Tag Archives: #coconutoil

The Holi Edit for Skin & Hair

Holi is a popular ancient Indian festival celebrating the onset of spring, the celebration of positivity, and the triumph of goodness. Over time this festival has garnered a lot of popularity and is now celebrated in many places across the globe.

Many of us look forward to Holi, the festival of colors, with both pomp and gaiety. With these quick and easy ancient home remedies, you’ll be confident in your pre and post-Holi skincare regime.

Do it Right

“Pre-Holi we advise prepping your skin. Face oils or sheet masks offer your skin ample moisturization and hydration. Sandalwood oil, Rosehip seed oil, and Coconut oil are excellent to improve skin elasticity, while sheet masks work great for oily skin. This can also be done post Holi. Additionally, dab a damp cotton ball in freshly squeezed lemon juice and apply all over your face and wash off once dry. A sunscreen with a good SPF is always a must,” say Tanushree Ishaani D and Pooja Karegoudar, Founders, BodyCafé.

Tanushree Ishani D
Bathing Bar from Body Cafe
Pooja Karegouder

Do It Yourself

The biggest challenge post-Holi is removing the color stains and dryness. Splash your face with a lot of cold water and apply cleansing milk to remove excess colors. Follow it up with a gentle facial massage with some coconut oil, allowing it to sit on your face for a little while and wash off with a mild foaming face wash. Those with acne-prone or oily skin can substitute oil with aloe vera gel.

“We do not advise exfoliating or using scrubs on the face as it can aggravate any damage or skin irritation,” warn Ishaani & Karegoudar. “Although we do not recommend scrubs for the face, mild homemade scrubs on the body helps remove colors easily.  Natural Ubtans (homemade packs) help nourish skin from within and regain its PH balance and radiance.”


“Mix 2 tablespoons of turmeric, lemon juice, honey, and curd and apply on face and body. Another Ubtan option is applying a paste of lemon juice, ripe papaya, and a spoonful of milk powder. Ideally, packs must be kept on for at least 20-25 minutes and rinsed off with cold water. Apply generous amounts of lotion or body butter on the entire body to restore depleted moisture and nourishment,” advise Ishaani & Karegoudar.

At The Tribe Concepts, founder Amritha Gaddam suggests, “An important part while making a DIY face pack is to understand what your skin needs. Choose the ingredients that offer benefits to your skin type and know your allergies. If your skin type is dry, use hydrating ingredients like rose and aloe vera whereas if your skin type is oily, stick with ingredients like Fuller’s Earth to make the best DIY mask.”

Anita Golani of iORA

Mane Bane

One of the most common complaints is excessive hair loss after Holi.  The itching in the scalp is caused due to color debris and harsh chemicals present in the colors.

Anita Golani, Founder, iORA, a DIY Salon Kit Series explains, “Oiling your hair is a must. Make sure you generously oil your hair with coconut oil or any oil of your liking.” The main aim is to let the oil seep into your hair roots to prevent scalp allergies or damage.

“Use a leave-in conditioner or nourishing hair serum if oiling seems too much for you. Be a fashionista and wrap a bandana over your hair. You will not only look cool but also prevent the color from directly touching your hair. Going for a deep conditioning session both before and after Holi celebrations is a pretty good idea too. Wash your hair immediately after coming home post-Holi with a herbal or organic shampoo. Be thorough and make sure to take your time to wash your hair properly to remove all the residual color settled on your scalp. Cut your split ends off if you have any. The dry Holi colors tend to intensify frizziness.”

The mantra is simple – use natural products and masks for your hair and skin care. “So, pre-Holi, you can make a simple yet super nourishing hair mask by combining egg yolks, lemon juice, yogurt, amla powder, and coconut oil. Leave it for at least 40 mins. Almond oil is a great additive in place of coconut oil as it helps the colors to get off easily post-Holi,” adds Golani.

Radhika Iyer Talati of Beauty by Anahata

Take Care

The ears are prone to get infected with colored water and since the structure of the ears is a little complicated, it becomes difficult to remove residue from them. “It is important that you protect your ears by covering them with a small cotton ball. This will help keep your ears safe from any water or color entering them. The eyes must be specifically protected during Holi. I will strongly recommend that you sprinkle a few drops of rose water inside your eyes. Place a cotton pad soaked with some more rose water over your eyes and after five to ten minutes, wash your eyes with normal water and you are good to go. Rosewater is a natural coolant and its application will protect your eyes from any unnecessary eye infection,” says Radhika Iyer Talati, Founder, Beauty By Anahata.

Wear cotton clothing when you venture out and make sure you layer well, and that your clothes also cover your body completely so that no color enters your skin and damages it.

Have fun this Holi! But don’t forget your hair and skin.

Pre-Holi Care

  • Rub ice on your face before stepping out to play Holi. Rubbing an ice cube for 10 mins closes your pores so that the colors don’t seep into your skin.
  • Mix together coconut oil + castor oil + almond oil in equal quantities and massage well into your face. This super moisturizing oil blend creates a barrier between your skin and the Holi colors. Plus, it’s easier to take these colors off once you are home.
  • Do not forget to apply sunscreen on your body to prevent tanning. Wear a non-sticky, matt sunscreen that will last all day.
  • Apply two coats of dark nail paint to prevent unnecessary nail staining and cuticle concerns.
  • Keep your lips hydrated and protected from all the harmful colors by simply applying some good old petroleum jelly.

Post-Holi Care

  • Stay away from soaps and face washes as they are chemical-based and can disturb the alkaline balance of your skin. Go for organic soaps and cleansers instead.
  • Revive your skin’s health with natural face masks or DIY face packs.
  • Stay away from excessive scrubbing to remove the residual color from your skin. Try gentle methods such as oil-based clean-up and wipe the colors off your skin.
  • Apply moisturizer every night to restore the moisture sucked out because of all the toxic and dry colors.

Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer from Bangalore who likes taking the offbeat path when traveling. Birding and environment are her favorites and she documents her work on www.bindugopalrao.com.
Photo by Bulbul Ahmed on Unsplash

Pink and Pollution at 4 O’Clock

I’ve begun applying hot coconut oil on my hair again every Saturday. I search for the little footprints I left back in the streets of India playing football. I seek that warm sun and humidity in Hyderabad on Saturday evenings. I’ve begun reminiscing about the pink and pollution of 4 pm. The kiraane ki dukaan that quenched my thirst with sprite and a 10 rs. Lays packet. I reminisce about the rainy days of playing four corners instead of basketball. I remember the smell of rain hitting concrete. I remember the feeling of melted dairy milk silk on my fingers, the cold glass of mango juice that numbs my fingers on a hot day, the smell of yellow daal tadka, and aloo after coming home from school on Saturday. 

Artwork by Swati Ramaswamy

This nostalgia made me realize: the smell of rain on concrete is not so different in San Francisco. Sprite tastes the same here, just a little (lot) sweeter. The sun at 4 pm yesterday was bright and golden and made me feel like I was in Mumbai. As a kid, I never understood the feeling of belonging to a place, everywhere can be your home if you want it to. But this past year I felt so distant from every place that I had called home. I felt in between things and just slightly offbeat. But these small things, like the smell of concrete and the sun, connected me back to all my homes. It connected me to Sunday morning skies in Japan, which were perfectly blue and sunny. It connected me to the most beautiful view from my balcony in India. It made me realize that pieces of my home, that felt most like it, always carry themselves with me. They repeat, they renew. No matter how much I change or grow, they give me comfort when I need it. The new year felt like that. Like the smell of freshly baked cake in the kitchen. Like finally making the perfectly round and “crisp on the outside soft on the inside” dosa. It feels just happy enough to be happy for no reason and happy enough to be happy when I’m sad. The feeling of jumping into a cold pool on the hottest day. It was like landing. I think home, wherever it is, invokes comfort in its meaning rather than its physicality. This phase of nostalgia made me realize that if I ever feel lost, I’m still always home.

Renewal. It’s a very tedious word. We renew passports, leases, and licenses. It’s a process that we have already achieved, but need to repeat. Renewals are odd and vacant. But the years that repeat are also renewals. The seasons renew too, so the second time it rains you have an umbrella. Situations repeat, and we change how we react to those repetitions, and we grow. This new year won’t be much different, but I hope it ends up being one of familiarity and comfort, even if it is about seeking new things. I hope there is always belonging, there is always that memory of a home that makes you feel permanent, like a cold glass of mango juice on a hot day.

Swati Ramaswamy is a recent graduate from UC Davis and is an aspiring creative writer who loathes speaking in the third person.