Do-it-yourself for parents and kids: How to make natural Holi colors at home

Just like many others, this year, Holi will be extra special for Tejas and his family. Their 4-year-old daughter is all set to play Holi for the first time with her older brother and cousins. However,  Tejas is unable to bring himself to imagine harsh colors being smeared on the delicate skin of his kids. But he does not have the heart to say no to playing Holi with his kids, instead, Tejas decides to make his own colors.

Like the dad above, don’t we all want our kids to be away from harmful chemicals and use safe and natural products? Then why should it be different when it comes to Holi. Instead of buying those brightly hued cheap Holi colors, let’s make them at home.

You don’t need to be crafty or know-it-all to make these colors. It is possible to make Holi colors at home easily. We suggest let’s get all kids involved in this project of make-your-own-Holi-colors too. We can guarantee you, when you are ready with the final products, your kids would be a happier lot.

The best part is that most of the ingredients required are available in your kitchen.

How to make chemical-free Holi colors at home:

1.  Red and pink color: To make dry red Holi color, mix red sandalwood powder with maida. For the wet version, boil two beetroot and hibiscus flowers and use the water to play Holi. Alternatively, you can also grind some beetroot and sun-dry the paste. Once dried, mix with maida, atta, or besan for a dry pinkish color. You can get a pink shade by boiling pomegranate peels in water too.

2.  Yellow color: Mix some turmeric (haldi) powder with besan for yellow color Holi powder. You can use raw haldi for the wet colors. Grind and make a paste out of raw haldi. Keep it for drying, once dried, soak some in water for a yellowish color.

3.  Green color: Mix maida with dry mehendi powder for the dry green Holi color.  If you plan to play wet Holi, boil some spinach or any green leafy and make it into a paste. Now mix some water to the paste for naturally green-colored water for Holi.

4.  Purple color: Grind some blackish grapes or jamun into a paste and mix with water for colored water for Holi.

5.  Mix well with your hands and you can sieve the dry powders if you want a finer product.

6.  You can also use available flowers like marigold and rose to make colored water for Holi. Boil these flowers with some water, once it cools down completely, use the water to play Holi.

We spoke to Hyderabad-based Instagrammer, Soumya Manthena, of greenfeetcleanfeet fame. She suggests using cornflour as the base for dry colors and shade-drying them for better results.

Soumya also recommends using purple cabbage or blue pea flowers for bluish Holi colors.

“Boil 200 ml of water with one roughly chopped purple cabbage or 12-15 Bluepea flowers. Let it simmer for 15 minutes on low flame, let it cool down, and then add 100 gm of cornflour and keep it for share drying,” she adds.

Also read: How families can have a safe Holi: Precautions to take for your eyes, hair and nails