Holi celebrates a time of utmost joy, love, and enthusiasm. Known as the festival of colors, it is celebrated between the spring and summer. Friends and family gather to enjoy, dance, exchange conversations, and play with gulal and water. The colored powder (gulal) can lead to certain allergies and skin infections. In this blog, we will highlight the safety tips to keep your little ones protected.
Why Do We Celebrate Holi?
Holi is a festival that is celebrated with positivity and high enthusiasm by Indians across the country. It is celebrated to welcome new beginnings, love, togetherness, and the triumph of good. A day before Holi celebrates Holika Dahan, which originates from the story of Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu. His evil aunt Holika wanted to harm Prahlad; he chanted Lord Vishnu’s name and got saved from her, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
People celebrated this festival with utmost cheer and fun, but taking care of your child’s skin allergies and skin infections is also necessary and shouldn’t be ignored.
What Are Some Safety Tips For Kids?
Holi is the most fun and enjoyable festival for kids as per the Indian traditions. But there are certain important safety tips one should be aware of to take care of their little ones so that gulal and other Holi colors won’t harm the kid. Let’s read & understand them:
1. Dress Your Kids Appropriately
This is the first and most important step for everyone, but especially kids. Wear full-sleeve outfits and full-length pants to avoid full exposure of these harmful colors to your skin. This works as an extra layer, thus reducing visible stains.
2. Use Organic Or Natural Colors
With a wide range of colors available in the market, choose only herbal or organic gulal that does not contain any harmful chemicals. These can cause skin allergies, even causing rashes all over the body for those who have a sensitive skin type. The natural colors are free from toxic chemicals, environment friendly, and get washed off easily with just normal water too.
3. Protecting Your Child’s Piercings And Studs During Holi
Holi colors can be harsh on kids with sensitive skin, especially around piercings. To keep their ear piercing safe and protected, apply a thick layer of coconut oil or petroleum jelly before they start playing. If they have newly pierced ears, take extra care and try keeping them away from colored water as much as possible. When you take a shower after playing Holi, clean the area properly with water and apply a generous amount of ear-piercing gel to prevent irritation or infections. Treat infected ear piercing with the utmost care to avoid skin allergies.
4. Apply A Good Layer Of Coconut Oil Or Sunscreen
The right prep is absolutely important. Apply a good amount of coconut oil on your kid’s whole body, especially areas like ears, neck, back of the ears, nails, eyebrows, and even hair where the color gets difficult to wash off. For an added shield of sun protection, applying sunscreen to sun-exposed areas can prevent the color from settling in and save you from getting tanned, as they will be playing outdoors most of the time.
5. Get Your Kids A Pair Of Good Sunglasses
While this comes as a fashion statement for adults as well, wearing a pair of glasses can protect your kid’s eyes from harsh Holi colors that can lead to redness, irritation, and eye infection. This also protects their eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun. If colored water or gulal accidentally gets into your eyes, splash clean water immediately in both eyes for instant relief.
6. Keep Your Kids Hydrated
With all the running, playing, and splashing around in the sun, there are definite chances that your little one can get dehydrated very easily. Make sure they drink plenty of water, fresh juices, or coconut water to stay energized and active. Keep a small water bottle handy and encourage small sips throughout the day to avoid exhaustion.
7. Tie Their Hair Properly
Holi colors can be tough to remove from your scalp. Well, actually, it’s the toughest to remove when the colored water has already seeped into the scalp, and proper prep hasn’t been done. Oil your child’s hair and tie it into a neat bun or braid to minimize color absorption. This also prevents kids earrings from getting caught in the hair while they play and enjoy the festival.
8. Avoid Water Balloons
Water balloons might seem fun, but they can be dangerous, especially for notorious young children. The impact can cause bruises, cuts, or even eye damage if thrown from a very far distance. In this case, ensure and allow them to play with water sprinkles or a water gun (pichkari), which is a safer option without skipping on the Holi fun.
9. Teach Kids About Water Management
Holi is a festival all about colors and water, but it’s also the right moment to teach kids about responsible water usage. Keeping the tap open and splashing water unnecessarily creates water wastage that is absolutely uncalled for. Using buckets instead of running taps can make a big difference. Let’s encourage them to celebrate Holi and, at the same time, be mindful of our planet.
10. Keep An Eye On Your Kids
In fun and excitement, Holi can be a little messy for the kids. As people come together to share conversations and food, keeping an eye on your kids in crowded spaces becomes important. If they have stud piercings, take extra care, as accidental pulls during rough play can lead to serious infections.
Post-Holi Care: Cleaning And Nurturing
Your child’s skin has been exposed to colored powder, the sun, colored water splashes, and so much more. Even after Holi, take special care of your child's skin. Here’s how you can ensure that:
1. Remove Colors From Skin And Hair
After a fun-filled Holi, give your child a deep shower that removes colors from skin and hair. Use mild baby shampoo and lukewarm water to wash off the colors from your hair. Use a mild foaming soap for their skin and follow that up with a homemade ubtan pack (on certain areas that feel irritated) that soothes the skin and provides a cooling effect. Apply body lotion and moisturiser to their face for added nourishment.
2. Caring For Piercings And Studs After The Celebrations
The festival of colors, laughter, and fun can cause redness and infection, especially around fresh piercings. It is advised to gently clean your child’s ears with a soft cloth and rinse the area with lukewarm water. Apply Studex piercing care gel to keep the skin clean, disinfected, and irritation-free. If needed, use an ointment for ear piercing that soothes any redness or skin infection causing discomfort. If it still doesn’t get healed, consult a doctor immediately.
Conclusion
Holi is all about fun, laughter, and colors, but keeping your little ones safe from any mishap should be your top priority. By following the above-stated safety tips, you can ensure that they enjoy themselves and avoid skin allergies, infections, or discomfort. After they are done celebrating to the fullest, don’t forget to clean their skin and hair nicely and take extra care of their ear piercings, if any. Using an ear-piercing gel can help soothe and protect their ears against any skin infections post-Holi.
Stay safe, play responsibly, and have a colorful & Happy Holi!