Radiant, naturally

Here are some kitchen recipes to counter Holi's chemical assault by Dr Shehla Agarwal.

Irrespective of whether you played Holi or not, use this weekend to pamper your skin using homemade concoctions to clear out colour or pollutants and make the skin glow.

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You can make a basic scrub by mixing one teaspoon each of besan (ground chickpea), coconut oil and rose water in a bowl. Add pinch of turmeric powder and apply over your face. Leave it for sometime and then wash it off with lukewarm water. It's as effective as soap in getting colour off.

Scrubs to remove colour
Mix mashed banana in 2 tbsp cream and apply over skin stained with colour. Allow it to dry and then rub to clear off the colour. You can get rid of all Holi colour in three to four applications.

Another option is a paste made of 1 tsp grounded masoor dal, 1 tsp gram flour, 1 tsp rose water, a pinch of turmeric, 2 tsp yoghurt and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply, allow to dry and then scrub off, finally washing it all off with lukewarm water.

If you have normal skin, make a scrub with 2 tbsp Fuller's Earth (multani mitti), 2 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp yoghurt and 1 tbsp glycerin. Apply over your face and allow to dry. Wash it off with water.

Soothing balm
To treat itchiness and irritation, make a paste by using 1 tbsp milk cream, freshly ground bottle-gourd peels and 1 tbsp cucumber juice. Apply this paste over affected skin to soothe it. Wash it off with coconut water.

Dr Agarwal is a dermatologist and director of Mehak Skin Clinic in South Delhi's Sarvodaya Enclave