HYDERABAD: Holi, which marks the end of winter and arrival of spring, was once celebrated with colours made of flowers. But somehow, over the years, these got replaced with synthetic colours. Although these are less expensive than the natural ones, they harm our health and the environment.
This year, have a safe Holi by making your own natural colours at home. This may appear to be a time-consuming process, but is totally worth it. Check out how to make some DIY hues which are sure to nourish your skin and hair
Red
Dried red hibiscus flowers can be used to make a crimson (red) colour. Grate dried hibiscus or China rose flowers into a fine powder. Red sandalwood can be used as a substitute. To get a dry red colour, add a consistent amount of rice flour and use boiled pomegranate peels to obtain a moist colour
Magenta
Beetroot has a lot of red/pink pigment. Soak sliced beetroot in water overnight, and boil it later. Dilute the mixture a bit more if you want a deeper shade of pink
Green
Use henna/mehendi powder to make a gorgeous green-coloured gulal. Make a paste by combining the henna powder with water or oil or using any green leafy vegetable, such as spinach or neem. Keep in mind that henna has to be soaked in water and might leave minor stains on the skin
Blue
Blue gulal may be made from dried blue hibiscus flower petals and rice flour. Wet colours may be made with crushed and dried jacaranda flowers combined with water
Yellow
To make a dry gulal, mix turmeric powder with a gram of flour in a 1:2 ratio. Any yellow-coloured flowers, such as marigolds or yellow chrysanthemums, can be crushed and mixed with water for wet colours
Orange
Peel four oranges and crush the peels with little water to make a gorgeous orange colour. Take a good amount of crushed Multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) and put it in a dish. In a container, slowly knead the orange paste with the powder. Make sure that the mixture is thick. Transfer it onto a towel wrap and set it aside to dry. After two-three hours, grind the dried ingredients. Your orange colour is ready
Brown
Mix henna, gooseberry and turmeric powders to get a dry brown colour. You can also blend paan kattha with water to get a wet brown colour
Grey
Use amla (Indian gooseberry) to make this colour. Remove the seeds and blend them in a mixer grinder. Toss in some cornflour. Allow it to dry before sieving it many times
Black
To make a brownish-black powder, combine all of the above colours (red, blue, green, yellow and brown). In an iron jar, soak dried gooseberry overnight and filter the black liquid.
— Shahnaz Husain