Fake Pastel-Dyed Hair in Four Easy Steps!

So if you’ve been on Pinterest or WeHeartIt recently (we’re on both!) you’ll have seen that pastel coloured hair is everywhere! Dip dye, whole head or even tie dye strands - it’s the hottest hair trend since hair was invented.

BUT what do you do if you adore pastel colours in your hair but can’t afford/aren’t allowed/ don’t want a full permanent dye job? The solution: hair chalking! It’s easy, fast and washes out. But before you start, make sure you read through these handy tips and tricks for the best results…

Step One: What You Need

First you need to get your hands on the chalk. Non oil based pastels are available in all good art shops and you can probably track some down online too! It’s up to you how much you spend. Do not buy oil chalks unless you want a big sticky mess!

Next you’ll need a water bottle, protective gloves and a flat iron.

Step Two: Prepare That Hair

Put something down to protect the floor where you’re chalking or you will chalk the entire house and also the cat. Ke$ha clearly ignored this advice.

If you’re blonde, DO NOT wet your hair unless you want the colour to last a few washes. If you have DARK hair, make sure you mist your hair lightly with water as this helps the colours show up. If you’re a redhead, we say try it without water and add a splash if the colours aren’t as bright as you want them.

Twist a strand of hair and prepare to chalk!

Lee’s Tip: Chalked hair looks fab, but it can make your ‘do super dry. Always condition hair after washing out chalk, and give your hair a rest - don’t chalk too often!

Step Three: Chalking the Chalk

Apply your chalk by rubbing it in a downwards direction on the twisted strand of hair. You can just apply to the tips for a dip-dye look, mix a couple of colours on one strand of hair or just colour a couple of strands.

Step Four: Set the Colour

Brush out the extra chalk after colouring each strand. You can blowdry your chalked hair, but this may blast some off the chalk out of it. We recommended curling or straightening to seal in the colour!

Lee’s Final Words of Wisdom:

• Updos work really well with chalk, especially as if you’ve got long hair that’s chalked the colours may stain your clothes a bit. Watch out for this!

• Wash out the chalk really thorougly! Brush it out first and then use a clarifying shampoo if possible to get all the dust out of your hair.

Enjoy chalking your hair this summer! What kind of vibrant shades are you thinking of using? Chalked locks look amazing with fishtail plaits, messy buns or wavy, beachy hair!

by Lilou, Lea and Lee