How to: Chalk your hair

Last week, Staedtler SA launched their hair chalking range with the help of Shelene Shaer of Tanaz Hair, Body and Nails. Shelene showed us how easy and fun it is to chalk your own hair – going to the hairdresser to get it done is a thing of the past!

Hair chalking has taken the overseas market by storm, appearing on Prada and Chanel catwalks and advocated by celebs like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj. Now South Africans can also join the craze.

The great thing about hair chalking is that you can join in the trend of having brightly coloured hair without really having to commit to a permanent hair colour as the chalk washes out fairly easily and you don’t have to worry about any damage.

Shelene made hair chalking look so easy at the launch, and I was desperate to get my kit home so I could try it myself! I received a pack of 24 coloured chalks. What you need to chalk your hair: - An old towel or something that will protect your clothes - Water in a spray bottle - A comb - A hair clip - Hair chalk – Use soft pastel artists chalk, or Staedtler’s Hair Chalk. Don’t use oil-based chalk as it’ll stain, and don’t use blackboard chalk as it won’t stick.

Rather intrepidly, I let my friend Ashleigh loose on my hair! She chose a lovely bright pink to start with. Here are my tips and observations:

1. The instructions on the back of the Staedtler box say that it’s best to wet the strand of hair you’d like to colour with a spray bottle. We tried this, but found we had a better result when Ashleigh sprayed water in her hand and then rubbed the chalk onto her hand to create a paste. Once she had done this, she ran the colour through a strand of hair, using the chalk as a paintbrush and the pool of dye as the palette. This worked extremely well.

2. The first time we tried this, Ashleigh put too much water with the chalk, which resulted in a paler colour. It's better to use more chalk with less water for a brighter, more intense colour, but if you're going for a pastel look, which is very on-trend, then a damper hand will work.

3. The instructions on the Staedtler box advise that you twist the hair so that more pigment is released – however Shelene advised against this as she feels it places too much strain on the hair cuticle. Ashleigh tried this approach however, and found that rubbing the chalk into small strands of hair without twisting, as per Shelene’s suggestion, actually produced a better result.

4. Once you’ve applied the colour to your hair, comb the strand to rid of any excess powder. Shelene suggests wearing dark coloured clothing in case the chalk does flake off slightly during the day, but I was wearing white and found it not to flake off at all. I would suggest you wear a towel around your shoulders while your hair is being chalked to avoid any accidents, but if chalk does get onto your clothes don’t despair – it washes out very easily.

5. The last step is to seal the colour in with heat. This really helps it to stay. I straightened the coloured strands and that worked perfectly, but you can also use a hair-dryer.

6. I was really happy with the result of the colour on my hair. Ashleigh also put a bit of purple in my hair and I thought it was a really fun look. I was aware that my hair felt very dry and I was concerned that it might never recover! But after a wash with a good shampoo and conditioner, it was back to normal. I would advise using a conditioning treatment after chalking.

7. It did not entirely wash out, which was a bit disappointing (and worrying!). Shelene warned us that blondes like me might have to shampoo our hair more than once for it to come out and I have no doubt that the pale remnants of colour will be out by the next wash!

8. I was really surprised by the intensity of colour that showed up on brunette hair at the launch. It’s definitely not limited to blondes only! It also looks fantastic on dreadlocks and ethnic hair as the colour really pops.

Staedtler Pastel Chalks are available in boxes of 12, 24, 36 and 48 pieces. For stockist information contact Kerry Harrison at admin@staedtler.co.za or Staedtler Head Office 011 579 1600.

Photos taken by Ashleigh Jane Hay