Hair Chalk: What Is It, And Why Use It?
We really wish hair chalk had existed when we were little kids. Nearly every child goes through a stage where they want to live out their Avril Lavigne fantasies and dye their hair blue, pink, purple or green – but for most of us, the spoilsport parents shook their heads no, and that was that.
Hair chalk might just be the temporary answer that parents of self-expressive kids are looking for. It’s exactly what it sounds like: chalk for your hair. Just like chalk leaves colour deposits on whatever your children draw it on (the slabs in your patio, paper, your bedroom walls), hair chalk leaves colour deposits on hair.
The great thing about hair chalk is that it’s completely non-invasive, so if you have a child and you’ve personally decided that they’re too young to dye their hair the “proper” way (and hey, you’re entitled to your own rules, no mum shame here), hair chalk makes a fantastic alternative.
How Do You Use It?
Hair chalk comes in two forms: liquid-like or solid, like actual chalk. Solid hair chalk is the more common and popular option, and it’s really easy to use. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Buy your hair chalk
The first step is, as always, the most important. If you’re not sure which hair chalk brands are the safest and most trusted, head online and look at reviews. Your hairdresser may also be able to offer recommendations.
2. Wash your hair without too much product
The idea of hair chalk is that it sticks to your hair as it is, without any excess oils or waxes getting in the way, so wash your hair but skip the hair mask or root spray after. It’s best to change into an old jumper that you don’t mind getting streaked with chalk at this point, too.
3. Wet your hair
Wet whichever part of your hair you want to colour. Doing this will intensify the pigment of your chalk, which is important for people with dark brown or black hair. If your hair’s blonde, this step isn’t important for you.
4. Chalk your strands
Start coating your hair with chalk from the inside, coating your innermost strands before moving outwards. You may need to apply the chalk repeatedly until you build the colour to your desired effect, but you don’t have to work too heavy handedly – this will just result in chalk deposits going everywhere.
5. Seal in your chalk
Grab a hair straightener or a curling iron and get to work sealing your colour. Keep in mind that some colour may get onto your styling tool, but like most chalk, it wipes away easily with a damp cloth. Finish with a spritz of hairspray and you’re good to go. Brushing or combing your hair afterward will reduce the brightness of your look, so keep that in mind and try to keep it to a minimum.
Why Hair Chalk?
There’s so much fun to be had with hair chalk – for adults and children! Let’s face it, even if we’re obsessed with getting our hair dyed all the natural shades under the sun, not all of us are keen to permanently dye our hair something as bright and vibrant as blue or pink. Or even if you are, perhaps your school or workplace limits your self-expression, and you’d get in trouble for daring to go bold.
Whatever the case for you, hair chalk lets you create a fun, temporary masterpiece on your hair that won’t cause it any damage and won’t show any lingering colour once it’s all washed off. You can get really creative with it, too, using different shades of the same colour to fashion an ombre look from root to tip, for example. Or you could match your hair to your outfit or your makeup – a fun one to do for kids’ birthday parties.
Anything to know?
As with all hair products, there’s a bit of (not too worrying) fine print that comes with hair chalk. It’s very moisture-sucking, as you can imagine, so make sure to treat your hair to a deep conditioning mask when you remove it. If you have very light blonde hair, purchase a clarifying shampoo just in case you need a little help getting it out on time for work on Monday morning. And it’s not such a great idea to chalk your hair right before bed, unless you were secretly hoping you’d dye your pillow and bedsheets too.