If there’s one thing we know, it’s that people are always going to come up with creative ways to make a beauty statement.
We have feathers, we have lobe stretching, and now we have a hot new way to add some temporary color to your locks: hair chalking.
In case you haven’t watched the how-to video above, here’s how it goes:
- Nab some colored chalk. You can use sidewalk chalk, but we’ve found you get more vibrant results using soft chalk pastels like the ones artists use. We’ve got some links below to show you what we mean.
- You either soak your chalk in water or wet down small sections of your hair.
- You rub the chalk product into those sections.
- If you’re using pastels, then you just need to set it with heat. If you use a more traditional kind of chalk, then hairspray it down before you style.
And that’s…about it. Hair chalking is that easy and that low-commitment, which is probably why it’s kicking up in popularity. Feel like going wild and crazy tonight? Don some blue or hot pink streaks and then wash it all out in the shower the next day. Switch up the colors as often as you want or need. Color just the tips or entire lock lengths or maybe just your bangs. Who doesn’t love a hair trend that allows so much room for not just creativity but also variability?
What do you guys think? Have you tried hair chalking? Or are you sick of the flash-in-the-pan hair trends and think we just need to get back to basics already?
Try these colored chalks to do hair chalking at home:
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About Becca
Becca is the Content Manager for Beauty Schools Directory and oversees all the latest news, hot topics, trends, tips and tricks that affect beauty school students and cosmetology professionals in the U.S. and Canada.Add Becca on Google+.
This looks amazing!!!! And I’m getting paid tomorrow!!! Oh man I’m going straight to the store. to get this. What brand of pastels did you use?
It looks like most of the standard drawing pastels you can find at craft stores work pretty well. They’ve got a thickness and color vibrancy that transfers well.
Hey
I love the idea and I have just tried it. I bought the right chalk but I can’t seem to get it right. I followed the steps and tried twice. As soon as I flat iron my hair, the chalk comes off. Please help!
does it work for dark brown hair?
From what we’re seeing, you can make it work on dark hair – it’s just a matter of picking the right colors that are going to stand out. Dark brown and black hair is going to have better luck with chalking if you use bright colors, like yellows, oranges, reds, and make sure the chalk is wet enough to get some real color density going.
Omg, this is amazing! I bought chalk/pastel things at A.C. Moore for only $3.99, and they work PERFECTLY!
And I tried the rainbow colors, my gosh they looked BEAUTIFUL. Did you come up with this yourself?
Lol! No – I wish! Not sure where the trend started, actually, but we saw it popping up in Internet chatter and thought it was awesome so we had to post about it!
My hair is white-blonde and I was wondering if I should be concerned about staining my hair if I try this.
We haven’t heard any feedback about chalking causing stains, but it probably varies by the type of chalk you use and your unique hair. We recommend doing a test stand and trying it out on a bit of hair underneath that won’t be easily visible. That’s going to be the easiest way to see if it leaves any color behind after washing.
I have blonde hair and I chalked my hair with a mint/blue color recently. Unfortunately, it did stain my hair and even after 16 shampoos and 2 weeks, I still have traces of the color throughout my hair. Any ideas of how to get it out?
i’m actually checking out this video at work and could hear just about enough.
do you know whether it’ll show up on darker hair?
such as dark brown.
That’s a good question – we think it can. Bright colors like reds and yellows and oranges would probably stand out really well against dark brown or black hair. You might also experiment with types of chalk or pastels to find the ones that provide the most dense, richest color.
will this work with dark brown/black hair?
You’ll definitely need to experiment, but bright colors like reds and oranges and yellows should show up really well against dark hair.
that look amazing!! but how can you make it out? just washing or is it for a longer time in there?, because i just want it for well one evening or something like this..
love it!
It’s definitely a one night color blitz – it washes out with a round of shampoo. Which is kind of great because you can put them in to party without worrying about having hot pink streaks for a family dinner or a job interview the next day!
Super cute! Im so going to try this! So, how long did it last you? How many washes did it take to come out?
It lasts pretty much one day, and you can wash it right out in the shower – just one wash should do it!
def works with dark hair i have a dark chestnut color and i just tried hot pink and its realy colorful great idea!!! super cute!
That’s awesome! I bet it looked fabulous.
I’m pretty excited to be able to change up colorful highlights for all the different kinds of holiday parties coming up!
Does a blowdrier work for the curling iron process?
You can try a blow drier – I think a curling iron is recommended though because that way you can apply concentrated heat to the chalk without blowing it around.
If you are curling your hair would it be best to curl first.. then apply the chalk (using the “wetting the chalk” method?)
Can you speed up the drying process with a hair dryer?
How long did it last in your hair?
What is the chalk called?
Looks great!!
I would still probably let the strands dry naturally – since it’s just small sections of hair normally then it shouldn’t take as long as if it’s your entire head.
The chalk with last several hours – conceivably until you wash it out but I wouldn’t keep it in more than a day or so.
There are a lot of different chalk brands out there. The girl in this video used wax pastels. Other people have tried everything from drawing pastels to sidewalk chalk. I’d experiment a little and see what works best for your hair.
I’m going to try this tonight, SO excited! Does it leave you hair feeling hard or anything like that?
Its got a strange texture, which is why I like to brush through it:)
Did you wash your hair after doing the chalk or just the individual pieces? Also did it only last one day or more?
Looks amazing!!!
Don’t wash it after doing the chalk – you’ll wash the color right out. Just wet down the individual strands, coat them with the chalk of your choice, and let it air dry or set it with heat.
haha that is so cool! you can see that shes on stumbleupon, COOL!
this video kind of annoyed me… girl says she’s doing a tutorial, then she just types away on a computer and texts while her mom does the actual hairstyle? maybe her mom should be making the videos instead….
Yeah, it was a little misleading, but it showed the technique so well that we could forgive the tablet commercial going on in the background.
Hey, my hair is like a dark gray. Would it be alright if I put different colors in my hair? Or, would it stain it?
We haven’t heard any reports of hair chalking leaving color stains, although it is always advisable to experiment with a test strand before you get all wild and wacky.
I’ve got some dark reddish-brown hair, and I use a hot pink. It’s funny, I was planning on doing this tomorrow, when I stumbled upon this through StumbleUpon! How funny
Sounds like a sweet color combo! How did it turn out?
Oh.MY.GOD. thiss is soooo amazingg
im gna try this tonight too… 
*excited* can’t wait!!!!!!!! 
i got black hair.. i hope the bright colours would do? what sort of colours do you think i should use?
umm if i am doing with chalk and not wax pastels…do i need to wash the strand of hair, or the pastel? (which?? )
HI!! Love your idea!! I’m from San Benito, Tx and gonna try it on my 10 yr old Daughter.
I did this back in the 80′s, when I wanted colored hair, but was forbidden to do anything ‘unnatural’ by my mother. I just drew the art pastel chalks down the strand of hair, so that it matched my outfit every day. If you’re in a hurry, you can brush it like mad to take the color out before the ‘wrong’ person spots the addition.
i do this to my hair and all the colors were washed on my first shower, but the red is still on my hair, and i have like two weeks with it!! now i dont know how to get rid of it!! haha do know how to do it?
i think it looks like shit i think it looks like faded hair color
Where can you buy some?
incredible…LOVE THIS
I have red hair, and I was wondering, what colors do you think would go great with my hair? I REALLY want to do this!
where do you get the chalk?
I want crazy colors that last a very short time.. I have blonde hair. I’m trying light blue, red, and orange tonight to see if it’ll be gone after I take a shower. If it works, well, I know what I’ll be doing all summer!
I did my daughters hair this afternoon, very quick and easy. I did a rainbow stripe down a couple of strands and it looks amazing!
Would side walk chalk work? Cause me and my friends wanna try this tomorrow but we only have sidewalk chalk.
Umm, sidewalk chalk will not work as well as was pastels/ soft pastels (the pastels the girl used in this vid) because they r not so pigmented. But you can experience and find out which typed of chalk suits you best!
are there any ways to make it last longer (like even after showering)?
Tried it, doesn’t work. It makes your hair dry and disgusting, and even with my blonde hair, the color looks faded and grayish.
that dosent really help
This is awesome!! I love it!! I just have a question for the types of chalk. So is ANY type of chalk ok? Like even chalk you would use on a black board?
I can’t WAIT to try this! I have some questions though. Would colors like green or turquoise show up in my brown hair? I am not really sure on the specific color of my hair because in the sun it looks lighter. I am hoping to go to Michael’s tomorrow to get some pastels!
Hey all – most people recommend using oil pastels!
But i think i have heard that oil pastels stick to your hair and cause a big mess?? I dont know!HELP!! :/
Sidewalk chalk works I have brownish black hair and it works but try doing white chalk and letting it dry thts wat I do