New Delhi: Holi, also known as the festival of colours is one of the most vibrant festivals of India. With lots of colours, music and cheer, Holi marks the end of winter and the start of spring. This year, the festival would be celebrated on March 20. While there are different traditions and ways of celebrating Holi across the country, colours make a significant part of each kind of Holi celebration. Markets are filled with colours of every kind around Holi but most of these are sourced from chemical-based ingredients. Not only are the chemicals present in Holi colours harmful for health, these also cause harm to the air, soil, and water of the area. So this year, you can go the natural way and celebrate the festival of colours with organic ingredients instead of toxic chemicals.
Here are five ways on how to make organic colours and bring an eco-friendly twist in the Holi merriment.
1. Henna For The Shades Of Green
Henna can be a good source for dry green color
Henna is a great organic substitute for the ready-made synthetic colour. All you need to do is buy a packet of henna powder which costs about Rs. 100. Henna can be mixed with corn-flour to make variant shades of this colour and to increase its bulk.
Also Read: Go Green: Five Ways To Host An Eco-friendly Holi Bash
2. Marigold For The Shades Of Yellow
Marigold flowers can be turned into bright yellow colour
Yellow is one of the most popular colour of Holi. To make this colour at home, take the leaves of Marigold flower and dry these under the sun. Now grind the dried leaves and mix corn-flour to it. To this mixture add 10-12 drops of sandalwood essential oil for fragrance. Mix all the ingredients well and rub it with a spatula to make sure you get a fine powder.
3. Beetroot For The Shades Of Pink
Beetroot is an excellent ingredient to make pink or magenta colours
To get lovely hues to pink, beetroot is a great source. For dry colour, grind a beetroot to make a paste and let it dry. Once dried completely, add corn-flour to get varied shades of pink. For a wet colour, just boil the pieces of beetroot in and let the mixture cool down. Mix some quantity of this mixture in the water while playing Holi and colour your loved ones pink!
4. Butea Frondosa (Tesu) Flowers For The Shades Of saffron
Since olden days, the flowers of Butea Frondosa (Tesu) are used to prepare organic colour for Holi
Called as the ‘flame of forest’, Buetea Frondosa or ‘tesu’ flowers which are grown around Holi, have been used to prepare entirely organic colour to be used in the festival. All you need to do is soak these flowers in water overnight and make a paste out of these the next morning. Apply the paste as it is on your loved ones. The residual water can be used for filling up the water guns.
5. Indigo For The Shades Of Blue
For the hues of blue, Indigo leaves and berries are the best option
Indigo is widely used as a natural dye in the textile industry. If you want to add blue in the mix of your Holi bunch of colours, crush the leaves and berries of indigo plant and dilute these in water. Mix it well until an even solution is achieved.
Also Read: Combating Indoor Air Pollution: 5 Plants To Make Your Home Clean And Green
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