Color Powder: A Fun & Safe Way to Celebrate

Over 2,000 Color-A-Thon Events Nationwide

Over 2 Million Participants

Over $10 Million Raised

At School-A-Thon, we will rock your world with color but never take your health for granted. That’s why we’ve made our color powder safe, non-toxic and completely washable!

Holi History: The Origin of Color Runs

Holi, the ancient Indian Festival of Color, celebrates the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring and the harvests to come. It’s the festival of colors, emotions and happiness. And what better way to express yourself than with the vibrant colors of the rainbow?

The thousand-year-old central ritual of Holi is the throwing and applying of colored dust and water on friends and family, thus why it’s often referred to as the “Festival of Colors.” Come Holi, India is painted in mesmerizing hues of blues, yellows, magentas, greens, violets and more. Clouds of colors dancing in the wind carry the message of love and happiness to all who participate in the centuries-old tradition.

In the same spirit of goodwill and celebration, School-A-Thon® presents Color-A-Thon™. This color run fundraiser is a fun and invigorating way to raise money for your school or group that ends with a celebration of music, laughter and the throwing of a whole lot of fun and safe color powder!

Color Dust Information

At School-A-Thon, our corn starch color powder has been tested for both health and flammability purposes. It’s a SAFE and refreshingly FUN way to celebrate a successful school fundraiser.

How to Stay Safe with Our Colored Dust

While color dust is safe and we’ve never had any issues in the past, people with allergies and/or asthma may want to take extra precautions when it comes to the color powder. We suggest any participants with allergies or asthma wear protective masks and/or keep a safe distance from the Color Blast Party and Color Blast Stations during the color run fundraiser. We caution parents to evaluate their child’s tolerance to dust and make appropriate decisions.

For all participants, we suggest that they wear some type of protective eye covering such as glasses or goggles. As part of the Color-A-Thon Prizes and Rewards Program, sunglasses are provided at a very low donation level.

We also recommend that a mask, kerchief or some type of covering over the mouth and nose be used to minimize excessive inhalation of the color dust. If needed, School-A-Thon can provide protective masks at a low cost.

Color Run Powder Ingredients

School-A-Thon takes the health and safety of all of our participants seriously. Our Color Dust is non-toxic, 100% safe and biodegradable. It is not meant for consumption, so you’ll want to keep our color dust out of the eyes and lungs.

Ingredients include corn starch and FD&C and/or D&C colors. The colors are approved for use in foods, cosmetics and drugs. These products are not considered hazardous, 29 CFR 1910-1200. Testing data sheets on each color are available.*

Color Powder Throwing Instructions

Around 25 lbs. of colored dust is sent to each event. Each of the four colors is boxed separately and weighs approximately 6 lbs.

To keep the authentic Holi tradition alive at your color run fundraiser, make sure participants are tossing the contents of their color powder packets into the air and not into the faces of friends and fellow participants.

Color Dust Flamability

At School-A-Thon, we have had zero fire-related incidents and are committed to providing a safe, fun event for schools and groups across the nation. The powder used at our fun school fundraisers has been tested for flammability and successfully passed the required US and EU standards.

As a precaution, we suggest implementing the following safety measures (found below) and protocols at your event to ensure participant safety.

How to Get Chalk Out of Clothes, Hair, Skin and More

Our color dust is not only safe, but it’s also incredibly easy to clean up! Following the color powder explosion at the end of your color run or color blast party, you’ll need to set up a blower station where volunteers can help blow the excess color off of participants.

Our color powder is pretty easy to blow off and wash out, but we have some precautions and tips to make it easier for you. And be sure to check out our color run cleanup guide for a fast and easy after-race cleanup. Of course, if you want to keep your shirt looking just as colorful, you can save the color in your color run shirt too!

Clothing

Usually, our color powder easily washes out after events. To be safe, it’s a great idea to encourage participants to wear their white Color-A-Thon™ T-shirt — it’s not only fun but protects participants’ “good” clothes.

Instruct participants to wear shoes that they won’t mind getting dirty. The Color Dust can be washed out of clothing and shoes, but depending on the type of clothing, how long the dust sits on the clothing and the different methods of washing, cleaning results may vary. Be sure to wash all clothing worn during the color run in a separate load on cold and rinse. If participants would like to preserve the color in their shirt, make sure to spray it with vinegar and iron it.

Environment And Surrounding Buildings

Color-A-Thon events use a minimal amount of color which results in a low environmental impact. While the colored dust is not harmful to wildlife or vegetation, you should use leaf blowers to blow any excess color dust off of walkways to prevent it from being tracked into buildings.

For large amounts of color dust, street sweepers and storm drainage containment services can be used if deemed necessary by your city, park or district officials. We recommend that you contact your local officials for best practices and ordinances.

Hair And Skin

We suggest shaking and blowing off as much color dust as possible before climbing into the shower. Brush hair vigorously to get as much dust out as possible. Then thoroughly wash hair and body with soap and water. Keep in mind that hair may have to be washed twice in order to completely get rid of the color. If hair is lightly colored, we suggest putting in conditioner to “coat” the hair and prevent any discoloration.

Note: If hair does become “colored,” it should wash out after two or three shampoos.

Color Dust and Your Cameras, Phones and other Electronics

Color dust is…well, dust, and thus it can be very evasive. If participants plan on using electronics on event day, make sure to wrap them in plastic and tape them securely. We recommend using cameras before the race and after the color powder explosion.

DOWNLOAD COLOR DUST INFO

COLOR-A-THON: HEALTH/SAFETY PDF