New Delhi: Holi is a festival which is full of happiness and colors. On this day, people forget old grudges by applying colors to each other. However, the colors available in the market sometimes contain harmful chemicals, which can cause problems like rashes, itching and allergies on the skin. In such a situation, using home made organic gulal is the best option. It is simple to make and the ingredients required are often available in the kitchen.
Turmeric is a great option for yellow color. Do not use turmeric available in packets. Make powder by grinding turmeric lump at home. Another method is to grind raw turmeric by adding some water. Put this paste in a muslin cloth and extract its juice. Then add arrowroot or corn starch to it and dry the mixture in the sun. After drying, grind it lightly in a grinder. Your natural yellow gulal is ready.
Use beetroot for pink colour. Grind the beetroot and extract its juice and add corn starch or arrowroot to it. Increase the amount of juice to get a darker pink color, while increase the amount of starch to get a lighter color. Dry it in the sun and grind it again. If you wish, you can also add rose petals or pomegranate juice.
Use spinach or other green leafy vegetables for green color. Wash, cut and grind spinach. Extract the juice and add corn starch to it. Dry the mixture in the sun and after it dries completely, grind it again. In this way fresh and bright green gulal will be prepared.
Palash flowers are very useful for orange color, which are easily available in spring. Grind the flowers and make a paste and add rice flour or arrowroot to it. Dry it in the sun and grind it again. This will create a beautiful orange color, which is safe for the skin.
If you want your gulal to smell good, you can add a few drops of perfume to it while grinding. Apart from this, a small amount of lavender, sandalwood or kewra oil can also be added. Adding rose water also gives a mild aroma. After grinding, keep the gulal spread in a plate for some time so that the moisture gets completely removed.
