A celebration of our colourful culture, camaraderie is one that we absolutely adore. However, what seems ironic is the fact that one of the most colourful festivals ends up going overboard with its water consumption. Amidst all the fun and games, tons of water gets wasted through pichkaris, buckets, water balloons, and ultimately washing off the colours, leading to wastage of water, a resource that is already scarce. 

According to a global report by WaterAid, a non-profit organisation, approximately 1/4th of the people who live in areas with water scarcity reside in India, which means almost 600 million Indians suffer from scarce water supply. This is definitely something to ponder over as we waste over 150 lakh litres of water, and that is no fun!

Moreover, the toxic colours we play with contain heavy industrial chemicals that are potentially carcinogenic and can have dire consequences on our skin, hair and body. This leads us to the pressing question - are we putting our health and our planet’s health at risk to have fun? Is it possible to celebrate the festival in a more sustainable, healthy and mindful manner? Let us dive in to know all about playing a water-saving holi!

Holi was traditionally celebrated with colours that were made using dried flowers and herbs. However, over the years, chemicals and heavy metals such as Mica, Silica, Lead are now being used in certain ‘pakka colours’, i.e., the ones that leave behind a black or silver colour. They are also much more difficult to wash off, ultimately leading to higher water consumption.

As conscious consumers of today, this leads us to the imperative question - if we are so mindful of what we put on your skin and hair, why is it that we are willing to make an exception for Holi? At Sublime Life, we strive for the safest and the most effective formulations, not compromising on our health or our planet’s. What if we told you there is a way to enjoy the festivities while keeping our best interests and the planet’s in mind? The Switch Fix and Sublime Life are here to help you through your sustainable Holi journey.

So, let us get this holi party started!

Pre-holi Rituals

First things first, listen to your mom when she asks you to oil before playing holi. Why? Because protective hair-care and skin-care is exactly what we need before colours interact with our skin. Even if you opt for gentle, non-toxic colours, they could be drying.

Choose a nourishing hair oil that will help in protecting your scalp and mane before playing a dry holi. The Switch Fix Viva La Sativa Hair Oil is our pick, hemp seed oil deeply nourishes and strengthens our hair, which helps create a barrier between your scalp and the pollutants.

Similarly, when you choose the body massage oil such as the La Vie en Rosehip Massage Oil, your skin barrier gets strengthened to protect it from the colour, making it easier to wash off too. Win win!

To make your holi experience even more wholesome and water-saving, you can choose water-saving personal care to be on your sustainable A game.

Post-holi Self-loving

Now that you have had a whole lot of fun with colours, it is time to move to colourful extracts and start your post-holi routine with a water-free shampoo bar. Yes, water-free. A bar after our own hearts. And hair, of course.

You can choose from a range of specialised shampoo bars from The Switch Fix, depending on your scalp type and the focus problem you want to resolve. They are made with plant-based and non-toxic ingredients to fight new-age stressors like pollution, toxins and sun damage. Perfect for post holi care!

Furthermore, the kind of ingredients used are also conscious of our natural resources, water and carbon footprint. For example, the Viva La Sativa Shampoo Bar has Hemp, which uses very little water to grow and is carbon negative, which means it absorbs more carbon that it uses during its production. Hemp truly takes care of our rising temperatures.

Step two of your post-holi routine should be a deep conditioner, which is also water-saving. The Switch Fix uses no fresh water in its products. Instead they use Hydrosols, which are by-products of the essential-oil making process, thus have the similar properties as essential oils, except hydrosols are not sensitising or flammable. So, if Chamomile is being processed for an essential oil, the by-product will be Chamomile Hydrosol, which also offers the same soothing and calming properties sans the use of any freshwater. You can find this in their Blue-tea-ful deep conditioner. It is a great way to reduce our water and resource consumption while not compromising on the effectiveness of our hair care.

Alas, do not miss out on your skincare after holi. What your skin needs after holi is something that is deeply nourishing, restorative and hydrating. Guess what? You can find all these properties in The Switch Fix’s La Vie En Rosehip Overnight Face Butter. With Rosehip and Sea Buckthorn Oil, this face butter fights sun damage overnight while Hyaluronic Acid hydrates your skin from within, reducing the impact of pollution and toxic colours. Maintain that healthy glow girl.

With that, you would have celebrated a fun and mindful holi. Remember, it is not just what we put on our bodies during this festival, but also what we use on a daily basis. Stay clean and conscious and have a lovely green celebration!

- Pallavi Naswa and Krisha Jhaveri