powders, the splash of water, the sweet meats and treats, the lovely exchange of pleasantries, all come part and parcel with this fest of colors. So, what else it is that comes along with it? The washing up in the aftermath of getting colored with powders and with different shades of water, the cleaning up of the house and the surroundings, the stomach upsets due to over eating gujiyas and drinking lots of thandai, all go hand in hand with the celebrations galore this day.

Since one is familiar with all aspects of holi, it is best to take a few precautions beforehand itself to avoid an untoward incidents on this day. For example, since one knows that we will be smeared with color all over, it is wise to apply a generous bit of cold cream or moisturizing lotion all over the exposed parts of the body such as the face, neck and the arms. One should also apply a good dose of olive or coconut oil to the tresses so that any color in our mane gets rinsed off easily. The color powder will slip away from our hair if there is a decent amount of oil in it. Also, pop in a teaspoon of digene gel or some pudin hara into your system to keep any sort of stomach troubles at bay.

…a beauty regime of sorts!

For the time after holi, when one is washing up, try to do your beauty regime with some gram flour and curd and liberally apply it all across all the parts which have some color on them. This will help to remove the color quickly and smoothly without a lot of rubbing and scrubbing the skin which in any case is harmful. Also, hair can be rinsed with a glassful of beer or with lemon juice and water. This will aid and abet in taking out all the unwanted color in it.