Written by Editorial Team
Doctors and pediatricians conclude that it is UNSAFE. Applying kajal to baby’s eyes is so intertwined with India’s tradition that it is almost impossible to ignore it as a myth. In almost all parts of India (and many parts of the Middle East), kajal is applied to a baby’s eyes from infant days. Most of us crawled and walked around with it when we were young.
However, like many old beliefs, applying kajal has also come under the scrutiny of modern mommies who are by default cynical about going against pediatricians’ advice (which normally is to not use kajal). So let us explore this topic a bit further.
In This Article
Traditionally, kajal was applied to a baby’s eyes to:
Made from the soot of lamps of ghee and castor oil, almost every Indian family advises that kajal be applied to the baby’s eyes. All these reasons would make you go for that kajal, but you should know that none of the above-stated beliefs are supported by any scientific evidence.
Short and blunt – YES. In olden times, kajal was prepared at home. It was “organic” – like we would call it now. However, currently, most moms just buy it off the shelf from shops. This comes with a set of problems:
Even when evidence suggests otherwise, you might have your parents, in-laws, and many other ‘well-meaning’ relatives asking you to apply kajal if not for beautification, but for warding off the evil eye (buri nazar). The argument, most often, is “We applied it to you. You turned out fine!” This might make you second guess as well. So here are a couple of other options that you can try:
Make sure you do this when your little one is sleeping or not around to snoop around the fire.
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