Holi is celebrated across the country with fun and frolic. In the olden days, the festival of Holi was celebrated using natural colours. But today every street and corner of the country is filled with chemical colours. The main theme of the festival is throwing coloured powder and water on family and friends. So it is very important to use natural and organic colours. These natural sattvik fragrances provide nourishment to the body and the mind. The colour which is deficient in the body will be supplemented in this manner. Today, most of the colours available in the market are made from harmful chemicals. These colours are industrial dyes mixed with oxidised metals or engine oil. Some of the chemicals used are lead, copper sulphate, chromium or powdered glass. These chemicals can harm the body and cause irritation to the skin and eyes. These chemicals will also pollute the air and water in the environment.
So it is important to use natural colours to save health and also to conserve the environment. It will be very difficult to choose natural colours amid the harmful chemicals in the market. Below are some of the easy methods of preparing natural and organic colours at home.
Yellow
- Mix turmeric (haldi) with double the quantity of any flour (best is gram flour or besan)
- Take the petals of Yellow kachnar, Marigold flower, Harshringar or Parijata flowers and dry, crush them to get a fine powder or these can be boiled in water to get coloured water.
- Dry the skin of ripe bael fruit and grind it to obtain yellow colour powder
Green
- Mix Mehendi (or Henna powder) with an equal quantity of any flour like Maida
- Methi (fenugreek) and pudina (mint) are to be dried and crushed to get a fine green powder
- In the same way, Gulmohar leaves or tender leaves of the wheat plant can be dried and crushed to get the green colour
- Soak the leaves of mint (pudina), spinach (palak), coriander (dhania), fenugreek (methi) in water and grind it to make green water
- Green water can also be obtained by boiling above green leaves
Brown
- Kattha (Acacea catechu), which is used in pan, when mixed with water gives a brown colour
- Mix Amla (Indian gooseberry) with Henna (mehendi) and add water and mix properly
- Boil Tea or Coffee leaves with water. Let it get cooled before using
Orange
- The Palash or Tesu flowers are to be dried and crushed to get an orange powder or the same flowers can also be boiled or can be just soaked overnight in water to get yellowish-orange colored water
- Mix lime with turmeric powder to get orange-colored powder
- Soak kesar or saffron in water and then after few hours grind it to make saffron colored water
- Henna powder can be mixed with water to get a vibrant orange colour
- Mix little sandalwood powder with water to get fragrant saffron colour
Red
- Use Sandalwood or Sindoor powder for red colour. (Be careful in choosing these powders. Most of the time in the market, harmful substances like lead are added). Add water to make it liquid.
- Dry red hibiscus flowers or rose petals and crush them to make red coloured powder
- Boil the peels of pomegranate or prepare pomegranate, tomatoes or carrot juices. Add sufficient water to remove stickiness or thick texture
Blue
- The blue hibiscus and Jacaranda flowers (Neeli gulmohar) can be dried and grind them to get blue powder
- Some fruits like blueberries, some species of grapes, indigo can be crushed in water to get blue colored water
- Some species of Indigo leaves can also be boiled in water to get blue colour
Purple/Pink
- Soak Beetroot or Pomegranate in water overnight or boil it to get purple colour
- Soak pink kachnar overnight in water to get a pinkish colour
Black
- Boil the dried fruits of Amla (Indian Gooseberry) in an iron vessel and leave it overnight. Dilute with water to get blackish colour
- Prepare black grapes juice and add sufficient water to remove stickiness or thick texture
- Polish the inner surface steel bowl with mustard oil. Place a candle and on top of it, put this steel bowl overnight. The Black dye will be formed the next morning