Everything you need to know about hair chalking
I have been obsessed with changing my hair color since I went to beauty school at 19. However, I quickly learned that stripping and depositing color too often could cause my fragile hair to look pretty damaged and sometimes, to even fall out. And that was not a cute look for me/
So when I discovered the concept of hair chalking and realized that I could change my hair color on the daily, I was hooked. I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error on both myself and my clients to find out the absolute best (and let’s face it, the worst) ways to switch it up. And because I think that hair chalking is not a trend or a fad, but actually a new salon service that is here to stay, I wanted to show you lovelies how to do it for yourself. I used my friend and fellow blogger Katelyn and her gorgeous blonde hair to demonstrate and I also used my fabulous friend, Hailey to show you how to use a white color on her fierce black hair to achieve a steely, grey-ish tone.
Before we start, let’s discuss what kind of product to use. I would recommend using Kevin.Murphy’s Color.Bug. Not only because I am an educator for the brand and obviously love the products, but because I have tested several different generic hair chalks and most of them were a bit drying or moved around too much in my hair. The reason why Kevin.Murphy’s is different is because it’s actually made from finely ground mineral eye shadow instead of chalk. This means it goes on very smoothly and doesn’t dry out or damage the hair.
Now it’s time to gather the rest of your supplies. You’ll need a pair of gloves, a towel or cape, leave in conditioner, hairspray and a comb. Put the cape or towel over your clothes to guard from fall out and then comb out your hair so that there are no tangles that will catch as you pull the product down each strand. Then just put those gloves on and we are ready!
First, spray on your leave in conditioner. You can either blow-dry it in first or just leave it wet. This will give your hair chalk something to grab onto so that it will stay all day and also, it will keep your chalk from moving around the hair or onto your clothes.
Next, pull the chalk through the hair in one inch sections. I do this by placing my thumb on the chalk side and pulling down. It generally takes about five slides to get an even distribution, but keep going until you have the level of brightness you’d like.
On Katelyn’s hair, I did two separate colors through the ends for an ombre effect. And for Hailey, I did the whole head of with white. You could also do rainbow or a galaxy pattern.
Once you finish a section, use your hairspray to lock it in. Spray from a few inches away in long ribbons to make sure you get the best coverage without the hair looking or feeling too stiff.
Feel free to shake out each section as you go to give the hair a more “styled” look. I love how Hailey’s came out with a blue tinted grey tone. And Katelyn’s was such a fun bright ombre!
To maintain this look for a second day, you can easily pull your hair up in a bun and wear a scarf over it. Then, let it down and shake it out for day two. However, if you’re just going for one night drama, the product will wash out with water. And there you have it: Hair chalking 101. Now go forth and chalk, my friends!
(Images via author/iStock)