Play a safe Holi with this natural red gulal you can make right at home

Holi is just around the corner and most of us are excited to celebrate the festival of colours. Not only does it signify the arrival of spring, but it is one day where we can officially be carefree, and bring out our goofiness with our loved ones. After all, ‘bura na maano, Holi hai!’

This festival has been celebrated in India for ages but with industrialisation, chemical-laden colours have become widespread. If you’ve ever had to report to work with a pink face post-Holi and have spent a couple of days after the festival scrubbing yourself to get the colour out of your skin, you probably have played with synthetic colours. The thing is that these can actually have more severe consequences than you even know.

It’s been reported that chemical-based colours can cause:

-Redness

-Itchiness

-Temporary blurred vision 

-Rashes

-Allergic reactions like hives

So, it is best to make your own Holi colour right at home! It will ensure you can enjoy the festival, without worrying about yourself and your loved ones. In addition, you can be sure that the colours you prepare right at home are unadulterated. What’s more, natural ingredients can actually have quite a few benefits for your skin and hair.

When it comes to colours, red gulal is loved by all, and is a favourite amongst those who like to play with colours. In fact, many people like to begin Holi celebrations with red gulal before reaching out for other colours. So, how about preparing bright red gulal at home using some simple ingredients?

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make gulal at home:

-3-4 hibiscus flowers, dried

-1 cup red sandalwood

-½ cup, besan

Here’s how to prepare the red gulal:

Step 1: Powder the dried hibiscus flower petals. You can do this manually or use an electric grinder.

Step 2: Add red sandalwood to the powdered hibiscus flowers.

Step 3: Now, put the besan in this mix. This will enhance the volume and ensure you have enough gulal to play with!

These ingredients are absolutely natural and won’t harm your skin. In fact, they have multiple benefits for your skin. Hibiscus contains antioxidants that help heal damage, red sandalwood removes excess oil from the skin’s surface and besan is a powerful exfoliator that can remove dead skin cells to give you a healthy glow on your face.

You can add water or coconut oil to the mix to make a paste out of it. Rest assured, this homemade red gulal will not cause skin irritation or any kind of damage. So, go ahead and play the festival of colours with some natural goodness.