The dip dye has made a big impact within the world of hair and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. Summer 2013 has seen the trend becoming even bigger news with everyone adding a stroke of colour to their summer dip dye locks. However, colouring ones hair blues, purples and pinks is not always a realistic and practical commitment that many are happy to make to their hair (consider the startled looks around the office on Monday morning as you stroll in with bubblegum pink tips). It was therefore, only a matter of time before a temporary version was created; all hail the hair chalk! Hair chalking has become a hair sensation, allowing you to show off electric blue locks one night and then return to your original colour the next day. It has particularly become a popular purchase for many festival goers, looking to achieve a quirky look for the weekend. Think of all the fun and creative things you can try out on your hair without any of the, possibly not so sensible, commitments.
What to use?
There are a few different options out there to try for temporarily giving yourself a colourful dip dye look. These include the hair chalk, the hair shadow and the comb in hair colour and all with their own pros and cons...
I have tried colouring my tips with the comb in hair colour http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/pink-comb-in-temporary-hair-dye/invt/5763400303222/ and the hair chalk and have experienced quite different results. For me, the hair chalk won hands down compared to the comb in hair colour. Unlike the hair chalk, the comb in colour is a wet gel like consistency that you need to allow time to dry before you can head out. The drying time for me took around half an hour to 45 minutes and I was stuck sitting around in a towel as I feared the wet colour could stain the white dress I planned to wear. Once dried, it did provide a subtle light pink colouring to my tips, i think however this was helped by my already light blonde hair, my darker haired friend did not have such great success! The hair chalking, however, was a much more simple and effective way to add a temporary colourful dip dye look to your hair, no matter the colour of your hair. On that note, I am therefore going to share a few useful tips for trying out hair chalking. Let’s get colouring!
Top Tips for Successfully Chalking Your Hair:
- All you will need is your chosen hair chalk, a water bottle, a towel and protective gloves. Be careful to lay something down when applying the chalk, it can get a little messy!
- If your hair colour is anything other than blonde you will have to wet the area being coloured first. The water will help the colour to attach to your hair. The wetter the hair, the deeper the colour
- If you are blonde however, applying water first will mean the colour will stay on your hair for a longer period of time. If you want coloured tips but for one night only miss out adding water first.
- Choose semi thick strands of hair, twist the hair and chalk in a downward motion. Twisting the hair as you colour will make the chalk release more pigment and will therefore create a stronger colour
- If you have wet the hair first, just add a little extra time to allow the hair to dry, I would recommend letting the water dry naturally.
- Once dry, you can go over the colour with a straightening iron or curling tong to better seal in the colour.
Redheads – Be aware that certain colours will change when on your hair, for example colouring it yellow may come out more as an orange. Purples and greens are the best colour choices for this hair colour.
Black hair – Those with black hair need to invest in bright vibrant shades, cobalt blues and shocking pinks are an awesome dip dye contrast. Think of Jessie J for inspiration!
Brunettes – Depending on the shade, brunettes can get away with almost any colour. The lighter your hair the more intense the colour.
Blondes - And for the lucky people with blonde hair, the world is your oyster and you can try out just about any colour you so wish. A nice idea is to also try more than one colour on each strand to create a tie-dyed look, start with the lighter colour at the top of the strand going into a darker colour by the tip. Lauren Conrad once mastered this tie-dyed look with hair chalk brilliantly.
Considering chalking it up? Check out http://www.haircolorchalk.com/Default.asp and http://hairchalking.net/ for a great colourful range of hair chalks.
There you have my top tips for creating a hair chalk success, i hope you have all been inspired to get creative with your hair! If you want some more chalking inspiration check out our Pinterest http://pinterest.com/appointedd/chalk-it-up/ and facebook page for some colourful looks https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.390308461075103.1073741836.278318852274065&type=1
Bio:
Leah Hutcheon is the founder of appointedd.com, a brand new site where you can book salons and spas online, 24/7. She was recently featured in the BBC documentary, The Entrepreneurs. Appointedd also features salon reviews and has a hair and beauty blog, appointedd.com/blog.