Holi is a festival of colours! It is an ancient Hindu festival to celebrate the arrival of spring. We all love the festive celebrations of Holi, but we may not always play Holi due to the fear of the damage that chemical colours cause to our skin. The inexpensive and synthetic colours usually available on the market can have many health hazards. In addition, artificial colours are considered harmful to the environment as they are highly structured polymers that are hard to decompose biologically.
To protect your health and the environment, you can make herbal colours at home using flowers and vegetables. These natural dyes are not harmful to the skin. In the past, people usually made these colours at home and enjoyed a safe Holi. Preparing the Holi colours (Gulal) at home may take some time, but it’s not all that difficult. The ingredients are easily available in the market and even in your kitchen or garden, and it can also be a fun activity to do with friends and family.
Ideas for making your own Holi colours:
Red:
To make the red colour, dry red hibiscus or gulmohar flowers in the shade until they’re crisp, and then grind them into a fine powder. The drying usually takes 24-48 hours depending on the weather. You can also use red sandalwood. You can add rice flour/besan/corn flour to increase the volume of the powder. For wet colours, boil pomegranate peels in water. You can also slowly boil the red hibiscus or gulmohar flowers in water for the wet colour.
Yellow:
You can blend turmeric powder with gram or rice flour in a 1:2 ratio to make a dry gulal. You can also sundry yellow marigolds instead of turmeric. To make the wet colour, slowly boil yellow marigolds or any other yellow chrysanthemums in water until the flowers lose their colour in the water.
Orange:
Sundry orange marigold flowers, crush when fully dry, and mix with rice flour for volume. Add flour to the mixture to keep the orange colour of the flowers intact. For a wet colour, slowly boil orange marigold flowers in water or leave the flowers soaked overnight in water. You can also substitute Palash flowers for marigold flowers and repeat the same process.
Purple/Lilac:
To make Lilac or Purple colour, use purple cabbage. Chop and boil the vegetables in water. Grind this boiled mix. Strain the water and mix this water with rice flour to get the desired colour shade. Now sundry this paste till it is completely dry. Now powder this dried mixture in a blender and pass it through a sieve. For wet colours, only boil the chopped vegetables in water and use them for playing.
Green:
Combine dry henna powder with the desired flour. You can also use spinach or other green leafy veggies and repeat the process to make a dry Purple colour. Another trick is to dry the leaves of the neem or gulmohar trees and crush them to use as colour. For liquid colour, you can either mix the henna powder in water or oil or use any green leafy vegetable, such as spinach (using the same process as other colours above to make wet colours). When using henna, remember that henna soaked in water may leave slight stains on the skin.
Pink:
Use beetroot to make a light or dark pink color. Peel and boil pieces of beetroot in water. Make a pulp in a grinder. Mix this pulp in rice/gram/wheat flour and dry it for 24 hours. Now grind this dry mix, and sieve, and use it as Gulal. Apart from this, after boiling beetroot, its water can also be used to play with wet colours.
Blue:
Powdered blue hibiscus flower petals and rice flour can be used to obtain blue-coloured gulal. For wet colours, you can use crushed and dried jacaranda flowers that have been boiled in water until the flowers leave their colour in the water.
Brown:
Mix coffee water with the flour of your choice and let it dry. Now grind this dry mix and sieve. You have brown Gulal ready. Alternatively, you can mix coffee with water to make wet colours. Remember, coffee water can leave stains.
So go ahead and make your own Holi colours. You can also combine two liquid colours to make a third colour. Nature is full of colours. Just look around for inspiration. Basic chemistry and you have new colours! You can also add lemon juice to get new colours.
Safety Note: Always cool the water completely before using it for blending with other ingredients or using it directly for playing with wet colours. Natural colours also leave stains on your clothes, so be mindful of your clothing when playing Holi.
Have a Safe and Happy Holi!!!
Quick Tip: If you don’t have the patience for sun drying, you can also use an Air Fryer.
Disclaimer: This content provides general information only, including advice. It is not a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult an expert or your doctor for more details.
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