Quick answer
A whole-day plan for Bijoya Dashami: a moisturiser and sunscreen layer plus a little oil on the parting before sindoor khela, eyes protected during it, a sun stick and tissues for the bisarjan procession, and a gentle oil-then-wash removal and soothing cream at night.
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Think of Dashami in four parts. Before sindoor khela, put a layer of moisturiser on your face, sunscreen over it, and a little oil along your parting and hairline, so the colour does not settle into your skin and comes off easily later. During sindoor khela, protect your eyes and do not rub. On the bisarjan procession, carry a sun stick, tissues and water for the sun, dust, crowd and sweat. At night, use a cleansing oil, then a mild face wash with lukewarm water and no scrubbing, then a soothing moisturiser.
The two products this plan is built around: Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil to lift the colour, and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for both the morning barrier layer and the night. If a rash, burning or itching appears, stop putting anything new on, and see a doctor if it does not settle.
Removal and allergies are covered in depth in After Sindoor Khela: skin and hair care. This post plans the whole day, especially the "before" prep, because twenty minutes in the morning decides how hard the colour is to remove at night.
Dashami at a glance
| Time | What is happening | What to do | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning, after bathing | Prep | Wash, moisturise, sunscreen after 3 minutes | CeraVe Moisturizing Cream or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Biore UV Aqua Rich |
| Just before sindoor khela | Boron, farewell to the Goddess | A few drops of oil on parting, hairline, brows, behind ears; lip balm | Ribana Organic Coconut Oil, Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter |
| During sindoor khela | Colour everywhere | Close your eyes, do not rub, dust off gently with a tissue | Tissues, glasses |
| Afternoon to evening | Bisarjan procession | Sun stick every 2–3 hours on uncoloured skin, drink water | Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick, water bottle |
| Back home | Removing colour | Oil on dry skin, then mild face wash, lukewarm water | Skin1004 Light Cleansing Oil, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser |
| Before bed | Soothing | Thick layer of moisturiser, lip balm, no actives | Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream or CeraVe Moisturizing Cream |
Before sindoor khela: a twenty-minute prep
Sindoor and alta settle into dry, bare skin. Keep a thin layer between skin and colour so the colour sits on top instead of in the creases.
- Moisturiser after your bath. While your face is still slightly damp, apply two pea-sized amounts to face, neck and the sides of the ears. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream makes a good layer on dry or normal skin. On oily or combination skin a heavy cream feels greasy all day, so use the lighter Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel.
- Wait three minutes, then sunscreen. Two finger lengths for face and neck. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is thin and does not build up. Hours of open sun follow, so do not skip it. Let it dry two minutes.
- Oil on the edges, not the whole face. Take three or four drops of Ribana Organic Coconut Oil on your fingertips and smooth it along your parting, hairline, eyebrows, behind the ears and at the nape. Do not oil the whole face: on oily or acne-prone skin it can clog pores, and it shifts sunscreen. On dry skin you can press one drop onto the lower cheeks once the sunscreen has set.
- Lip balm. A layer of Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter keeps colour out of cracked lips.
- Hands and nails. Rub a little cream around the nails and on the backs of the hands. Not where you want the alta to show, but a touch of oil at the nail edges stops extra colour spreading.
- Old clothes, tied hair. Sindoor stains cotton, so wear clothes you will not mind marking. Tie hair in a bun or braid. Wear glasses, not contact lenses.
- Nothing new. Do not open a new product this morning. Patch test anything behind the ear or on the inner wrist beforehand. No retinol, strong AHA/BHA peels or scrubs in the Puja week; exfoliated skin takes colour more and stings.
During sindoor khela
- Protect your eyes. When someone comes with sindoor, close your eyes and tilt your face down a little. Take it on the forehead, cheeks and parting, not near the eyelids.
- If it gets in your eye, do not rub. Rinse with clean bottled water for several minutes. If redness, pain or blurred vision remains, see a doctor without delay.
- Do not rub your face. Rubbing pushes colour into the skin. Dust it off gently with a dry tissue.
- Lips closed, and keep colour away from children's faces.
- Keep colour off cut or cracked skin.
The bisarjan procession: sun, dust, crowd and sweat
Next comes the journey with the idol to the ghat, hours on a truck, rickshaw or foot: sun, road dust, crowd sweat, and wet sindoor running towards your eyes.
- Sunscreen where there is no colour. Rubbing sunscreen into a coloured face spreads the colour. Every 2–3 hours, swipe the Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick over the tip of the nose, ears, back of the neck and backs of the hands. Cover the rest with a cap, umbrella or the end of your sari.
- Press sweat, do not wipe. Fold a tissue and press it on the forehead and brows. Wiping smears wet colour, stains, and sends it into the eyes.
- Use bottled water, never river or pond water, on your face.
- Dust and smoke. On a truck or open rickshaw, wear a cloth mask.
- Drink water. Carry at least a litre and sip every hour.
What to carry: sun stick, lip balm, a pack of dry tissues, a small cotton handkerchief, a water bottle, glasses, hair clips or bands, a zip bag for your phone and a small plastic bag for used tissues. Skip scented or alcohol wipes; they sting colour-rubbed skin.
Back home: removing sindoor and alta
Never sleep in the colour. In short:
- Cleansing oil on dry skin. With dry hands, massage two or three pumps of Skin1004 Light Cleansing Oil over your face for one minute, avoiding the eye area.
- Add a little water until it turns milky, then rinse.
- Then a mild face wash. A pea-sized amount of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, once.
- Lukewarm water, not hot. Hot water reddens colour-rubbed skin.
- No scrubbing. If a tint remains, repeat the oil; never scrub or use lemon, baking soda, bleach or kerosene. A faint tint fades in a day or two. Pat dry.
- Hair and parting. Oil the parting on dry hair for ten minutes, then shampoo twice. See Hair care for Puja.
- Alta. Rub coconut oil on hands and feet, leave ten minutes, wash with soap and water. Stained nails clear in a few days; do not scrape the skin.
Wearing makeup as well? See How to remove heavy Puja makeup.
Small changes by skin type
- Oily: gel moisturiser in the morning; press oil off with a tissue hourly. No water splashes.
- Dry: a thicker morning layer, and cream twice at night, ten minutes apart.
- Sensitive or acne-prone: keep sindoor to the parting and forehead, never on spots.
Night: time to soothe
- A thick layer of moisturiser. Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream or CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, two pea-sized amounts on face and neck. On oily skin, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel.
- No actives. Pause vitamin C, retinol, acid toners and brightening creams for at least two or three nights.
- A thick coat of lip balm.
- Cream on hands and feet, especially after removing alta.
- Water and sleep. For the days after, see After Puja: a skin recovery routine.
When to stop and when to see a doctor
- Rash, burning or itching: stop putting on anything new. Rinse with cool water and use a plain moisturiser. If it does not settle in a day or two, or gets worse, see a doctor.
- Blisters, swelling, oozing, or redness that spreads: see a doctor without delay.
- Red, painful or blurry eyes, or swelling of the lips and face, or difficulty breathing: get medical help immediately.
- Do not buy and apply a steroid cream on your own.
- If sindoor or alta has caused a reaction before, take a small touch on the parting instead of the face this year, or ask a doctor beforehand.
Read next
The core Puja morning, pandal and night routine: Puja day skincare routine. Sindoor removal and allergies in depth: After Sindoor Khela. Sweat and oil in the crowd: Pandal hopping with oily skin.
Every product mentioned here is checked on TheSkinProof against the importer's invoice and batch number, with 2× money back if a product is proven fake. To check a product you already own, use the free Product Checker. Shubho Bijoya.
More Puja guides
- What to Put on Your Face on Puja Morning: The Anjali Day, Step by Step
- Getting Ready for Puja: A 45-Minute Skin Prep Timeline Before Makeup
- What to Apply When: Product Order, Amounts and Wait Times for Your Puja Routine
- Shashthi to Dashami: A Day-by-Day Skincare Plan for the Five Days of Puja
- Body Skin at Puja: Caring for Neck, Back and Arms in Saris, Blouses and Panjabis
Frequently asked questions
What should I put on my face before sindoor khela?
Moisturiser after your bath, then two finger lengths of sunscreen for face and neck after three minutes. Add a few drops of coconut oil along the parting, hairline, brows and behind the ears so the colour does not settle and comes off easily later.
How do I protect my skin during the bisarjan procession?
Swipe a sun stick on uncoloured skin such as the nose tip, ears and back of the neck every 2 to 3 hours, and use a cap or umbrella for the rest. Press sweat away with a tissue instead of wiping, and drink water through the procession.
How do I remove sindoor gently on Dashami night?
Massage a cleansing oil onto dry skin for a minute, emulsify with water and rinse, then wash once with a mild face wash in lukewarm water. Do not scrub or use lemon, baking soda or bleach; a faint tint fades with normal washing over a day or two.
When should I see a doctor after sindoor khela?
See a doctor if a rash, burning or itching does not settle in a day or two, or if you get blisters, swelling, oozing or redness that spreads. Get help immediately for painful or blurry eyes, lip or face swelling, or difficulty breathing.
Is it safe to use a heavy oil on sensitive skin before sindoor khela?
Sensitive skin can react to thick oils with clogged pores or redness, so a thin layer of a light gel moisturiser along the hairline works better than a heavy oil. Keep the oil or balm limited to the area where sindoor is likely to touch, rather than applying it across the whole face.
How often should sunscreen be reapplied during the Dashami bisarjan procession?
Reapply sunscreen roughly every two to three hours when you are out in the sun and dust for long stretches, blotting sweat and dust with a tissue before you do. One application in the morning is rarely enough for a procession that runs for hours.