Hair Trend to Try: Chalking

Do you remember the feather extension trend that was so huge a couple of seasons ago? I do, because I tried it myself. I had a couple of feather extensions in my hair last summer, but ended up taking them out. It was one of those fads that faded quickly, and I can see why!

You probably also have a few regrettable trends you’ve tried, but one that I think isn’t so regrettable is chalking. I’m sure you’ve seen the photos on Pinterest of the newest color craze, or Tracey’s discussion of the practice here, but have you tried it yet?

Chalking is simply taking a piece of colored chalk and dampening it to make the color temporarily come off on your hair. It’s easy and costs about $10. Ready to try it? I did! Here’s how you can do the same.

Before you start, style your hair any way you want. Then….

1. Grab your chalk. See, I’ve tried this before and it didn’t work because I used the wrong chalk. You can’t buy colored school chalk because it isn’t intense enough. You need art chalk, called “pastels” (even though they aren’t always pastel-colored) to do this. You can purchase a large box for about $10 at Hobby Lobby and craft stores. I had some lying around my house and didn’t even know I could use them for my hair!
2. Pick a color. I chose a vibrant sea-green.
3. Wet your chalk and the hair you want to color. This will “melt” the pastel so it will take to your hair.
4. Rub. You want to gently (very gently) sort of scrub your hair with the chalk. I suggest wearing gloves and putting down a towel because any water dripping from your hands, hair, or the chalk will be colored and can temporarily stain your hands. If you scrub too hard, the chalk will break and it will tangle and damage your hair. Be careful.
5. You should continue “scrubbing” for about thirty seconds on each strand because it can take some time to build to the color intensity you want.
6. Seal it with a styling tool. You probably mussed up your hair a bit anyways with the scrubbing motion, so you’d want to re-do those pieces anyways. But the heat will help seal in the color and keep it from transferring to other pieces.

Now, remember not to scratch! This color will arguably last until you wash your hair, but as it dries, it does return to its “chalk” form. Now, it won’t fall off of your head per se, but it will flake a bit after about eight or so hours. If you want it to stay put, refrain from touching your hair.

Now you know how to color your hair for a few hours. Get out there and dazzle folks!