This has been around for a while, but I just stumbled across it. At first I was skeptical that anything would show up on my dark hair. Everyone's pictures of colorful hair had me convinced they must have stuck colored extensions into their hair instead. Still, any possibility of bright color intrigues me, so I went to Michaels and picked up a pack of SOFT PASTELS (do NOT use OIL PASTELS).
I read that Senneliers has bright pastels excellent for this technique, but Michaels has none. Sennelier pastel sticks have paper wrapped around so that might help in keeping pastel from getting all over your fingers. They're a bit pricey, but if you want to color your hair to go out for something special- these are worth the investment.
I had a coupon and picked this set up for just under $10 (some people were able to find sets for $5). These are 1.5" good for maybe 5-10 streaks depending on size and color density. Right away I knew that the light blue and the bright pink would show up really well because they look like they pack a lot of pigment. I also wanted to add in purple and yellow. The colors that are more "neon" show up better for dark hair.
Start by covering everything. EVERYTHING. You will see that the chalk gets everywhere. Wear an old shirt- I poked a hole through a trash bag and stuck my head and arms through. Disposable gloves are life savers.
Pick your colors and have a general idea what you would like to do. If you have light hair, you can just color and it will show up. If you have dark hair, wet it with water before coloring. You can twist the hair strands to get more friction (can scrap at the chalk better). It may not show up immediately for dark hair, but just keep putting pigment on and let it dry after you think you've finished. Once dry, the color will POP.
TRY YOUR BEST, to only pull the chalk downwards (don't go up again). Scribbling up and down leads to a "backcombing" effect --> tangled hair. Don't believe me? Pics are below.
For longer lasting effects, you can heat style your hair (combing will make you lose color so don't). Light hair supposedly makes for more permanent color staining (2-3 days I hear). Although people say dark hair won't leave color stains, I found that mine did. Most of it washed out, but I still went to work with pink, purple, and blue streaks (thank goodness no one noticed, it was very light & in a ponytail). To keep chalk from falling out as much through the day, you can also try setting it with hairspray and other products.
This is VERY drying to hair. I didn't believe another blogger who noted as much, but once I was done I literally wanted to grab the Oscar Blandi hair oil and slather some on. Be prepared for some heavy conditioning!
It does come off a little through the day so make sure you wear a shirt which won't show the color deposits as much if possible. You'd think it'd be smart not to wear a white bra as well- guess i'm not that bright -___-||
The purple actually wouldn't show up. I even tried layering white underneath at first to help. Eventually I found that it would show up with flash. The next day in bright daylight my purple streaks were quite obvious. Maybe they're just camera shy.
CLICK TO ENLARGE.
While attempting to take photos I thought it'd be nice to use no flash. Camera decided to make me look a bit goth. I put it here for kicks. See how it's not really showing up as nicely without flash? (You can see the colors other than purple very well irl though).
And by the end of my photo taking, the colors really faded. I didn't put any hairspray or setting product though.
Send me pictures and let me know how yours turn out! These are especially cool if you're able to do gradient effects.
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