HAIR CHALKING for Spring/Summer 2012

I've been absolutely obsessed with having lilac hair for the past few months, but I am unwilling to bleach chunks of my finally-healthy hair just to achieve something which will last for a couple of weeks, max.

Recently, I was browsing the internet and came across an amazing idea: hair chalking.  Depending on the colour of your hair, hair chalking can last anywhere from one wash to a whole week, and if you ask me, is a fool-proof, completely affordable and harmless way to enjoy pastel coloured hair for spring and summer.

When I came home this weekend, I mentioned this to my sister Caroline, who had wanted to dye her hair an unusual colour.  She (willingly!) agreed to be my mannequin, and we located an old box of pastels in a drawer in the playroom of our house.  I think I have had them since I was about eight years old.  Caroline has caramel coloured hair with highlights (all natural), so it is a lot lighter than my hair.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• A box of soft pastels (available from any art supply store).
• An old t-shirt.
• Water.
• A comb.
• A hairdryer.
• A hair straightener.
• Hairspray.

METHOD:

• First, change into an old t-shirt that you don't mind getting chalk dust all over (it's completely washable anyway!)
• Take the strand you wish to colour, and dampen it as far up as you want to colour.  You do not need to saturate the strand (NOTE: if you have light blonde hair or bleached hair, there is no need to dampen the strand, unless you want the dye to be permanent!)
• Take your chosen colour, and rub the stick up and down the strand, twisting the hair as you go in order to achieve maximum coverage.  We used two colours on each strand: blue on the bottom and pink on the top.
• Comb through your coloured strand and move on to the next.
• When you have finished covering all the strands you have chosen, comb through your whole head and quickly run over your hair with a blowdryer.
• Comb through your whole head- you will notice some chalk dust coming off. 
• After you have combed through your hair, take the straightener and straighten over all the strands individually.  Spray them with hairspray following this step.

I think that Caroline's hair looked absolutely great when we were finished.  Be aware, the chalk will fade out of your hair, and will appear a lot lighter when you have finished than when you began.  Also, you should probably sleep on an old pillowcase!

(Sorry my photos are so yellow- it was nighttime)