It’s the hottest thing to hit the hair color trend since temporary dyes – chalks have moved out of the classroom and first came out in 2012 as a hair trend and are now getting a revamp moment this 2015 when hair colors are all over – used by celebrities, seen and pinned on our Pinterest hair inspiration boards and are literally all over our strands.

Hair chalks are literally quite that – colored chalk sticks or compacts that you can run through your hair to create strips of color styled in whichever way you want. And they come in all colors of the rainbow, suitable for different kinds of hair – yup, even dark or black colored hair.
Even celebrities like Nicki Minaj are using hair chalk to spice up their hair ends!

THE BENEFITS OF USING HAIR CHALKS

The best thing about using hair chalks is it’s being temporary and safe on your hair strands versus the hair dyes and bleaching. Hair dyes can be damaging on our hair and should be considered for long-term coloring, when you’ll be retaining that shade for a longer period of time. But if you are the type to experiment on colors, whether you’re trying to find the right shade before making it more permanent or you like trying out different colors and spicing things up with different colors, then using hair chalk might be right for you. It’s also perfect for dressing up your own hair for costume parties versus using itchy wigs! Since hair chalk technically just transfers color from the chalk (which is of course non-toxic, just like actual writing chalk, and comes out easily by washing), it’s safe and doesn’t damage your hair like hair dyes.

Hair chalk is non-toxic and safe enough to use even on kids!

You know what’s also great about hair chalks? It’s like your hair has suddenly has suddenly become a canvass where you can create your own hair colored masterpiece. You literally draw and color and control which sections you want colored, which is harder and messier to do with hair dyes. And the best thing is, you can go crazy with the hair colors, a little bit of this color and that color to create a fantastic and unique combination on your hair. Style it up in an updo or a braid and you are all set for a weekend of fabulous hair. And at the end of that weekend, it’s like you can press reset and your hair is back to normal. Next week is another masterpiece waiting to happen!

Explore a weekend of fabulous and unique hair colors and styles

Here are some tips and how to’s when you finally color in using chalk:

1.    Know your hair type and choose your color – if you have blonde and light colored hair, hair chalk color will come out easily on your hair. But on darker colored hair and black hair, we’ll need to wet the strands first to make the hair color come out more vibrantly.

2.    Get a chalk piece and apply it in a downward motion. Twist your hair around while doing this so that it spreads more on your hair as you color. This way the pigment comes out more easily as well. Remember to dust off excess chalk after coloring each section of hair. Wear a robe and have some paper towels ready – it will get messy!

You can color your hair section by section – making for great flexibility and creativity!

3.    Let it dry. It’s best to let it air dry – some would blow dry the damp strands but this might blow off the chalk powder before you seal it in the hair. Once it is about 90% dry, set and seal in the color by getting a flat iron (or can also be a curling iron) and running your hair through with it. The heat will set the color in and make sure it doesn’t run off too much until you shampoo it out later on.

4.    Wash off and condition – the color will typically last you through one or two washes although if you have bleached or more porous hair, it might take a few more washes till the color comes off since the color may have seeped in to the hair cuticles. If you won’t be shampooing immediately, use an old pillowcase or wrapping your hair since the color might bleed out while you sleep. After taking off the color, it is best to condition. Although hair chalks are safe, it might dry your hair because being chalk it can absorb moisture and the natural oils from your hair. So rinse and moisturize after each coloring.

http://instagram.com/p/m3d6tRjpr7/

Vibrant blues look great on natural black hair

5.    Just some dos and don’ts – it’s best to color your ends instead of the roots. If you color too close to the scalp, it might transfer on there and who would want a rainbow colored scalp right? Also don’t try to use chalk on your hair if you have wax or any sort of product, or even if you’ve just come from a deep conditioning sesh. The chalk won’t go on and stick on your hair that way. Beware as well of wearing something too dark or too light when you’ve chalked the ends of your hair. If it hasn’t sealed too well, it might stain on your clothes. That is why it is probably best if you tie up your hair in an updo or maybe invest in a better quality chalk product like the ones from L’Oreal, like this:

L’Oréal Hair Chalk and Applicator First Date Violet

So chalks can pretty much be awesome in color and how we can use it for our hair. Last piece of advice though – don’t go out with chalk in your hair at the beach or in rainy weather. You don’t want it run like mascara on you!

Chalks – moving out of the classroom and into your hair!