Bhubaneswar, March 2: The youth and the old alike are busy choosing their favourite colours to smear each other on Holi, which is only three days away. Safe colours for the skin is on the mind of most buyers and colour sellers in the city are giving them enough options this year.

The bright and bold shades have always been a favourite and the big demand for such shades are very much in place. But the colours have become more expensive, courtesy the safety factor that makes them devoid of cheap and harmful chemicals. Yet, there has been no decline in the enthusiasm of the buyers, say kiosk owners.

"A few years ago, the colours used to come at very affordable rates like Rs 40 per kg. But those colours included untested chemicals, which harmed the skin. Now organic and herbal colours are sold in packets with the endorsement from various health organisations. This has led to the steep increase in price. But there is no dearth of customers," said Pintu Sahoo, a kiosk owner selling holi colours on Janpath. The herbal packets weighing 200 grams are priced at Rs 20 onwards.

Rich colours of blue, red and green are popular while yellow, silver and golden hues also have a good demand. A few new products have also hit the market this year. The face glow packets, for instance, act like a shield for the skin and when put on the face or any body part, the powder lends a shimmering effect. When colour is applied on it, the skin stays safe while the shine continues. This adds more happiness in the smearing ritual.

"Face glow is a wonderful item that is abundantly available this year. A sparkling face and knowing that the colours are safe is a win-win situation. It is a brilliant combination and one would not have to bother about skin damage," said Pragyan Paramita, an engineering student. The face glow packets come for around Rs 40 per piece.

Apart from colours, there is a wide range of Holi related accessories that is finding takers from all age groups.

There are grey coloured hermit wigs that appear like uncut hair with a bun, 'Malinga' wigs that have curly locks in neon shades, masks resembling ghost faces, jokers and animal faces have flooded the stores all across Bhubaneswar.

The 'pichkaris' or water guns are also expensive this year. A decent quality plastic gun is priced around Rs 150. To woo the kids, these have the most popular cartoon characters printed on them like Chhota Bheem, Ben 10, Angry Birds, Spiderman and Doremon.

Holi will be celebrated on Friday.